Prenatal Care
A full-term pregnancy translates to 280 days in nine calendar months, calculated from the first day of the last menstrual period. This is considered to be fairly arbitrary and the timeline of childbirth varies among women.
Female reproductive health is often monitored through the medical specialties of obstetrics and gynecology (often abbreviated to OB/GYN). These two medical specialties deal with the female reproductive organs, and are often combined into one medical specialty. Gynecology deals with the health of the female reproductive system. Obstetrics is concerned with caring for women during pregnancy, childbirth, and in the recuperative period following pregnancy.
Prenatal care is concerned with screening the unborn fetus for various complications. Prenatal examinations include physicals and laboratory tests. Obstetricians and Gynecologists also seek to prevent prenatal problems from arising by ensuring that pregnant patients receive adequate nutrition, vitamin intake, and proper exercise.
Expecting mothers are often given vitamins to consume such as folic acid which helps prevent neural tube defects. Prenatal care typically consists of monthly visits to any Sugar Land ob gyn for the first two trimesters from week 1 to week 28 after conception. This is followed by bi-weekly visits to the OB/GYN from week 28 to week 36 after conception. Physical checkups then become weekly after week 36 as delivery is expected from week 38 to 40 onwards.
The physical examination by any obgyn in Houston TX involves collating the mother’s medical history; checking the mother’s blood pressure regularly; noting the mother’s height and weight; performing a pelvic exam; and taking regular samples of the mother’s blood and urine. Obstetric ultrasounds are also performed from the second trimester at about week 20.
Ultrasound is used by any Sugar Land ob gyn to check for multiple fetuses; assess any possible health risks to the mother; check for any fetal abnormalities; note the development of the various fetal body parts; and check the amniotic fluid and umbilical cord for any problems. The practice of gynecology is said to end at 28 weeks gestation, but there is no universally accepted demarcation. In the United States, the cut-off occurs at 24 weeks gestation.
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