Pregnancy, also known as gravidity or gestation, is the time during which one or more offspring develops inside awoman.[1] A multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins.[2] Pregnancy can occur by seual intercourse or assisted reproductive technology.!t usually lasts around "# weeks from the last menstrual period $%&P' and ends in childbirth.[1][(] )his is *ust over + lunar months, where each month is about 2+, days.[1][(] -hen measured from conception it is about (. weeks. An embryo is the developing offspring during the first . weeks following conception, after which, the term fetus is used until birth.[(] /ymptom of early pregnancy may include a missed periods, tender breasts, nausea and vomiting, hunger, and fre0uent urination.["] Pregnancy may be confirmed with a pregnancy test.[1]Pregnancy is typically divided into three trimesters. )he first trimester is from week one through twelve and includes conception. 2onception is followed by the fertili3ed egg traveling down the fallopian tube and attaching to the inside of the uterus, where it begins to form the fetus and placenta.[1] )he first trimester carries the highest risk of miscarriage$natural death of embryo or fetus'.[4] )he second trimester is from week 1( through 2.. Around the middle of the second trimester, movement of the fetus may be felt. At 2. weeks, more than +#5 of babies can survive outside of the uterus if provided high60uality medical care. )he third trimester is from 2+ weeks through "# weeks.[1]Prenatal care improves pregnancy outcomes.[7] )his may include taking etra folic acid, avoiding drugs and alcohol, regular eercise, blood tests, and regular physical eaminations.[7] 2omplications of pregnancy may include high blood pressure of pregnancy, gestational diabetes, iron6deficiency anemia, and severe nausea and vomiting among others.[.])erm pregnancy is (7 weeks to "1 weeks, with early term being (7 and (. weeks, full term (+ and "# weeks, and late term "1 weeks. After "1 weeks, it is known as post term. 8abies born before (7 weeks are preterm and are at higher risk of health problems such as cerebral palsy.[1] !t is recommended that delivery not be artificially started with eitherlabor induction or caesarean section before (+ weeks unless re0uired for other medical reasons.[+]About 21( million pregnancies occurred in 2#12, of which, 1+# million were in the developing world and 2( million were in the developed world. )his is about 1(( pregnancies per 1,### women between the ages of 11 and "".[1#] About 1#5 to 115 of recogni3ed pregnancies end in miscarriage.[4] !n 2#1(, complications of pregnancy resulted in 2+(,### deaths, down from (77,### deaths in 1++#. 2ommon causes include maternal bleeding, complications of abortion, high blood pressure of pregnancy, maternal sepsis, and obstructed labor.[11] 9lobally, "#5 of pregnancies areunplanned. :alf of unplanned pregnancies are aborted.[1#] Among unintended pregnancies in the ;nited /tates, 4#5 of the women used birth control to some etent during the month pregnancy occurred.[12]Contents[hide] 1)erminology 2/igns and symptomso 2.12omplicationso 2.2!ntercurrent diseases (Physiologyo (.1!nitiationo (.2erciseo 1.+/leep 4>pidemiology 7/ociety and cultureo 7.1Artso 7.2!nfertilityo 7.(Abortiono 7."%egal protection .?eferences +@urther reading 1#>ternal linksTerminology-illiam :unter, Anatomia uteri humani gravidi tabulis illustrata, 177"Ane scientific term for the state of pregnancy is gravidity $ad*ective "gravid"', %atin for BheavyB and a pregnant female is sometimes referred to as a gravida.[1(] /imilarly, the term parity $abbreviated as BparaB' is used for the number of times a female has given birth, counting twins and other multiple births as one pregnancy, and usually including stillbirths. &edically, a woman who has never been pregnant is referred to as a nulligravida, a woman who is $or has been only' pregnant for the first time as a primigravida,[1"] and a woman in subse0uent pregnancies as a multigravida or multiparous.[1(][11] )herefore, during a second pregnancy a woman would be described as gravida 2, para 1 and upon live delivery as gravida 2, para 2.An in6progress pregnancy, as well as abortions, miscarriages or stillbirths account for parity values being less than the gravida number. !n the case of twins, triplets, etc., gravida number and parity value are increased by one only. -omen who have never carried a pregnancy achieving more than 2# weeks of gestation age are referred to as nulliparous.[14]?ecent medical literature prefers the terminology preterm and postterm to premature and postmature. Preterm and posttermare unambiguously defined as above, whereas premature and postmature have historical meaning and relate more to the infantCs si3e and state of development rather than to the stage of pregnancy.[17][1.]Signs and symptomsMain article: Symptoms and discomforts of pregnancy&elasma pigment changes to the face due to pregnancy)he symptoms and discomforts of pregnancy are those presentations and conditions that result frompregnancy but do not significantly interfere with activities of daily living or pose a threat to the health of the mother or baby. )his is in contrast topregnancy complications. /till, there is often no clear separation between symptoms versus discomforts versus complications, and in some cases the same basic feature can manifest as either a discomfort or a complication depending on the severity. @or eample, mild nausea may merely be a discomfort $morning sickness', but if severe and with vomiting causing water6electrolyte imbalance it can be classified as a pregnancy complication $hyperemesis gravidarum'.2ommon symptoms and discomforts of pregnancy includeD )iredness. 2onstipation Pelvic girdle pain 8ack pain 8raton :icks contractions. Accasional, irregular, and often painless contractions that occur several times per day. >dema $swelling'. 2ommon complaint in advancing pregnancy. 2aused by compression of the inferior vena cava $!E2' and pelvic veins by the uterus leads to increased hydrostatic pressure in lower etremities. !ncreased urinary fre0uency. A common complaint referred by the gravida, caused by increased intravascular volume, elevated 9@? $glomerular filtration rate', and compression of the bladder by the epanding uterus. ;rinary tract infection [1+] Earicose veins. 2ommon complaint caused by relaation of the venous smooth muscle and increased intravascular pressure. :aemorrhoids $piles' are swollen veins at or inside the anal area, resulting from impaired venous return, straining associated with constipation, or increased intra6abdominal pressure in later pregnancy.[2#] ?egurgitation, heartburn, and nausea. /triae gravidarum, pregnancy6related stretch marksComplicationsMain article: omplications of pregnancy>ach year, ill6health as a result of pregnancy is eperienced $sometimes permanently' by more than 2# million women around the world.[21] !n 2#1( complications of pregnancy resulted in 2+(,### deaths down from (77,### deaths in 1++#. 2ommon causes include maternal bleeding $"",###', complications of abortion $"",###', high blood pressure of pregnancy $2+,###', maternal sepsis $2",###', and obstructed labor $1+,###'.[11])he following are some eamples of pregnancy complicationsD Pregnancy induced hypertension Anemia [22] Postpartum depression Postpartum psychosis )hromboembolic disorders. )he leading cause of death in pregnant women in the ;/.[2(] P;PPP skin disease that develop around the (2nd week. $Pruritic ;rticarial Papules and Pla0ues of Pregnancy', red pla0ues, papules, itchiness around the belly button that spread all over the body ecept for the inside of hands and face. >ctopic pregnancy, implantation of the embryo outside the uterus. :yperemesis gravidarum, ecessive nausea that is more severe than morning sickness.)here is also an increased susceptibility and severity of certain infections in pregnancy.Intercurrent diseasesMain article: !ntercurrent disease in pregnancy!n addition to complications of pregnancy that can arise, a pregnant woman may have intercurrent diseases, that is, other diseases or conditions $not directly caused by the pregnancy' that may become worse or be a potential risk to the pregnancy. urope. Asia, Mapan and the ;nited /tates are all seeing average age at first birth on the rise, and increasingly the process is spreading to countries in the developing world like 2hina, )urkey and !ran. !n the ;/, the age of first childbirth was 21." in 2#1#.[1#4]!n the ;nited /tates and ;nited Hingdom, "#5 of pregnancies are unplanned, and between a 0uarter and half of those unplanned pregnancies were unwanted pregnancies.[1#7][1#.]9lobally, an estimated 27#,### women die from pregnancy6related complications each year.[1#+]Society and culture9iotto di 8ondoneEisitation, circa 1(#1!n most cultures, pregnant women have a special status in society and receive particularly gentle care.[11#] At the same time, they are sub*ect to epectations that may eert great psychological pressure, such as having to produce a son and heir. !n many traditional societies, pregnancy must be preceded by marriage, on pain of ostracism of mother and $illegitimate' child.Averall, pregnancy is accompanied by numerous customs that are often sub*ect to ethnological research, often rooted intraditional medicine or religion. )he baby shower is an eample of a moderncustom.Pregnancy is an important topic in sociology of the family. )he prospective child may preliminarily beplaced into numeroussocial roles. )he parentsC relationship and the relation between parents and their surroundings are also affected.rts