• The pregnancy test consists of a test that provides the level of beta-hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), which is the hormone that is produced by the placenta cells after embryo implantation.They measure the level of beta-hCG in urine, in such a way that if this hormone is found, the indicator reacts with the antibodies and shows the result. Normally, between 25 and 50 mUI/ml of this hormone are found and an accuracy of 95-97%.It is advisable to perform the test with your first urination of the morning as it is the moment when the hormone’s concentration is highest.

• Even though ovulation tests guide us to the moment when sexual intercourse will give us more chances for pregnancy and can help towards achieving our goal, they often significantly interfere in a couple’s relationship, so our advice is to not have sexual intercourse solely because of the ovulation test’s outcome.

• After an assisted reproduction treatment, the embryo culture days must be reduced to an estimated 14 reference days. For example, if the transferred embryos are from day +3, the tests can be performed 11 days after embryonic transfer. Thus, 11 days of betaespera plus 3 days of culture results in 14 days since the puncture. This time elapsed between the embryonic transfer and the pregnancy test date is known as betaespera.If the result is positive, you should undergo an abdominal ultrasound after two weeks to reassure yourself and to confirm with the upmost certainty that embryonic development is taking place as normal.

• The pregnancy calculator takes the first day of the last time you had your period as a reference, in such a way that if it has been 5 weeks since you had your period and you are pregnant, you will be 5 weeks.As you can see, the pregnancy calculator is not very complicated, other than noting the date of your last menstruation, making yourself a calendar and taking note of the benchmarks week by week which are shown below. It will help you deal with the different pregnancy stages and encourage you to face the most difficult times.

• • You may have become pregnant around 15 days after your last period, since that is when ovulation occurs, that is, when one of the ovaries releases the egg that descends through the Fallopian tube to the uterus to await fertilisation. Keep in mind that, in a normal cycle, fertile days are those that are halfway through the cycle (from days 12 to 16).
  • From the first to the third week, the embryo is developing until it implants inside the uterus. This is the most at-risk stage due to the problems that can arise during these days. You will note certain symptoms such as, for example: swollen breasts, mild abdominal pain similar to premenstrual pain, implantation bleeding and even greater fatigue.
  • In the fifth week of pregnancy, the embryo grows at a frantic pace, quadrupling in size.
  • As of week 11, a calmer stage begins. You will note that the discomfort you usually have first thing in the morning starts to gradually decrease.
  • In week 20, you will already be halfway through the pregnancy. Your baby will measure about 20-25 centimetres and will already react to external stimuli.
  • Arriving at week 27, you should be aware that your habits will start to have direct consequences for your child. It would be wise to lead a healthy and slow-paced lifestyle to avoid problems. Perhaps you feel some emotional changes in yourself during the seventh month of gestation and increased breast volume. It is common for mothers to go up three sizes during the gestation period.
  • Around 35 weeks of pregnancy, if you had a premature labour, the baby can survive without any problems, since their lungs have matured enough to start life outside the uterus without any respiratory problems. At this point, the baby will weigh almost 3 kg and measure around 40 cm.
  • In week 40, the foetus has now completely developed. It will be ready for birth. The moment of labour will only be a question of time.

• Ultrasound is a technique allowing us to make a definitive diagnosis of pregnancy. With the transvaginal ultrasound, we can see the gestational sac inside the uterus and its development as the weeks go by.The first ultrasound is recommended at two weeks after the pregnancy test, that is, in week 6 of pregnancy, so that we can make sure that we can already see the gestational sac properly.

• The gestational sac is the structure that appears the earliest. It is an image with no echoes (dark) and surrounded by a refringent halo (white), located inside the uterus (specifically, in the endometrium). The fledgling gestational sac can usually be seen in week 5 of pregnancy, but it is preferable to wait one more week to be sure of the diagnosis.

• The embryonic knob is formed of a mass of embryonic cells that create the embryo’s organs. It appears as a structure attached to the gallbladder. In week 6, at times it is still not noticeable, although it can usually be seen now

• The pregnancy check-up is performed through prenatal diagnostic tests to dismiss any potential abnormalities in the foetus.The risk that the foetus suffers from chromosome abnormalities, such as Down or Edwards Syndrome, as well as neural tube defects, such as spina bifida, can be assessed with blood tests that are performed in the first trimester of pregnancy and ultrasounds.Amniocentesis or chorion biopsy are the ultimate techniques for foetal genetic testing. Nevertheless, the emergence of non-invasive prenatal tests have made progress since they allow us to achieve several diagnoses with a simple blood test on the mother.

  The non-invasive prenatal test is, as its name suggests, a non-invasive diagnostic test that is performed from as of week 10 of pregnancy via a maternal blood test.  By means of the blood sample, foetal cells that have accidentally passed from the foetus into the mother’s blood are checked for. Through these cells, abnormalities in the most important chromosomes will be dismissed, among them 21 (which means Down syndrome), 18 (Edwards syndrome) and 13 (Patau syndrome).

  In week 6, at times it is still not noticeable, although it can usually be seen now

The most common symptom of miscarriage is metrorrhagia, which consists of blood loss through the vagina. Metrorrhagia will not always end in miscarriage, but it will always be a risky situation for a pregnancy that must be considered.

At other times, miscarriage has no symptoms and is diagnosed during a routine ultrasound examination. In such cases, the embryo is found to have stopped its correct development and no active heartbeat is observed.

The most at-risk moment is during the first trimester of pregnancy, since it is during this stage that the majority of the embryo’s organs are formed. Once 12 weeks of pregnancy have been reached and its correct development is confirmed by ultrasound, the possibilities that a miscarriage will occur significantly decrease.

The main cause of miscarriage is often genetic. This is because after the egg is fertilised by the sperm, an embryo with the correct genetic information has not been created. In these instances, being a non-viable embryo, the pregnancy naturally ends.

Stress can affect the mother’s overall well-being, hampering the pregnancy experience, but under no circumstances will it be a cause of miscarriage.