Some well known pregnancy risks involve the use of certain substances during pregnancy. Drinking alcohol and using drugs, both prescription and illegal drugs, are risky behaviors during pregnancy. Information about these pregnancy risks have been made very public in recent years. But for some women who indulge in the use of drugs and alcohol before pregnancy find it very hard and sometimes impossible to refrain from that use during pregnancy, thus creating serious pregnancy risks for herself and her unborn child. Some of the consequences of these pregnancy risks are miscarriage, pre-term labor, low birth weight of baby, and birth defects, including fetal alcohol syndrome or effect, both of which are completely preventable if the pregnant woman refuses to expose her baby to alcohol and not take this pregnancy risks.

For some women gestational diabetes is an issue and for them, not paying close attention to blood sugar levels and not sticking to prescribed diets become pregnancy risks. This is another area where, if the woman is conscientious, the pregnancy risks can be greatly reduced. Another area of avoidable pregnancy risks is accessing regular pre-natal care and monitoring during pregnancy. The pregnancy risks here is if there is a lack of pre-natal care, certain complications can go unnoticed and negative consequences can occur. It is very important to maintain a regular schedule of pre-natal check ups. By doing this, a woman is reducing her chances for allowing problems that might come up from escalating and causing further problems.

Second hand smoke is a terrible pregnancy risks that, for some women seems unavoidable. Even if she was a smoker and quit for the sake of her health and the health of her baby, she may have a partner or household member who refuses to limit their smoking to areas away from the pregnant woman. This is both inconsiderate and irresponsible. Everyone near a pregnant woman should be concerned enough about her well being to refrain from smoking in her vicinity. This is only common courtesy and responsible behavior that one should expect from our fellow man.

Unprotected sex with multiple partners at any time is a health risk and if pregnant, a pregnancy risk. If a pregnant woman is not in a committed relationship and/or marriage, she should always practice safe sex. There are certain STD’s that can be devastating to a baby. If the pregnant woman contracts one of these and it goes undetected, during the birth of the baby, this STD can cause blindness or even be fatal so this is another pregnancy risks that can be completely avoided if the pregnant woman takes steps to protect herself and her child.

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There is a difference in the costs of various pregnancy tests as well as a difference in both the time frame when a test is appropriate and the way in which the pregnancy test is administered and processed.

Sometimes a pregnancy test is purchased over the counter on impulse and used at home and sometimes a pregnancy test is scheduled to take place at a clinic or doctor’s office. Depending upon the results of a home test, a follow-up doctor’s appointment is often scheduled for confirmation, pre-natal care or termination.

All of these options are very personal and decisions are made for many different reasons on how, when and where to have a pregnancy test and what to do after learning the results. Pregnancy tests have evolved over the years. But the home pregnancy test is a urine analysis. For a pregnancy test to return a positive result, there must be the presence of a hormone called, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in the urine. And the home pregnancy test is designed to recognize this hormone. This is accomplished by either placing a drop of urine on a chemically treated strip or dipping a chemically treated strip into a urine specimen. The results of these home pregnancy tests are said to be about 99% reliable. This statistic is about the same as the reliability of a pregnancy test conducted in a doctor’s office or family planning clinic.

It is recommended that the pregnancy test be conducted about ten days after possible conception, but it is more likely to produce an accurate result if done five to ten days after a missed period. It is most advisable to use first urine in the morning for best results. Although they are rarely used these days, blood tests can also determine an existing pregnancy. The drawbacks of using a blood test for pregnancy tests are that they are more expensive, they must be conducted at a lab and the results can take anywhere from a few hours to a day, whereas the urine type of pregnancy test produces results almost instantly. And of course, there is the fact that the urine tests can be used at home so they are less expensive and more convenient as well as resulting in immediate results.

As with anything that involves your health, although pregnancy is not typically a medical problem, it is always best to seek the wisdom of a midwife or doctor for monitoring and care. Having a Midwife or Obstetrician available for resources and any necessary referrals is important in case any unexpected or uncharacteristic circumstances that may arise. And if there is any doubt about the desire to carry a pregnancy to term, the earlier one seeks medical care, the better for many reasons.

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