Pregnancy Signs for Teens
Menstruation
Contraception
Pregnancy
If you are a teenage girl engaged in sexual activities, there is a chance you may be pregnant. The pregnancy signs for teens do not differ much from the signs and symptoms of pregnancy in adult women. However, in some cases these early signs of teen pregnancy may occur for reasons other than pregnancy. For example, if a teen is unusually stressed or active, she may experience one or more pregnancy signs common in teens. Early signs and symptoms of teen pregnancy include:
• a missed period
• nausea or vomiting
• frequent urination
• tenderness and fullness of breasts
• fatigue
• changes in appetite
Although taking a pregnancy test is the most common way a woman tells she is pregnant before seeking a medical diagnosis, these early signs are worth noting. Things like stress or activity levels can create many of these signs, including delaying a menstrual period or causing fatigue or changes in appetite.
As a pregnancy progresses, the signs and symptoms become more pronounced and harder for teens to miss. Some of these pregnancy signs include:
As a pregnancy progresses, the signs and symptoms become more pronounced and harder for teens to miss. Some of these pregnancy signs include:
• an enlargement of the abdomen
• weight gain or loss
• aches such as backaches or headaches
• quickening (feeling of fetal movement)
• pregnancy mask
• food cravings
If you or someone you know is experiencing any of these pregnancy signs, you can get free, confidential help by calling …
While described above signs and symptoms may help a teenager determine if she may be pregnant, the only way to know for certain is to have your pregnancy diagnosed by a doctor. Before seeing a doctor, you may also take a pregnancy test. Most pregnancy tests are very reliable. These tests are usually up to 99% accurate. However, to confirm that you are pregnant, a visit to an appropriate health care provider will be necessary.
Trained medical personnel can also detect additional signs and symptoms of pregnancy with a physical exam and other procedures such as an ultrasound. These signs and symptoms include changes in the size and shape of the uterus, changes in the cervix, or fetal heart signs or movements. This information is important whether you are considering abortion or continuing your pregnancy.
Facing an unplanned teen pregnancy can be scary and confusing. To make decision whether or not to keep the baby, how to cope with motherhood or whether to make an adoption plan is not an easy task. You should consider carefully possible health risks of teen pregnancy and childbirth, your personal feelings, relationships with father of a child, your plans for the future, as well as cost of the parenting, in other words the financial aspects of having a child.
Although it is risky for young girls to become pregnant, early and good prenatal care increases the odds of a normal delivery and a healthy baby. However, any girl who is pregnant or thinks she might be pregnant should see her doctor right away, and this is especially important for a girl who is less than 16. Girls this age may also have successful pregnancies, but the best time to have a baby from the health point of view is in the mid-twenties.
If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties with decision making consult your partner, parents or close friends. You can also get free, confidential counseling by calling …
One of the most immediate effects of teen pregnancy is how the growing baby changes a teenager's body as well as their lifestyle. Because a teen's body immediately begins the process of carrying a child and preparing for childbirth, a teenager needs to consider the effect that her behavior may have on developing baby. A variety of activities may have a negative effect on a developing baby, e.g. drinking alcoholic beverages, smoking cigarettes or using narcotic drugs, lack of sleep and unhealthy eating patterns. Other physical changes that take place as her uterus expands may impact things as simple as clothing choices or her ability to safely participate in sports.
Exercise during pregnancy helps stimulate circulation, maintains good posture, strengthen the muscle and increase the ability to relax. Most women get a certain amount of exercise while doing housework. The kind and amount of the exercise a pregnant women needs depends on the type of work she does.
Extra rest is necessary and relaxation needs practice. Relaxation is a way of conditioning the muscles, to loosen up and help release tension. The pregnant women should take every opportunity to rest and learn to relax. The expectant mother should aim at eight hours of sleep at night and at least an hour of rest during the day.
An adequate well-balanced diet is essential for good health and during pregnancy it is of a particular importance to maintain the health of the future mother in order to ensure food for the growing baby. Intake of nutritious food and the right amount of each kind of food during pregnancy will also help to promote a successful lactation (breast-feeding), which is ideal for the baby. It has now been established that breast-feeding helps to lay the foundation for good physical and emotional health of the child.
It is important that future mothers attend the prenatal clinic services on a regular basis so as to receive quality care and maintain optimum health for themselves and their unborn baby. The pregnant woman should visit the clinic at least eight times during her pregnancy so as to have continuous health care and medical supervision. The first clinic attendance should be scheduled as soon as a woman thinks she is pregnant in order to confirm her pregnancy. The next visit should be somewhere around week 12, followed by 6 week-intervals up to the 30th week, and then every week until delivery. Frequency of clinic visits by women with high-risk pregnancy depends on the condition of each individual women and the decision of her physician.
You should be aware that birth is a natural process, not a medical procedure. Labor and delivery are the final phases of a pregnancy, which end with the birth of the baby. Labor begins with physiological changes in the mother's body that indicate the imminent birth of the child. These changes include:
• Dilation (widening) and effacement (thinning) of the cervix of the uterus
• Rhythmic contractions of the uterus that become more frequent and intense as delivery nears.
Once a woman has gone into labor, a prolonged, three-stage process begins in which the baby moves down into the pelvis in preparation for birth. Labor often lasts between 12 and 14 hours – or longer – for first-time mothers, but is usually shorter in subsequent births.
In most cases, labor and delivery occur between the 37th and 42nd weeks of a pregnancy. In other situations, labor may begin before the 37th week of pregnancy, a condition known as preterm labor that is potentially dangerous to the health of the fetus. In still other cases, natural labor may be delayed or is not strong enough to produce adequate contractions. In such instances, a physician may need to induce or augment labor to help the birth process advance.
During labor, a pregnant woman experiences various signs and symptoms as the baby moves lower into the pelvis in preparation for the birthing process. Women may experience the contractions as pain. There are many alternatives for making birth pleasant for both mother and baby. Sometimes the doctor will give the woman some drugs to ease the pain. Other people prefer to learn special kind of breathing exercises so that the pregnant woman does not need drugs, or so that they only need to use a small amount of drugs.
Labor unfolds in three stages, with the final stage ending with the delivery of the baby and the placenta from the woman's body through the vagina. In some circumstances, the surgery called “Caesarean-section” becomes necessary because of an unexpected difficulty during the labor. Examples of such developments include:
• The baby is discovered to be too large to fit through the vaginal opening
• The dilation of the cervix of the uterus is slow or incomplete
• The baby struggles to cope with the stress of labor
• The baby's heart rate drops or slows for an extended period
• The mother experiences a health threat, such as severe bleeding
New mothers and their infants usually spend a day or two in the hospital following a vaginal birth. Caesarean birth or a birth complicated by other issues may require a longer hospital stay. It is not unusual for mothers to experience some discomfort following delivery. This is often related to afterbirth pains caused by the uterus as it contracts and relaxes before returning to normal. Contractions usually last a few days and tend to be more mild after initial births and stronger after subsequent births. During the hospital stay, the baby may receive initial vaccinations against diseases such as rubella and hepatitis. In addition, young mother may learn how to feed, bathe and change the baby.
New mothers and their infants usually spend a day or two in the hospital following a vaginal birth. Caesarean birth or a birth complicated by other issues may require a longer hospital stay. It is not unusual for mothers to experience some discomfort following delivery. This is often related to afterbirth pains caused by the uterus as it contracts and relaxes before returning to normal. Contractions usually last a few days and tend to be more mild after initial births and stronger after subsequent births. During the hospital stay, the baby may receive initial vaccinations against diseases such as rubella and hepatitis. In addition, young mother may learn how to feed, bathe and change the baby.
A new mother's body will also begin to return to normal and reverse many of the changes that have taken place over the 40 weeks of pregnancy. These changes include:
- Abdomen. Within one week of delivery, the opening of the cervix will shrink back to the size of a dime. Within two weeks of delivery, the weight of the uterus will decrease and recede away from its post-delivery position of pushing against the navel. It will take time before stretched abdomen muscles become tight again.
- Lochia. This is a form of vaginal discharge made up mostly of blood and what remains of the uterine lining following pregnancy. Discharge is bright red initially, but becomes pink and decreases in volume over time. Within 10 days, the discharge becomes white or yellow. Vaginal tampons should not be used while the flow is heavy.
- Menstrual periods. Menstruation usually returns seven to nine weeks after delivery. Periods initially may be shorter or longer than previously, but will gradually return to normal. Some women who are breastfeeding will not experience a return to normal menstruation for months. However, it should be noted that despite not having periods, women can still become pregnant.
Recommendations on resuming sexual intercourse vary. Some physicians will suggest that women return to sex as soon as they feel comfortable. Others suggest that women refrain from intercourse until after their six-week checkup.
Call for help in case of problems
You should call or visit your physician if experience any problems, particularly certain changes in health, including:
- Fever over 38 degrees Celsius
- Nausea and vomiting
- Painful urination, burning or a strong and sudden need to urinate
- Heavy bleeding
- Pain, swelling and tenderness in the legs
- Chest pain and cough
- Hot, tender breasts
- Pain between the vagina and the rectum that gets worse over time.
What is menstruation?
Menstruation is a woman's monthly bleeding. It is also called menstrual period, or period. When a woman has her period, she is menstruating. The menstrual blood is partly blood and partly tissue from the inside of the uterus (womb). It flows from the uterus through the small opening in the cervix, and passes out of the body through the vagina. Most menstrual periods last from three to five days.
What is the menstrual cycle?
Menstruation is part of the menstrual cycle, which helps a woman's body prepare for the possibility of pregnancy each month. A cycle starts on the first day of a period. The average menstrual cycle is 28 days long. However, a cycle can range anywhere from 23 days to 35 days. Since every woman is different, it's a good idea to become familiar with your own cycle. Start with the first day of menstrual flow, record your cycle on a calendar, noting your body's changes. If you're trying to become pregnant, learn to recognize your time of peak fertility. For more information on reproduction and family planning, contact your doctor.
The parts of the body involved in the menstrual cycle include the brain, pituitary gland, uterus and cervix, ovaries, fallopian tubes, and vagina. Body chemicals called hormones rise and fall during the month and make the menstrual cycle happen. The ovaries make two important female hormones, estrogen and progesterone. Other hormones involved in the menstrual cycle include follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), made by the pituitary gland.
What happens during the menstrual cycle?
In the first half of the menstrual cycle, levels of estrogen rise and make the lining of the uterus grow and thicken. In response to follicle-stimulating hormone, an egg (ovum) in one of the ovaries starts to mature. At about day 14 of a typical 28-day cycle, in response to a surge of luteinizing hormone, the egg leaves the ovary. This is called ovulation.
In the second half of the menstrual cycle, the egg begins to travel through the fallopian tube to the uterus. Progesterone levels rise and help prepare the uterine lining for pregnancy. If the egg becomes fertilized by a sperm cell and attaches itself to the uterine wall, the woman becomes pregnant. If the egg is not fertilized, it either dissolves or is absorbed into the body. If pregnancy does not occur, estrogen and progesterone levels drop, and the thickened lining of the uterus is shed during the menstrual period.
In the illustration below, an egg has left an ovary after ovulation and is on its way through a fallopian tube to the uterus.
What is a typical menstrual period like?
During the menstrual period, the thickened uterine lining and extra blood are shed through the vaginal canal. A woman's period may not be the same every month, and it may not be the same as other women's periods. Periods can be light, moderate, or heavy, and the length of the period also varies. While most menstrual periods last from three to five days, anywhere from two to seven days is considered normal. For the first few years after menstruation begins, periods may be very irregular. They may also become irregular in women approaching menopause. Sometimes birth control pills are prescribed to help with irregular periods or other problems with the menstrual cycle.
Sanitary pads or tampons, which are made of cotton or another absorbent material, are worn to absorb the blood flow. Sanitary pads are placed inside the panties; tampons are inserted into the vagina.
What kinds of problems do women have with their periods?
Women can have various kinds of problems with their periods, including pain, heavy bleeding, and skipped periods.
• Amenorrhea - the lack of a menstrual period. This term is used to describe the absence of a period in young women who haven't started menstruating by age 16, or the absence of a period in women who used to have a regular period. Causes of amenorrhea include pregnancy, breastfeeding, and extreme weight loss caused by serious illness, eating disorders, excessive exercising, or stress. Hormonal problems (involving the pituitary, thyroid, ovary, or adrenal glands) or problems with the reproductive organs may be involved.
• Dysmenorrhea - painful periods, including severe menstrual cramps. In younger women, there is often no known disease or condition associated with the pain. A hormone called prostaglandin is responsible for the symptoms. Some pain medicines available over the counter, such as ibuprofen, can help with these symptoms. Sometimes a disease or condition, such as uterine fibroids or endometriosis, causes the pain. Treatment depends on what is causing the problem and how severe it is.
• Abnormal uterine bleeding-vaginal bleeding that is different from normal menstrual periods. It includes very heavy bleeding or unusually long periods (also called menorrhagia), periods too close together, and bleeding between periods. In adolescents and women approaching menopause, hormone imbalance problems often cause menorrhagia along with irregular cycles. Sometimes this is called dysfunctional uterine bleeding (DUB). Other causes of abnormal bleeding include uterine fibroids and polyps. Treatment for abnormal bleeding depends on the cause.
At what age does a girl get her first period?
Menarche is another name for the beginning of menstruation. A girl can begin menstruating anytime between the ages of 8 and 16. Menstruation will not occur until all parts of a girl's reproductive system have matured and are working together.
How long does a woman have periods?
Women usually continue having periods until menopause. Menopause occurs around the age of 51, on average. Menopause means that a woman is no longer ovulating (producing eggs) and therefore can no longer become pregnant. Like menstruation, menopause can vary from woman to woman and may take several years to occur. Some women have early menopause because of surgery or other treatment, illness, or other reasons.
When should I see a health care provider about my period?
You should consult your health care provider for the following:
• If you have not started menstruating by the age of 16;
• If your period has suddenly stopped;
• If you are bleeding for more days than usual;
• If you are bleeding excessively;
• If you suddenly feel sick after using tampons;
• If you bleed between periods (more than just a few drops);
• If you have severe pain during your period.
How often should I change my pad/tampon?
Sanitary napkins (pads) should be changed as often as necessary, before the pad is soaked with menstrual flow. Each woman decides for herself what is comfortable. Tampons should be changed often (at least every 4-8 hours). Make sure that you use the lowest absorbency of tampon needed for your flow. For example, do not use super absorbency on the lightest day of your period. This can put you at risk for toxic shock syndrome (TSS). TSS is a rare but potentially deadly disease. Women under 30, especially teenagers, are at a higher risk for TSS. Using any kind of tampon - cotton or rayon of any absorbency - puts a woman at greater risk for TSS than using menstrual pads. The risk of TSS can be lessened or avoided by not using tampons, or by alternating between tampons and pads during your period.
Tips to help avoid tampon problems:
• Follow package directions for insertion;
• Choose the lowest absorbency for your flow;
• Change your tampon at least every 4 to 8 hours;
• Consider alternating pads with tampons;
• Know the warning signs of toxic shock syndrome (see below);
• Don't use tampons between periods.
If you experience any of the following symptoms while you are menstruating and using tampons, you should contact your health care provider immediately:
• High fever that appears suddenly;
• Muscle aches;
• Diarrhea;
• Dizziness and/or fainting;
• Sunburn-like rash;
• Sore throat;
• Bloodshot eyes.
There are many different contraceptive methods available and different methods suit people at different times of their lives. This information will help you and your partner to decide on the method of contraception most suited to you both. It shows most of the available methods, explains how they work, how effective they are, and the main advantages and disadvantages. You can ask your GP
practice nurse or family planning clinic for more information on any method you are interested in.
How effective any contraceptive is depends on how carefully and consistently you use the method.
If 100 sexually active women don't use any contraception 80 to 90 of them will become pregnant in a year.
Some facts about avoiding pregnancy
There are a lot of myths around about how to avoid pregnancy. These are the facts:
A woman can still get pregnant:
• if it is the first time she has sex
• if she does not have an orgasm
• if a man pulls out of her vagina before he comes (ejaculates)
• if she has sex when she has a period
• if she is not fully breastfeeding
• if she douches (squirts water into the vagina). This can be harmful to women
• whatever position the couple has sex in
Methods of contraception
The pages below offer specific information on all methods of contraception.
• The combined pill
• Diaphragms and caps
• Male and female condoms
• Natural family planning
• Contraceptive implant
• Contraceptive patch
• Emergency contraception
The Combined Pill
The combined pill is usually just called the pill. It contains two hormones – estrogen and progestogen. These are similar to the natural hormones women produce in their ovaries. There are a number of different combined pills.
The main way the pill works is to stop the ovaries from releasing an egg each month (ovulation). It also:
• thickens the mucus from your cervix. This makes it difficult for sperm to move through it and reach an egg
• makes the lining of your womb thinner so it is less likely to accept a fertilized egg.
What are the advantages of the pill?
Some of the advantages of the pill are, it:
• doesn't interrupt sex
• usually makes your bleeds regular, lighter and less painful
• may help with pre-menstrual symptoms
• reduces the risk of cancer of the ovary, womb and colon
• may protect against pelvic inflammatory disease
• may reduce the risk of fibroids, ovarian cysts and breast disease that is not cancer.
What are the disadvantages of the pill?
• There are some serious side-effects.
• You may get temporary side-effects at first including headaches, nausea, breast tenderness and mood changes. If these do not stop within a few months, changing type of pill may help.
• The pill may increase your blood pressure.
• The pill does not protect you against sexually transmitted infections, so you may need to use condoms as well.
• Breakthrough bleeding (unexpected bleeding on pill taking days) and spotting is common in the first few months of pill use.
Teenage or adolescent pregnancy is the term used for pregnancy in women who are under the age of 20.
Because of early age at initiation of intercourse and associated nonuse of contraception, half of the first premarital pregnancies to teens occur in the first six month after they begin coitus; one fifth occur in the first month.
It is very possible for a teen to have a healthy pregnancy and baby. Studies have also shown that teens who get regular prenatal care have a much lower chance of problems. Many of the increased risks are due to the nutritional needs of a pregnant teen, and lifestyle habits.
Teenagers may be more likely to have poor eating habits due to peer pressure, lack of time, worry about weight gain and body size. Teens who have more than one sexual partner, have an increased risk of sexually transmitted diseases, such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, venereal warts, hepatitis B, and HIV.
Smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol and taking drugs--which can be a part of a social life, and which some feel pressure to participate in--can cause significant problems in babies. Anemia is also more common in pregnant teens, due to increased iron needs.
There is a greater risk of delivering a baby before full term and having a low birth weight baby.
Being pregnant during the teen years can have a significant effect on education and future plans. Pregnant teens are less likely to finish their education and this has an impact on future job possibilities and income.
Being a teen, being pregnant, and being a mother are all big challenges. Taking good care of yourself and your baby during your pregnancy can make a big difference in your own and your baby's health and well-being.
Even if all contraceptive users were to use methods perfectly all the time, there would still be nearly six million accidental pregnancies annually in the world. Thus, even with high rates of contraceptive use, unwanted pregnancies will occur which women may seek to end by induced abortion.
An unsafe abortion is “a procedure for terminating an unwanted pregnancy either by persons lacking the necessary skills or in an environment lacking the minimal medical standards, or both” (World Health Organization 1992). About 20 million, or nearly half, of the induced abortions annually are estimated to be unsafe. Ninety-five per cent of these occur in developing countries (World Health Organization 1998).
Medical methods of abortion have been proved to be safe and effective. The effects of medical methods of abortion are similar to those associated with spontaneous abortion and include cramping and prolonged menstrual-like bleeding. Bleeding occurs for nine days on average but can last up to 45 days in rare cases.
Women are more likely to be satisfied with the procedure if they have realistic expectations. Hence, they need complete information about what is to be expected with, and the possible side-effects of, medical methods of abortion. Health workers should ensure that women understand the importance of complying with the protocol, especially if any of the drugs are self-administered, and that they know how to recognize, and what to do in case of, complications.
How do pregnancy tests work?
All pregnancy tests look for a special hormone in the urine or blood that is only present when a woman is pregnant. This hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), is also called the pregnancy hormone.
What's the difference between a urine and a blood pregnancy test? Is one better than the other?
There are two types of pregnancy tests blood and urine tests. Both tests look for the presence of hCG, the pregnancy hormone. Today, many women use a urine test, or home pregnancy test (HPT), to find out if they are pregnant. HPTs do not cost a lot, are easy to use, can be done at home, and are private. When a woman has a positive result on an HPT, she needs to see her health care provider right away. The health care provider can confirm a positive HPT result with a blood test and a pelvic exam. There are two types of blood tests you can get from a health care provider. A quantitative blood test (or the beta hCG test) measures the exact amount of hCG in the blood. This means it can pick up very small amounts of hCG, making it a very accurate test. A qualitative hCG blood test gives a simple yes or no answer to whether you are pregnant. This test is more like a urine test in terms of its accuracy. Blood tests can pick up hCG earlier in a pregnancy than urine tests can. Blood tests can tell if you are pregnant about 6 to 8 days after you ovulate (or release an egg from an ovary). Urine tests can determine pregnancy about 2 weeks after ovulation.
How accurate are home pregnancy tests?
Home pregnancy tests (HPTs) are very accurate. Most brands of HPTs say they are 97% to 99% accurate, but this can vary with actual use. Each brand varies in how sensitive it is in picking up the pregnancy hormone hCG. If a test is not done correctly, it will be less accurate. And, always check the package to make sure it is not past its expiration date—if it is, it will not be accurate. Most brands of HPTs tell users to do the test again in a few days, no matter what the results. If you use an HPT too early in your pregnancy, you may not have enough of the pregnancy hormone hCG in your urine to have a positive test result. Most HPTs will be accurate if you test yourself around the time your period is due (about 2 weeks after you ovulate, or release an egg from your ovary). You can get a negative test result if you are not pregnant or if you ovulated later than you thought you did. You may also have problems with the pregnancy, which affects the amount of hCG you have in your urine. If your HPT is negative, test yourself again within a few days to 1 week. If you keep getting a negative result and think you are pregnant, talk with a health care provider right away.
Can anything interfere with home pregnancy test results?
Most medications, both over-the-counter and prescription drugs, including birth control pills and antibiotics, should not affect the results of a home pregnancy test (such as Profasi, Pregnyl or Novarel). Only those drugs that have the pregnancy hormone hCG in them can give a false positive test result (where the test says you are pregnant when you actually are not). Drugs that have hCG in them can be used for treating infertility (not being able to get pregnant). Alcohol and illegal drugs do not affect HPT results, but you should not be using these substances if you are trying to get pregnant.