Health Library
The Health Library is a collection of health and wellness resources created for learning and accessibility. Select a topic below for related health information or search for a topic in the search bar for more information on other medical conditions.
Pregnancy Trimesters
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Guides you through the decision to have an early fetal ultrasound. Explains when ultrasound is usually done during pregnancy and why. Lists risks and benefits. Includes interactive tool to help you decide.
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Pregnancy can be exciting, mysterious, and exhausting. During pregnancy, your body does a ton of work to support the growth of your baby. And even though you can't feel it yet, your baby is growing and changing very fast. Wondering what your baby looks like now? As you enter your third month of...
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Congratulations, you've made it through your first trimester! You can now hear your baby's heartbeat with a Doppler heart monitor. That can be very exciting. Inside your uterus, an important organ called the placenta has formed. The placenta's main job is to give your baby oxygen and nutrients through...
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Learn how to get your first few weeks of pregnancy off to a good start.
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Learn tips for dealing with morning sickness, no matter what time of day you have it.
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What is the first-trimester screening for birth defects? Near the end of the first 3 months of pregnancy (first trimester), a woman can have two types of tests to show the chance that her baby has a birth defect. When the results are combined, these tests are known as the first-trimester screening. They also may be...
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Your first prenatal visit is likely to be more extensive than later prenatal checks. Your doctor will take your medical history and do a complete physical exam. Your medical history helps your doctor plan the best possible care for your pregnancy...
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Guides you through the decision to have screening tests to look for Down syndrome and birth defects. Discusses what the tests look for. Covers benefits and risks. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.
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Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) is a test that can find certain problems with your fetus. These include many diseases that run in families ( genetic disorders) and chromosome defects. It is done during early pregnancy, most often between the 10th and 13th weeks. Chorionic villi are tiny finger-shaped growths...
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You may be pregnant if you: Have had sexual intercourse and you have not used any method of birth control. Have missed one or more periods. Have your period, but there is a lot less bleeding than usual. Take birth control pills, but you missed a...
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What is the triple or quad screening? The triple screening measures the amounts of three substances in a pregnant woman's blood: alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), and estriol (uE3). When a test for the hormone inhibin A is added, it's called a quad screening. These tests are also called...
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Have CVS (chorionic villus sampling). Don't have CVS. CVS is done in the first trimester. If the test shows a serious health problem, you have more time to decide whether you want to continue your pregnancy or make plans to care for a sick child. CVS isn't a routine test. But your doctor may...
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It may be hard to tell if you have passed tissue, because when you pass tissue you may also pass large blood clots. Tissue may appear gray or pink. Passing tissue may be a sign of miscarriage. If you pass tissue or have moderate bleeding any time during pregnancy, call your doctor immediately. If possible, collect the...
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Many women have problems with nausea and sometimes vomiting ( morning sickness) during the first 16 weeks of pregnancy. For some women, morning sickness may be one of the first signs of pregnancy. The term "morning sickness" can be misleading, because symptoms can occur at any time of the day. The causes of morning...
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When you're pregnant, everything you put in your body can affect your baby. If you smoke, your baby is exposed to chemicals such as nicotine and carbon monoxide. If you're a smoker and get pregnant, now is the time to quit. If you're not a smoker, avoid secondhand smoke. If you smoke and aren't pregnant but are...
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Routine exams At each prenatal visit during your first-trimester, you'll be weighed and have your blood pressure checked. Your urine may also be checked for bacteria, protein, or sugar. Your doctor will monitor your fetus's growth by measuring the height of your uterus (fundal height) above your pubic bone. Using a...
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It's important to find a doctor or midwife who can work closely with you and share in decision making. This partnership is key to getting the care that is best for you. And it will help you have the pregnancy and childbirth that you want. Options for your care Several types of health professionals are trained to...
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Briefly discusses managing morning sickness. Offer tips to manage nausea and vomiting. Provides links to more extensive info on pregnancy and pregnancy-related problems.
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Certain antihistamines such as dimenhydrinate or doxylamine, taken as your doctor advises, may relieve morning sickness. Doxylamine (Unisom SleepTabs) is available over-the-counter. If one of these antihistamines alone does not relieve your morning sickness, you can try taking it with vitamin B6. Talk to your doctor...
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Ginger may relieve nausea and morning sickness after a few days of treatment. There are several ways you can use ginger to relieve your symptoms. Try: Ground ginger in a capsule, taken several times a day. Buy ginger capsules that are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are not mixed with...
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Studies suggest that taking vitamin B6 for morning sickness greatly improves nausea, though not vomiting, for many pregnant women. There has been no sign of harm to the fetus with vitamin B6 use. A typical dose of vitamin B6 for morning sickness is 10 mg to 25 mg, 3 times a day. Talk to your health professional...
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Acupressure may help relieve or shorten the duration of your morning sickness symptoms. Acupressure is based on Eastern medicine practices used to open up blocked energy pathways in the body. Instead of using acupuncture needles, you or a practitioner presses on a small area of the body to treat a given ailment...
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Offers interactive tool to find out your due date. Tool calculates when you are likely to deliver your baby. Offers links to info on pregnancy.
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Explains what abortion is. Covers when abortion can be done and different abortion choices. Discusses safety and future fertility. Also covers how to know if abortion is right for you.
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A medical abortion is the use of medicines to end a pregnancy. Medical care for a medical abortion is different from medical care for a surgical abortion. This is because a medical abortion is like a miscarriage (in this case, caused by medicines) that takes place at home over 1 to 2 days and does not require your...
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Find out the important differences between "practice contractions" and preterm labor.
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At some point in your pregnancy, you will feel your baby move. For example, your baby may kick, hiccup, roll, turn, or twist. These movements are common and expected. As your baby grows, these movements will get stronger. But sometimes you might feel a movement that surprises you. You may wonder what it means. Most...
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At the end of four months, you may be looking a little more pregnant on the outside. And inside, your baby is starting to look more human and may even have sprouted a little bit of hair. Wondering what your baby looks like now? As you enter the fifth month of pregnancy, your baby is now about the...
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By week 20, you've probably felt your baby move. It may not feel like an obvious kick—yet! Instead, your baby's first movements might feel like "butterflies" or gas bubbles. Inside the uterus, your baby is enjoying some regular activities: thumb-sucking and opening and closing his or her eyes...
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By week 24, you may have noticed some jerking movements inside your belly—or even seen them on the outside! Repetitive, jerky movements usually mean your baby has the hiccups. Hiccups are perfectly normal and can last anywhere from a minute to an hour. Wondering what your baby looks like now? As you...
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What is cervical insufficiency? Cervical insufficiency means that the cervix can't stay tightly closed during the second trimester of pregnancy. Instead, the cervix opens (dilates) with little or no pain, usually before 24 weeks. This can lead to miscarriage or birth of a premature baby. You may also hear this...
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Guides you through the decision to have screening tests to look for Down syndrome and birth defects. Discusses what the tests look for. Covers benefits and risks. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.
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After 18 to 20 weeks, you will notice that your baby moves and kicks more at certain times of the day. For example, when you are active, you may feel less kicking than when you are resting quietly. At your prenatal visits, your doctor may ask you whether the baby is active. Kick counts. In the last trimester of...
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Fetal blood sampling (FBS) is the collecting of fetal blood directly from the umbilical cord or fetus. The fetal blood is tested for signs of anemia and other blood problems. FBS is also known as cordocentesis or percutaneous umbilical cord blood sampling. FBS is usually used when a Doppler ultrasound and/or a...
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Describes different methods used to induce labor and delivery for pregnancy termination. Lists what to expect after procedure and during recovery. Covers why it is done and how well it works. Also lists risks involved. Offers points to consider about the procedure.
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During the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, you may notice episodes when your belly tightens and becomes firm to the touch, then relaxes. These are episodes of tightening (contraction) of the uterine muscles called Braxton Hicks...
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Before a baby is born, the amniotic sac breaks open, causing amniotic fluid to gush out or, less commonly, to slowly leak. When this happens before contractions start, it is called prelabor rupture of membranes (PROM). PROM can occur at any time...
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During pregnancy, a uterine infection causes inflammation, which can trigger preterm labor. This inflammation can also stimulate the amnion cells to produce fetal fibronectin, a protein. Fetal fibronectin testing is sometimes done when preterm labor symptoms are present. When the fetal fibronectin test is negative...
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Expectant management is the close monitoring of a pregnancy for complications. It may involve some bed rest at home or in the hospital. Being on expectant management may mean you are advised to stop working, reduce your activity level, or possibly...
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If you have symptoms of preterm labor, your doctor or nurse-midwife may examine you by feeling your cervix. If your contractions continue over a period of hours, you may be examined periodically to see whether your cervix is opening (dilating) or...
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Cervical cerclage is the placement of stitches in the cervix to hold it closed. In select cases, this procedure is used to keep a weak cervix (incompetent cervix) from opening early. When a cervix opens early, it may cause preterm labor and...
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Is this topic for you? This topic covers how preterm labor affects the pregnant woman. If you want to know how it affects the baby after he or she is born, see the topic Premature Infant. What is preterm labor? Preterm labor is labor that comes too early—between 20 and 37 weeks of pregnancy...
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What is bed rest? Bed rest is limiting physical activity during your pregnancy. It can last a few weeks or even months. It may be at home or in the hospital. Your doctor may put you on partial bed rest or full bed rest. Partial bed rest usually means it's usually okay to sit, stand, or walk around for short...
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The inhibin A test is done to measure the amount of this hormone in a pregnant woman's blood to see if the baby may have Down syndrome. Inhibin A is made by the placenta during pregnancy. The level of inhibin A in the blood is used in a maternal serum quadruple screening test. Generally done between 15 and 20 weeks...
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Regular contractions may mean that your uterine muscle is tightening (Braxton Hicks contractions) or that you are in labor. It may be hard to tell the difference between Braxton Hicks contractions and true labor. If there is any doubt, call your doctor. Braxton Hicks contractions During the second and third...
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When you're pregnant, everything you put in your body can affect your baby. If you smoke, your baby is exposed to chemicals such as nicotine and carbon monoxide. If you're a smoker and get pregnant, now is the time to quit. If you're not a smoker, avoid secondhand smoke. If you smoke and aren't pregnant but are...
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Routine exams and tests At each prenatal visit, you can expect to be weighed. Your blood pressure will be checked. Your urine may also be checked for bacteria, protein, or sugar. Your doctor or midwife will track your baby's growth and position. To do this, he or she will measure the size of your uterus (fundal height)...
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During pregnancy, the cervix is a closed and sealed tunnel between the uterus and the vagina. Before or during labor and delivery, the cervix stretches and flattens ( effacement). At 24 weeks of pregnancy, the average cervix is about 35 mm (1.4 in.) long. A short cervix has a length of less than 25 mm (1 in.). Women...
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What are birth defects tests? Birth defects tests are done during pregnancy to look for possible problems with the baby (fetus). Birth defects develop when something is wrong with genes or chromosomes, an organ, or body chemistry. A birth defect may have only a mild impact on a child's life, or it can have a major...