The first sign of pregnancy and the reason that most women seek a physician is when they are sexually active and have missed a period. Breast enlargement and tenderness, nausea and occasional vomiting may also be noticed. Blood or urine tests are done to confirm pregnancy. By convention, pregnancies are usually dated from the first day of the last menstrual cycle . Therefore, usually two weeks after missing a period, you are considered to be six weeks pregnant.
Pregnancy causes changes in every system in the body.
However, these changes generally revert back to pre-pregnancy state about 6 months after the baby is born. One of the most common and uncomfortable changes takes place in the kidneys . This larger amount of urine combined with the pressure the baby is putting on the bladder results in a frequent need to urinate. Another often noticed change occurs in the stomach . As the uterus enlarges, it compresses the stomach, slowing the speed at which the stomach empties.