Pregnancy

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

• Images
• Videos and Tutorials

Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Teenagers
• Men
• Patient Handouts

Summary

So you're going to have a baby! Whether you are pregnant or are planning to get pregnant, you will want to give your baby a healthy start.

You need to have regular visits with your health care provider. These prenatal care visits are very important for your baby and yourself. Some things you might do when you are pregnant could hurt your baby, such as smoking or drinking. Some medicines can also be a problem, even ones that a doctor prescribed. You will need to drink plenty of fluids and eat a healthy diet. You may also be tired and need more rest.

Your body will change as your baby grows during the nine months of your pregnancy. Don't hesitate to call your health care provider if you think you have a problem or something is bothering or worrying you.

Start Here

• During Pregnancy (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Pregnancy (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
• Pregnancy and Beyond: Make Healthy Choices for Yourself and Your Baby (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
• Pregnancy Calendar: A Week-by-Week Guide (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Staying Healthy during Pregnancy (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Taking Care of You and Your Baby While You're Pregnant (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Symptoms

• Symptoms of Pregnancy: What Happens Right Away (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• What Are Some Common Signs of Pregnancy? (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• hCG Test (Pregnancy Test) (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Pregnancy Tests (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish
• Prenatal Testing: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Birth Control: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Living With

• Cosmetics and Pregnancy (Food and Drug Administration)
• Exercise during Pregnancy (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) Also in Spanish
• Pregnancy and Nutrition: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Pregnancy: Should I Use a Seat Belt? (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Prenatal Yoga: What You Need to Know (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Sex during Pregnancy (Nemours Foundation)
• Sleeping during Pregnancy (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Staying Healthy and Safe (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish
• Staying Healthy and Safe at Work (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
• Tips for Good Oral Health during Pregnancy (National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center) - PDF
• Travel during Pregnancy (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Abuse during Pregnancy (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Birthing Classes (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Emergency Preparedness and Response: Information for Pregnant Women - Fact Sheet (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Health Problems in Pregnancy: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• MRI Safety during Pregnancy (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Pregnancy Precautions: FAQs on Pregnancy Hazards (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Pregnancy, Breastfeeding, and Bone Health (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
• Reproductive History and Breast Cancer Risk (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• What to Do When Your Pregnancy Is Unexpected (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Women of Size and Pregnancy (American College of Nurse-Midwives) - PDF
• X-Rays, Pregnancy and You (Food and Drug Administration)

Specifics

• Back Pain During Pregnancy (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) Also in Spanish
• Body Changes and Discomforts (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish
• Common Discomforts of Pregnancy (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
• Concerns and Discomforts of Pregnancy - Constipation or Diarrhea (Healthy Roads Media) Also in Spanish
• Concerns and Discomforts of Pregnancy - Nausea (Healthy Roads Media) Also in Spanish
• Concerns and Discomforts of Pregnancy - Varicose Veins (Healthy Roads Media) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Headaches during Pregnancy: What's the Best Treatment? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Morning Sickness (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
• Morning Sickness: Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
• Placenta: How It Works, What's Normal (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Pregnancy and Your Vision (Prevent Blindness America)
• Skin Conditions during Pregnancy (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Stages of Pregnancy (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish

Images

• Linea Nigra (Logical Images)
• PUPPP (Pruritic Urticarial Papules Plaques of Pregnancy) (Logical Images)
• Striae of Pregnancy (Logical Images)

Videos and Tutorials

• Cell division (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Exercise during Pregnancy (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)

Statistics and Research

• Extreme Temperatures May Increase Risk for Low Birth Weight at Term (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Pregnancy (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Choroidal Thickness in Women with Uncomplicated Pregnancy: Literature Review.
• Article: Capillaroscopy in pregnancy.
• Article: Galectin-1: A Jack-of-All-Trades in the Resolution of Acute and Chronic...
• Pregnancy -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Female Reproductive System (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Female Reproductive System (National Cancer Institute)

Find an Expert

• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
• March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation Also in Spanish
• womenshealth.gov (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish

Children

• Preparing Your Child for a New Sibling (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)
• Things to Expect When Your Mom Is Pregnant (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

• Teenage Pregnancy: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Men

• A Partner's Guide to Pregnancy (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)

Patient Handouts

• Aches and pains during pregnancy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Common symptoms during pregnancy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• HCG blood test - qualitative (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Morning sickness (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Morning sickness (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Pregnancy and travel (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Pregnancy and work (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Problems sleeping during pregnancy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Skin and hair changes during pregnancy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish