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Physical & Psychological Changes of Pregnancy
Audio Glossary
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- Ballottement
- A technique of palpation to detect or examine a floating object in the body. In obstetrics, the fetus, when pushed, floats away and then returns to touch the examiner's fingers.
- Braxton Hicks contractions
- Intermittent painless contractions of the uterus that may occur every 10 to 20 minutes. They occur more frequently toward the end of pregnancy and are sometimes mistaken for true labor signs.
- Chadwick's sign
- An objective change or probable sign of pregnancy, is a blue-purple discoloration of the cervix caused by increased vascularization of the uterus during pregnancy.
- Chloasma
- (melasma gravidarum) Brownish pigmentation over the bridge of the nose and the cheeks during pregnancy and in some women who are taking oral contraceptives. Also called mask of pregnancy.
- Colostrum
- Secretion from the breast before the onset of true lactation; contains mainly serum and white blood corpuscles. It has a high protein content, provides some immune properties, and cleanses the neonate's intestinal tract of mucus and meconium.
- Couvade
- In some cultures, the male's observance of certain rituals and taboos to signify the transition to fatherhood.
- Goodell's sign
- Softening of the cervix that occurs during the second month of pregnancy.
- Hegar's sign
- A softening of the lower uterine segment found upon palpation in the second or third month of pregnancy.
- Linea nigra
- The line of darker pigmentation extending from the umbilicus to the pubis noted in some women during the later months of pregnancy.
- McDonald's sign
- A probable sign of pregnancy characterized by an ease in flexing the body of the uterus against the cervix.
- Morning sickness
- A term that refers to the nausea and vomiting that a woman may experience in early pregnancy. This lay term is sometimes used because these symptoms frequently occur in the early part of the day and disappear within a few hours.
- Mucus plug
- A collection of thick mucus that blocks the cervical canal during pregnancy. Also called operculum.
- Physiologic anemia of pregnancy
- Apparent anemia that results because during pregnancy the plasma volume increases more than the erythrocytes increase.
- Quickening
- The first fetal movements felt by the pregnant woman, usually between 16 and 18 weeks' gestation.
- Striae
- Stretch marks; shiny reddish lines that appear on the abdomen, breasts, thighs, and buttocks of pregnant women as a result of stretching the skin.
- Supine hypotensive syndrome
- (vena caval syndrome, aortocaval compression) Also called vena caval syndrome or aortocaval compression refers to a condition that can develop during pregnancy when the enlarging uterus puts pressure on the vena cava when the woman is supine. This pressure interferes with returning blood flow and produces a marked decrease in blood pressure with accompanying dizziness, pallor, and clamminess, which can be corrected by having the woman lie on her left side.
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