Ban on sex in the last trimester.

Previously, the ban on sex in the last trimester was based on two arguments:

• it’s hard for a woman, she doesn’t feel well;

• orgasm can cause uterine contractions followed by labor.

However, many women feel significantly better at the end of pregnancy than at the beginning and middle. Some people experience particularly strong sexual desire in the latter period. This is due to an increase in the level of female hormones.

As for orgasm, such a threat exists in certain cases. However, if there are no medical contraindications, intimate intimacy is permissible almost until the end of the term. During a normal pregnancy, uterine contractions will not lead to childbirth if the fetus and the uterus itself are not yet ready for this. You just need to avoid putting pressure on your stomach and strenuous physical exertion. It is recommended to refrain from intimacy only in the last 2-3 weeks.

Doctors sometimes even advise women to have sex immediately before giving birth. In this case, intimacy acts as a mild stimulation of the onset of labor. But such “experiments” are not always justified. Doctors sometimes encourage sex during preliminary contractions. Sexual intercourse helps the woman in labor relax and prepares the cervix and birth canal for “work.” If the birth is fleeting, the amniotic fluid has ruptured, then, naturally, there can be no talk of any intimacy!

Intimacy in the last trimester of pregnancy.

Doctors have a very ambiguous attitude towards intimacy in the last trimester of pregnancy. There is a point of view according to which 6-7 weeks before the expected date of birth you need to start abstaining from sex. There is some common sense in this.

If the pregnancy was not going very smoothly, there was a threat of miscarriage or the woman felt uncomfortable, then rushing into all seriousness in the last months is quite stupid! Some couples relax towards the end of pregnancy, consoling themselves with the thought that now premature birth is not so scary. It is not right! Many baby systems are ready for independent functioning only at 38-39 weeks. Therefore, being born before term can negatively affect his health.

However, this does not mean that absolutely all couples should avoid sex in later stages. Every woman's pregnancy is different. Some people may experience discomfort in almost everything. And some do not feel significant changes in comparison with the course of their life before pregnancy at all. Therefore, the issue of intimacy in the last trimester should be decided individually. Listen to your well-being and desires, to the doctor’s recommendations, and everything will be fine with you!

Is it possible to consider pregnancy to have occurred after successful implantation?

Yes, after implantation of the fertilized egg into the wall of the uterus has occurred, the cells of its membrane (from which the placenta will later develop) begin to actively produce hCG (chorionic gonadotropin), the pregnancy hormone. Every 48 hours, its concentration in the blood will double, so within a few days it will be possible to detect elevated hCG in blood tests.

To determine the presence of hCG in the urine (namely, all pregnancy tests are based on its determination), it takes a little more time - about a week after implantation. This coincides with 1-3 days of missed menstruation.

Within 2-3 weeks from the moment of implantation, the fertilized egg in the uterine cavity can be seen during a vaginal ultrasound. It is this moment that is considered confirmation of intrauterine pregnancy. It will take another couple of weeks to ensure the viability of the fetus. At 6-7 weeks of pregnancy, a heartbeat is clearly detected during an ultrasound.

Implantation (attachment) of the fertilized egg.

After successfully crossing the fallopian tube, the fertilized egg enters the uterine cavity. There it needs to attach (infiltrate, implant) into the endometrium. To do this, the embryo begins to actively produce special enzymes that can destroy endometrial cells. Under the action of these enzymes, a small depression is created in the endometrium, into which the embryo is settled (implanted). This process lasts no more than 40 hours.

Important: in the process of creating a depression, damage to a small number of small blood vessels is possible. Women at this moment may notice a small amount of bloody discharge. In terms of timing, this is the 22-23rd day of the menstrual cycle, that is, a week before the next menstruation.

It may turn out that the embryo will attach to that part of the endometrium where there are few blood vessels. Then there will be no implantation bleeding, and the woman will not even notice that implantation has occurred.

It happens that a woman’s menstrual cycle is shortened. With this scenario, implantation of the fertilized egg may occur at the moment when the next menstruation is expected. This is often what is mistaken for implantation bleeding.

In order not to miss anything important in your health, you need to know the following points:

• implantation bleeding is never intense (usually one daily or thin pad is enough);

• it never gets stronger;

• such bleeding is never accompanied by pain and/or deterioration in general health;

• implantation bleeding stops no later than 40 hours from the moment it begins.

If at least one of these points is not true, then you must definitely see a gynecologist and find the cause of the bleeding.

Could anything interfere with successful implantation? Unfortunately yes. Abnormalities in the structure of the uterus, scars after operations, chronic inflammation and hormonal disorders, leading to thinning of the endometrium. All this can lead to the fact that the fertilized egg will not be able to gain a foothold in the uterine cavity or will do so incorrectly.

Tubal pregnancy.

If you feel something is wrong in the early stages of pregnancy, be sure to consult a doctor.

If the fertilized egg does not die, then it attaches to the wall of the tube (instead of the wall of the uterus) and begins to develop there. But the tube, due to its anatomical structure, is not at all intended for bearing a fetus, because it does not have the ability to stretch to the required size. Already at 7-9 weeks, the embryo will reach such a size that it will simply rupture the tube. This will lead to the development of massive, life-threatening internal bleeding.

If a woman monitors her health, she will turn to specialists for help in time. Tubal pregnancy is clearly visible on ultrasound. The diagnosis allows us to perform laparoscopic surgery (operation through a small hole) without waiting for the pipe to rupture, and thereby preserve women’s health.

If everything goes well, the fertilized egg successfully reaches the uterine cavity. This usually happens 7 days after conception, that is, on days 22-23 of the menstrual cycle. Here begins the last, but no less important stage on the path to the long-awaited pregnancy - implantation (attachment) of the fertilized egg.

Biochemical pregnancy.

Now, knowing the features of female reproductive cycles, it is easy to understand at what time a biochemical pregnancy can occur. With a standard 28-day cycle, this occurs on days 14-16 from the first day of menstruation, that is, actually immediately after ovulation. Of course, we are not talking about any signs of pregnancy at this stage. The woman continues to live her usual life, not even suspecting that a fetus is being born inside her.

Real pregnancy is still a long way off. Not every biochemical pregnancy ends in an actual pregnancy. The most difficult and exciting period lies ahead - the journey of the fertilized egg from the ampullary part of the ovary to the uterus. The distance that the embryo must overcome is about 10 cm, and the zygote (embryo) does not have the ability to move independently. The movement occurs due to muscle contractions of the tube itself and the movement of the cilia of its epithelium.

In order for the embryo to successfully reach the uterine cavity, the fallopian tube must be passable along its entire length. Unfortunately, the patency of the pipes is often impaired due to adhesions resulting from chronic inflammatory processes.

In this case, there are two options:

1. The first and most favorable one is that the embryo dies in the tube, and the woman’s next menstruation arrives on time. This is how tubal infertility manifests itself. For women with such a problem, assisted reproductive technologies (for example, IVF - in vitro fertilization) are an excellent chance for long-awaited motherhood.

2. The second, worst option is a tubal (ectopic) pregnancy.

Fertilization of the egg.

By fertilization we mean the fusion of female and male reproductive cells (egg and sperm) to form a zygote (embryo, fertilized egg). The second name for fertilization is conception.

Obviously, for successful conception in a natural way, a mature egg and a full-fledged sperm must meet in the woman’s reproductive organs. The egg is ready for fertilization only 24 hours after ovulation. Sperm are a little more tenacious - some of them can retain the ability to fertilize for three days or more.

The period when successful conception can occur is called the fertile window. Usually this is 1-2 days before ovulation and 1 day after it. It is at this time that unprotected sexual intercourse is most likely to lead to pregnancy.

Fertilization occurs in the part of the tube farthest from the uterus.

For the meeting of the female and male reproductive cells to take place, the woman’s reproductive tract must be passable, and the sperm must have sufficient vitality and mobility.

Another serious obstacle to fertilization is the dense shell of the egg. Spermatozoa contain special enzymes that can destroy it, but sperm alone cannot do this task. This means that a sufficient number of male reproductive cells must reach the egg so that only one of them can penetrate the egg. After fertilization has taken place, they speak of the onset of biochemical pregnancy.

How do sperm mature?

By fertilization we mean the fusion of female and male reproductive cells

The sperm is the smallest cell in the human body. They are produced and mature in the male gonads (testes, testicles) under the influence of the male sex hormone testosterone. This process is called spermatogenesis. Spermatogenesis begins during puberty and lasts throughout a man’s life. With age, of course, the intensity of sperm formation decreases, but does not stop completely if the man is healthy.

A lot of sperm are produced. Within 24 hours, a healthy sexually mature man produces about 100 million sperm. In order to fully mature and be ready for fertilization, sperm need 72-74 days. That is, every man’s body contains a huge number of sperm of varying degrees of maturity.

The most important difference between a sperm and other cells in the human body is its ability to move independently. After all, in order to accomplish fertilization, he needs to independently get from the entrance to the vagina to the farthest part of the fallopian tube, where the egg is located. This distance is about 20-25 cm.

How do eggs mature?

Eggs are formed in the gonads (ovaries) of the female fetus during prenatal development. Each girl at birth has about 2 million immature eggs enclosed in follicles.

By the time of menarche (first menstruation), only 400 thousand immature eggs are preserved, the rest die. But that's completely normal. The remaining amount is more than enough for reproductive function.

Menstruation begins in girls after puberty. Some time ago, the age range for menarche was considered to be 13-16 years. Now there is a tendency towards acceleration (accelerated development), so the first menstruation can occur as early as 10-12 years.

The first day of the menstrual cycle is usually called the first day of bleeding. This is a period of active rejection (desquamation) of the old outer layer of the endometrium - the lining of the uterine cavity. Menstrual bleeding normally lasts 3-6 days (each woman has her own way). After the cessation of bleeding under the influence of certain hormones, a new layer of endometrium gradually grows in the uterus.

At this moment, several follicles grow in the ovaries at once.

After the seventh day of the cycle, one follicle (in rare cases more) begins to grow more intensively than the others. Such a follicle is called dominant. The egg inside it matures completely and, around the 14th day of the cycle, leaves the ruptured follicle into the fallopian tube. There she will wait for the sperm (male reproductive cell).

The process of rupture of the dominant follicle and release of the egg is called ovulation.

This will be a mature egg, ready for fertilization. Its viability will remain for 24 hours, after which, if fertilization does not occur, it will die. In the next menstrual cycle the process will repeat again.

After ovulation, what remains of the follicle will turn into a temporary gland - the corpus luteum, which will produce progesterone (the hormone necessary directly for conception and subsequent implantation of the fertilized egg into the wall of the uterus). Meanwhile, in the uterus, active transformations of the grown endometrial layer are taking place, preparing it to receive the embryo.

If fertilization and implantation do not occur, then the level of hormonal activity gradually decreases, and the endometrium that has grown in this cycle is rejected again. A new menstruation is coming. The cycle begins again.

What are germ cells and where do they come from?

Female reproductive cells (gametes) are called eggs, and male reproductive cells (also gametes) are called sperm. The main difference between germ cells (eggs and sperm) from somatic (all other) cells of the body is that germ cells have a single set of chromosomes, namely 23 pieces. While in all somatic cells there are 46 of them.

This is necessary so that during fertilization (fusion of egg and sperm), the number of chromosomes remains constant and does not increase indefinitely. To mature and become capable of fertilization, eggs and sperm travel a fairly long way.