Fetal development at 4 weeks gestation
At this stage, the fetal egg takes on the outline of the embryo. The future baby is still very tiny. Its length is only 0.5 mm. He gets the necessary food thanks to the yellow body.
The extra-embryonic organs are actively developing, which are responsible for providing the embryo with nutrients, as well as for breathing and protecting it. These include the chorion, amnion, yolk sac. After a while, the chorion is transformed into a placenta. Amnion, in turn, turns into a fetal bladder.
The uterus at the 4th week of pregnancy is also subject to changes. It forms a slimy plug, which will protect the crumb from infections and other negative effects, throughout the time.
Sensations of the future mother
At this time, women often do not even know about their pregnancy. But in most cases, it is at this time that the next menstrual period should begin. And its delay becomes the first signal to buy a special test. At 4-5 weeks of pregnancy, the sensations can be similar to those that a woman experiences before the menstrual period. This fact is also misleading. The future mother is affected by hormonal changes in the body, and she can become capricious, emotional, whiny. The chest at the 4th week of pregnancy is slightly swollen, becoming painful.
Also at this time, a slight fever and malaise are possible, which are usually taken as a manifestation of the common cold.
Diagnosis of pregnancy
Neither health, nor changes in the behavior of a woman can serve as an accurate sign of the onset of conception. If a woman has reason to assume this, then she can buy a test. Their wide choice is represented in pharmacies. They are easy to use, and modern tests can be used from the first days of delay, since they are highly sensitive. It is worth noting that this is a completely harmless method of diagnosis.
Another modern method is ultrasound. Determine the presence of the fetus at the 4th week of pregnancy and determine whether the development is normal, only a qualified doctor can. However, it is impossible to obtain complete information, since the embryo is still too small. Therefore, in the early term, gynecologists are rarely referred for ultrasound if they do not see it for this indication.
There is another way how to make sure that conception has occurred. You can take a blood test for a certain hormone. This is human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which is produced by chorion and creates the conditions that are necessary for the developing fetus. At first, hCG rises sharply, doubling every 2 days. This analysis also has an important diagnostic value for determining pregnancy pathologies. A reduced value of this hormone can occur in the following situations:
- with a frozen pregnancy;
- at threat of interruption;
- with ectopic pregnancy.
In any case, the doctor should evaluate the results of the analysis. HCG at 4-5 weeks of gestation should range from 101 to 4870 mIU / mL.
What influences the development of the baby?
This period is very important in the development of crumbs.
- any diseases at this time can affect the formation of the fetus;
- some medications taken by the mother at this time, can adversely affect the health of the baby;
- alcohol, smoking should be completely excluded, since they pose a serious threat, both to the course of pregnancy and the development of the child;
- harmful conditions, toxins with which a pregnant woman can be associated at work, harm her and the baby.
A woman should try to exclude from her life factors that may prevent her from safely bearing crumbs.