Photo: UGC The 21st week of pregnancy is a full start endocrine system . The growth and development of the baby will occur very in the future . mother's body will have to react to these changes and adapt to them. Find out what difficulties a pregnant woman will face at 21 weeks, what changes will happen to the fetus.
What's happening
The 21st week of pregnancy is a kind of milestone, and from the end of this period the child will be able to live outside the mother’s womb. The internal organs of the fetus are fully formed, and now the process of their functioning is improving.
Your baby's skin has become tight, smooth and pink. Muscle and bone tissue grow and strengthen. At 21 weeks of pregnancy, the baby constantly swallows amniotic fluid, training its lungs and esophagus. The endocrine system is already working, and at this stage the spleen joins it.
The active development of the brain continues: the cortex is formed, new convolutions and grooves appear, and nerve cells divide. At the 21st week of pregnancy, fetal movements become more coordinated.
In a sufficient amount of amniotic fluid, the baby freely changes position: it turns upside down, then upside down, and spins around its axis. During the day, movements alternate with periods of deep sleep. Monitor the movements of the baby during waking hours: the 20th - 21st week of pregnancy is the period when excessive activity can be a sign of a lack of oxygen, in addition, it happens that in later stages sharp chaotic movements lead to the fetus being entangled in the umbilical cord. Therefore, be sure to tell your doctor about this.
Checklist for 21 weeks of pregnancy
The tendency to stretch marks is genetically determined, so if you are predisposed, you cannot completely avoid them. However, there are effective ways to reduce their consequences:
Entrust your pregnancy management to the specialists of the Medical Women's Center. We offer an individual approach, convenient appointment times without queues, constant communication with your doctor, all tests and studies in one place.
Risk factors
During this period, swelling is especially dangerous. Due to the slowdown in blood circulation, fluid accumulates in the tissues of the legs. The cause of edema can also be excess water in a woman’s body. If they are localized in the leg area, this does not affect the course of pregnancy, but if the face is swollen and this condition does not go away for a long time, you should definitely visit a doctor, because this may be a sign of serious complications.
Starting from the second trimester, the risk of thrush increases. This disease is caused by a fungus and appears when there are problems in the immune system (at 21 weeks of pregnancy, the body’s defense mechanisms are weakened). Symptoms of the disease are discomfort, itching and redness of the skin in the genital tract, cheesy discharge, pain during sexual intercourse and urination. If thrush is not treated, the child can become infected with the fungus.
Sometimes at the 21st week of pregnancy a complication such as thrombosis occurs. It is manifested by redness and soreness of the skin in the area of inflammation, as well as severe swelling of the lower leg. If you experience similar symptoms, be sure to make an appointment with a phlebologist or vascular surgeon.
Interesting Facts
| Options | Indications |
| Time from conception | 19 weeks |
| Period by month | 21 weeks |
| What month | 5 |
| Dimensions and weight of the fetus | 260-270 mm, 350 g |
| Uterus dimensions | 2 cm above the navel |
| Pregnant weight | From the beginning of pregnancy +3.5-6 kg, increase over the last week no more than 400-500 g |
Your baby is the size of
Large carrot
260-270mm Size
350 g Weight
The unpleasant symptoms of the first trimester of pregnancy are over, but the belly is not yet large enough to cause significant discomfort. Therefore, at 21 weeks the mother usually feels good and confident. And the unborn child continues to grow and develop, his motor activity increases.
Recommendations
- If you experience shortness of breath at 21 weeks of pregnancy, start learning breathing techniques. Subsequently, they will be very useful during the birth process;
- Due to hormonal changes, the skin may become covered with pigment spots. To get rid of them, try wiping such areas with lemon juice or milk;
- If you are worried about heartburn, try not to eat before bed, because in a horizontal position, gastric juice rises to the throat and burns the mucous membrane. During heartburn attacks, you can take a knee-elbow position for a few minutes;
- Constipation is one of the most common problems faced by women in the 20th – 21st week of pregnancy. In order to cope with it, you need to reconsider your diet. Eat more fermented milk products (but don’t go heavy on cottage cheese and hard cheeses), enrich your diet with sources of fiber (vegetables, fruits, bran bread), start the day with a glass of water.
Possible complications
The twenty-first week of pregnancy is a relatively calm period. The risks of spontaneous abortion are minimal compared to the first trimester. However, you need to know those alarming symptoms that indicate complications of pregnancy and require immediate medical attention. Timely treatment in most cases allows you to save the fetus and minimize risks for the woman.
Placental abruption
This diagnosis is made if the placenta separates from the physiological attachment site in the uterine cavity. Manifests itself in the form of heavy bleeding, dizziness, hypotension and severe pain in the lower abdomen. The condition requires immediate treatment in a hospital setting.
Low placentation
If ideally the placenta is attached to the highest point of the uterus, but with low placentation it is located closer to the exit of the uterus. This is dangerous because as the fetus grows, the placenta may begin to separate. There is no specific treatment. Physical activity and sex are prohibited for a pregnant woman; regular frequent monitoring by a specialist is indicated.
Is implantation bleeding the same when you undergo IVF treatment?
People undergoing IVF or any other assisted fertility treatment often wonder whether pregnancy symptoms will be the same if embryo transfer and implantation are successful. In a word, yes. Although some stages of IVF are stimulated by medication, and although the actual joining of the egg and sperm occurs in a laboratory, the end result is identical.
Let's look at a summary of the steps that led to embryo implantation. The first step is ovarian stimulation, which causes the ovaries to produce a number of oocytes. Then, when the oocytes have reached a suitable stage of maturity, they are retrieved during ovarian puncture in order to then be fertilized with prepared sperm in an embryology laboratory. This is the point at which fertilization occurs and embryos are formed. They are cultivated - “grow” in special incubators and undergo the necessary tests (if genetic research of embryos is performed). The healthiest and most viable embryo is then transferred to the woman's uterus. This is, in a nutshell, the final stage of the process. Implantation of the embryo into the wall of the uterus after it has been transferred is not part of the assisted reproduction process; this is something that happens naturally in the same way as during normal conception. This final stage is not guaranteed as a result of IVF treatment, just as unprotected sex during ovulation is not guaranteed to result in pregnancy. This explains the absolute sameness of symptoms you can expect between assisted reproduction and natural pregnancy, including any implantation bleeding.
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All texts for pages about mother and baby were kindly provided by RAMA Publishing - these are chapters from the book by Svetlana Klaas “Your Favorite Little Man from Conception to Birth”, reviewer Irina Nikolaevna Kononova, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Ural State Medical Academy (Ekaterinburg).
Tips for an expectant mother to have an easy pregnancy
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Why is it necessary to lie down when there is a threat of miscarriage or a threat of premature birth?
The uterus is a muscular organ consisting of multidirectional muscle fibers that make up a single muscle.
Thus, the cervix and the body of the uterus are a single muscle. A protective increase in tone (PROTECTIVE SPAS) of the cervix protects the uterus from opening and at the same time, due to the painful sensation, ALLOWS a woman to RECOGNIZE the wrongness of the actions she has committed (or is performing).
The HORIZONTAL POSITION can significantly reduce the load on the cervix and, in most cases, contributes to the natural normalization of uterine tone.
Taking medications aimed at reducing the tone of the uterus has a similar effect.
However, when moving to a vertical position, the cervix, relaxed by the drug, cannot fully perform the retaining function!
THE RISK OF MISCARRIOR (premature birth) when the body is in an upright position while taking medications that relax the uterus increases sharply.
JUST LIE! And strictly follow your doctor’s recommendations!
A protective INCREASE in the TONE of the uterus is a natural PROTECTIVE REACTION aimed at preserving the offspring. You need to LIE!
Signs of ruptured membranes
The amniotic sac may rupture (rupture) in the CENTER just above the cervix. In the event of a central rupture of the amniotic sac, the amniotic fluid will come out in a hot stream (“gushing out like a bucket”), the waters will break.
In some cases, rupture of the membranes occurs above the internal os (opening) of the cervical canal. In the case of a high lateral rupture of the membranes, a SIGN OF RUPTURE of the membranes is the leakage of amniotic fluid in small portions (water leakage).
Often a pregnant woman feels that the pad or underwear has become wet, but cannot understand the reason - it is heavy discharge or rupture of water, leakage of amniotic fluid.
Increased vaginal discharge when coughing (“COUGH TEST”) is a sign of high rupture of the membranes and leakage of amniotic fluid.
