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When you think
about pregnancy, most people think about nine months from the time
of conception. However, doctors count the weeks of your 40-week
pregnancy beginning with the first day of your last menstrual cycle.
Therefore, the first couple of weeks of your pregnancy actually
occur before conception.
The reasoning
for this "gestational age method" of marking a pregnancy's
length is because women generally may not be able to pinpoint when
they ovulated or conceived, but they do know when the first day
of their last menstrual cycle occurred. Ovulation won't take place
until about two weeks after the beginning of your menstrual cycle,
so you may actually conceive during week three.
If you are planning
on becoming pregnant, now--the first day of a menstrual cycle--is
the time to start getting your body ready. You need to start taking
prenatal vitamins, which contain folic acid and iron (two very important
nutrients for fetus development early in pregnancy).
Also, start
tracking ovulation by taking your basal body temperature and watch
for the signs.
The most wonderful
experience that can happen to a woman is to be pregnant. It is a
truly amazing process of life and being able to go through nine
months of carrying another living, breathing person inside of you
will change you forever.
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