ML Interest Tag: fetus

The Banned List: What Not to Do While Pregnant

by Suzanna Logan

When it comes to the topic of “must-dos” while pregnant, there is no shortage of suggestions—from well-meaning friends, online articles, and even perfect strangers. Take your prenatals, get plenty of rest, see your doctor regularly…the list goes on. But what you may not hear as often are things you should avoid during pregnancy. We’ve rounded up a list of seven things to skip while expecting.

Certain Foods
Trying to navigate the world of pregnancy cravings while still managing to consume a healthy, well-balanced diet isn’t easy. But consuming only foods safe for your developing baby is one of the most important things you can do while pregnant. As a rule of thumb, it’s not the type of food as much as how it’s made that matters. For example, beef, poultry, and seafood all get the green light, unless undercooked or raw. (Deli meat is a no-go, too.) Other foods to pass on: soft cheese, such as brie and feta; raw eggs; and unpasteurized dairy products.

Certain Skincare Ingredients
It’s a no-brainer to do an immediate check on any supplements you take internally once those two little lines appear, but many women forget to also review the ingredients in the lotions and serums they apply topically. The FDA maintains an extensive list of ingredients to watch out for, which include retinoids (known to cause birth defects), benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid, and sunscreens that contain oxybenzone or avobenzone (shown to impact a fetus’s developing nervous system). But your best bet is to talk to your healthcare provider. To be sure your products are in the clear, pop them into your purse before your next OB visit for review.

Kitty Litter
If a cat is part of your family, it’s likely that cleaning out the litter box ranks high on the worst chores list, alongside scrubbing toilets and washing dishes. The good news? You have doctor’s orders to avoid scooping the box for your full term. Kitty litter can expose you to toxoplasmosis, a rare parasitic disease, which has been shown to lead to miscarriage or fetus malformations. If you’re a solo feline owner and must take on the task, be sure to wear gloves and wash thoroughly after changing out the box. Also, keep in mind, litter isn’t the only source of toxoplasmosis—consuming insufficiently cooked meat or touching infected gardening soil can also transmit the disease.

Stress
While a certain amount of trepidation is to be expected while you’re expecting, especially if it’s your first pregnancy, limiting outside stressors is important. Chronic and serious stress during pregnancy has been linked to miscarriage, high blood pressure, premature delivery, and even effects on baby’s brain development. Make an effort to reduce stressful life situations and find healthy ways to cope with any stressful situations that inevitably arise.

Specific Beverages
Passing on alcohol during pregnancy is a no-brainer, but there are other sips to skip. Due to potential bacteria, avoid unpasteurized milk and juices (including those that are fresh-squeezed). Because caffeine (think: coffee, black and green tea, and soda) and artificial sweeteners can pass through the placenta to baby, it’s best to proceed with caution and enjoy these drinks sparingly, if at all. Yummy swaps: sparkling water with a splash of pasteurized fruit juice, herbal teas, and decaf coffee.

Saunas and Spas
Easing your achy pregnancy muscles in a spa or sauna might sound like just what the OB ordered, but it’s actually quite the opposite. Elevated body temperature (above 101 degrees) can lead to complications for mama, such as lowered blood pressure, dehydration, and dizziness, as well as increasing the risk of birth defects for baby. A warm bath or a heating pad focused on sore spots is a safer soothing alternative.

Wet Paint
While it can be tempting to roll up your sleeves and paint that baby nursery yourself, it’s best to leave the painting to the professionals or your nearest and dearest. While today’s paints do not contain lead, they can contain harmful chemicals that can be absorbed through your skin or inhaled. If recreational painting is a favorite hobby or profession, be sure to mask up, wear protective clothing, and ensure the space is well-ventilated before allowing your inner artist to emerge.

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Understanding Miscarriages: 7 Questions Answered by a Doctor

By Dr. Alan Lindemann

Miscarriage is quite common, yet regardless of that simple truth, it remains a challenging and emotionally complex experience for women to navigate. It is often something women deal with privately with their partner, but fortunately some women in the public spotlight have begun to share their experiences more openly.

Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, recently opened up about her miscarriage last summer, paving the way for women everywhere to connect and feel less alone. She and Prince Harry also announced that they are expecting another child (a baby girl)—a great reminder that pregnancy is very possible after miscarriage.

Whether you are dealing with loss due to a miscarriage yourself, acting as a support person to someone who has experienced this loss, or simply wanting to educate yourself about this all-too-common occurrence, here is a Q&A to help you through this process.

Miscarriage: 7 Questions and Answers

1. What is a miscarriage? Miscarriage is defined as a pregnancy loss prior to 20 weeks. If the pregnancy lasts beyond 20 weeks but is unsuccessful, it is termed stillbirth.

2. Am I to blame for my baby’s death? Miscarriage is traumatic for all pregnant women and their partners. If you have had, are having, or will have a miscarriage, remember this: Miscarriage is NOT your fault.

Inherent in miscarriage is the experience of death, and often feelings of failure as well. This death is very real, and it is normal for women and partners to experience the five stages of grieving and guilt (described in Elizabeth Keebler Ross’s landmark research in “On Death and Dying”):

  • Denial (It didn’t happen.)
  • Anger (Why is this happening to me?)
  • Bargaining (Oh, please God, I’ll do anything to have a successful pregnancy.)
  • Depression (I must have done something wrong.)
  • Acceptance (I have to get on with life one way or another.)

Allowing yourself and your partner to go through this grieving process is the most important part of a miscarriage.

3. How soon can I get pregnant again after a miscarriage? I always suggest waiting for at least one regular period before getting pregnant again. It can then be determined with more accuracy when you are due. In addition, having a normal period signals your body is done with the miscarriage process.

4. Who is likely to miscarry? Anyone can miscarry. The most often quoted numbers say 10-to-20 percent of all pregnancies end in miscarriage. When the miscarriage rate includes those fetuses lost before the missing of a period, the high-end rate increases up to 40 percent.

5. How do I tell a period from a miscarriage? There is cramping with miscarriage, often like a period, but sometimes more severe. Most of the time, bleeding will be heavier than a period, but seldom requiring a blood transfusion. 

6. What if my doctor can’t hear a heartbeat? With a Doppler, I can hear a heartbeat at about 11 or 12 weeks. It is easier to see the heartbeat with an ultrasound at seven to eight weeks. If I can’t see the heartbeat at seven or eight weeks, out of reverence and concern for the fetus, I recheck in one week. If I can’t hear a heartbeat, most women prefer to wait for a spontaneous miscarriage which usually follows after one or two weeks. If one or two weeks go by without a miscarriage, I recommended misoprostol (Cytotec) by mouth.

While it is possible to use misoprostol without waiting the two weeks for a spontaneous miscarriage, it would not be my first choice because aggressive treatment can interfere with the grieving process. I prefer to allow a wide margin around guilt, blame, and shame.

7. What happens when someone has repeated miscarriages? Miscarriage, before there is a beating heart, is common, and is usually a chromosomal mutation. These are not preventable. However, once the heart is beating, several conditions can lead to a miscarriage. Many of these repeated miscarriages are preventable. If you have had more than two miscarriages, it’s time to look at the list of treatable conditions that are known to contribute to miscarriage in some women (i.e., Strep B or methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase—MTFHR).

The keys here are remembering that you are not alone in experiencing miscarriage, and that is normal and healthy to grieve your loss. In cases where repeated miscarriage occurs, your doctor may be able to help you isolate the condition that is causing it so you can go on to have a healthy pregnancy.

Dr. Alan Lindemann
Tinybeans Voices Contributor

An obstetrician and maternal mortality expert, “Rural Doc” Alan Lindemann, M.D. teaches women and families how to create the outcomes they want for their own health and pregnancy. In nearly 40 years of practice, he has delivered around 6,000 babies and achieved a maternal mortality rate of zero! Visit LindemannMD.com

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These Are the Days Pregnancy Sickness Is Likely to Start, New Study Reveals

by Jennifer Swartvagher

Unfortunately for many women, pregnancy and nausea seem to go together. Now researchers from the University of Warwick have narrowed the time frame that pregnancy sickness will potentially start to just three days. This opens up the possibility for scientists to identify a biological cause for the condition.

Pregnancy

Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy was previously referred to as “morning sickness.” Previous research from the same team revealed that term was misleading, as sickness could occur at any time of day. The term “pregnancy sickness” is now considered more appropriate. 

Pregnancy sickness usually ends between 12 to 14 weeks of pregnancy. For some it can be severe, including what is known as hyperemesis gravidarum—when the symptoms continue throughout the pregnancy. In the past, the cause was seen as psychological (yeah, cue the eyerolls!) but this study shows further evidence that it is biological in nature and linked to a woman’s stage of pregnancy. 

Researchers from the Warwick Medical School and the Department of Statistics at the University of Warwick found that the time period in which a woman will likely experience pregnancy sickness can now be pinpointed to a specific three-day window. In other words, they can predict when you’re most likely to start feeling crummy! 

Pregnancy due dates are calculated based on the last day of the last menstrual period, but this study also has found that the date of ovulation is a more accurate starting point, thanks to fewer variables.

256 pregnant women kept daily symptom diaries to compare when their symptoms began, including recording the date of their last menstrual period as well as date of ovulation (determined by a urine test). Researchers compared the results and found that most women started getting “the sickness” 8 to 10 days after ovulation.

Lead author Professor Roger Gadsby of Warwick Medical School said, “For researchers it narrows our focus in terms of where we look for the cause. If we know that symptoms occur in a very narrow window 8-10 days after ovulation, researchers can concentrate their efforts on that particular stage of development to find the cause of the condition, both anatomically and biochemically. In the past, women suffering with nausea and vomiting in pregnancy have had their symptoms trivialised and overlooked because it was thought there was a psychological basis for the symptoms. This research further reinforces that nothing could be further from the truth, that this is a biological problem related to the development of the early fetus.”

(Sing it, Roger!)

The research also discovered that 94% of women do experience some form of pregnancy sickness, a rate much higher than previously.

Professor Roger Gadsby adds, “What we’ve shown is that more people get symptoms of pregnancy sickness than has ever been shown before, and one of the reasons for that is that this research has picked up mild early symptoms that tend to fade by 7-8 weeks. In other studies those symptoms would have faded by the time the research started.”

Next up? What the heck do you do about it?

—Jennifer Swartvagher

Featured photo: Anastasiia Chepinska on Unsplash 

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4 Reasons Why My 13 Year-Old Is Not Allowed on Social Media

By Missy Woodruff

Ok. it’s 2019. I get (well not really) that people feel like their fetus needs to have its own Snapchat. But can we please take a minute to talk about this. I have a 13 year old, and I think he is literally the only kid in his 7th grade class who does not have a Social Media account. I’m not joking. Has he asked for one (or two)? Yep. But we’re still holding out. And here’s why.

1. It’s A Big Time-Suck
I‘m not going to even tell you how many hours I spend a day on Instagram. Although it’s probably just as long as you do. We’ve all been there. We have a few minutes so we open the app, just to get caught up on all of the important things Kendall Jenner is up to. Next thing we know, an hour has gone by, the laundry is still sitting in the dryer waiting to be folded, and your dog is staring at you in a judgemental way.

Now imagine how hard it would be to manage that as a 13 year old. My kid can barely manage his time as it is. His room is a mess, he forgets about important homework assignments, he has school projects to work on, guitar to practice, and swim team to get to. I can’t imagine how much harder it would be for him if he had the lure of Snapchat right at his fingertips.

Besides, he’s already on his phone too much- texting, watching YouTube or streaming “The Office.” Common Sense Media reports that teenagers spend an average of 9 hours a day on their phones, and prefer texting to talking in-person. Think about that.

2. What My Kid Doesn’t Know Won’t Hurt Him
My son is a super happy person. He’s involved in tons of school activities, plays the guitar and swims on a competitive swim team. He has a great group of friends with whom he texts (constantly) and hangs out with on the weekend.

But guess what? There are a lot of parties he hasn’t been invited to. Plans have been made without him. People who are hanging out on Saturday nights who decided to to include him.

Does he know about these things? Maybe, maybe not.

But, if he had Instagram or Snapchat he would see the parties, hangouts, and walks into town happening right as they were occuring. I’m not saying he should live in a bubble and think he’s included all the time- but seriously, has any 13 year old ever felt that way, ever? We live in a weird culture where there’s now a hashtag to encompass the feeling of missing out on things, and I don’t want my kid feeling that anymore than he needs to.

3. It Makes It Harder To Connect 
Remember when you were in 7th grade? If you wanted to talk to your friend on the phone, you called her house and most likely an adult answered the phone, which required you to have a conversation. Today, my son rarely has to talk to his friends’ parents because they make plans via text.

It used to be that if you wanted to watch TV, you had to do it in the family room with everyone else, and guess what? You had to compromise with your siblings when deciding what to watch. But now, my kid streams Netflix on his phone while his younger siblings watch something different on TV.

It takes real effort for families to stay connected. I go through my son’s texts and I’m constantly reminding him that only watching “The Office” with his headphones on is unnecessary since we can watch it as a family.

Retreating to Instagram or SnapChat would make it even more challenging for us to stay connected.

One of the ways our family likes to reset and connect is by going on long weekend trips throughout the school year. I can only imagine how different our time in Disney or our recent trip to Memphis would have been if he had felt the need to constantly post about what we were doing, or check in on what was going on on Social Media.

Speaking of disconnected, during our Southwest roadtrip last Summer, we saw a number of teens consumed by their phones in majestic locations like the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, and even while hiking the Narrows in Zion National Park!

4. Serious Mental Health Risks
It’s no secret that suicide rates are on the rise. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, Suicide is the second leading cause of death, after accidental injury, among people ages 10-34. Between 2001-2017, incidents of Suicide increased by 31%  Of course, not every kid who is on Social Media is going to have suicidal thoughts. But there is clear evidence that Social Media does have an adverse effect on our mental well being.

In March of 2019, NBC News reported on a study conducted by The American Psychological Association on mental health and Social Media. The study said that kids born in 1995 and later show increased signs of mental health issues. Most notably, the greatest spike in symptoms were seen in 2011, not coincidentally the same year that Instagram and Snapchat were founded.

It’s ironic that a platform based on connecting people socially is actually associated with feelings of social isolation and social anxiety.  Think back on your time in Middle School. Everyone, at one point or another, felt lonely or anxious about a social situation. Now imagine adding Social Media to your adolescence. Can you imagine how that might have exacerbated your perceptions?

Bottom Line…

So, while I’ve given in and gotten my kid a phone—and trust me, he was one of the last to have one of those, too—when it comes to Social Media, I’m standing my ground. But here’s the interesting thing. After asking and asking for an Instagram (he knows SnapChat is not an option), one day he just stopped. Maybe it was because we explained that we didn’t want his self-worth to be dictated by how many likes he has. Or maybe it was because he was tired of hearing us say no, and he didn’t want to even bother anymore.

It will always be something. When I was in 7th grade I begged my parents for a TV in my room, and I didn’t understand why we couldn’t have a separate “Kids Line” like my friend Kelly did. My parents had their reasons, and that was that- no matter how unfair I thought they were.

Part of being a teenager is wanting what you can’t have and thinking your parents are unfair. Hell, if your kid doesn’t feel that way, then you’re probably doing something wrong!

But, our job as parents isn’t to give them what they want; our job is to help them navigate childhood (especially adolescence) in the best way possible.

Having a teenager in 2019 means you’re going to constantly be trying to balance when they should and shouldn’t be on their phone. However, it’s our job to make sure we’re providing them with the alternatives they need. Put the phone away and: go out to dinner, go to the movies together, watch a game on TV as a family, or take the dog for a family walk.

We only have them around for so long. Let’s make that time count. 

I'm Missy, a mother of three and a middle school drama teacher at a private school. I'm obsessed with my Vizsla (dog), traveling, and the musical Hamilton. I also enjoy writing and sharing fun parenting stories, which is what brought me here.

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My Baby Has a Day & Night Personality

By Laura Hill

The first rule of baby sleep is you DO NOT talk about baby sleep.

The minute you talk about baby sleep, baby will CHANGE HOW SHE SLEEPS. I bragged to ONE person—not even a parent, just a normal person—that my daughter had been sleeping eleven hours straight at night…and she promptly stopped. She also, just for fun, stopped with the blissful and surprising two hour morning naps and now just does an hour which is exactly enough time for me to fall asleep or start something fun or…clean, I guess, but not enough time really to have any free time or really do anything at all. Basically, I have enough time to read the internet and then she’s up and giggling.

Look at me breaking the first rule again already. 

If she had her way, her ladyship would be held all the time when she sleeps…which is precious, of course, but we want to instill good habits and not suffocate her with our pillows by accident and whatnot, so we have the following “sleep routine” (the internet says it’s very important to have a sleep routine) in place:

1. Boo looks tired.

2. Feed Boo boobs

3. Snuggle Boo with binky

4. Remove binky and continue snuggling

5. Try to put down Boo (pretend you’re going to put her to sleep on her back but gently encourage her to roll onto her stomach where she immediately takes on “child’s pose” with her baby booty in the air. Pat pat booty and run away silently)

6. Half the time Boo wakes up crying

7. Repeat previous steps

8. If not successful, turn on the projector that plays classical music and walk away. She usually stops crying and puts herself to sleep in under three minutes.

9. If not, call in Dada who is always successful in under ten minutes. If he is not home or willing, start over. 

10. She will be asleep within five minutes to three hours and will stay asleep for one to eleven hours. 

Did you know that babies aren’t consistent? Or, rather, mine isn’t. I’m sure there are clockwork babies out there who do everything the same all the time and you can just live your life predictably and I’m sure your house is also very clean and you also work full-time saving people’s lives or money or something. 

During the day, she’s nearly a person, lately. She makes yummy noises when she eats people food and can clap her hands and crawl and stand up and pet (grab) the kitty. She’s no longer merely a squish of tears and poop. For funsies, we looked up her horoscope and, I gotta say, she is pretty much living up to it as much as a baby can. Aries are independent, driven, energetic, aggressive. If you ever get the chance to witness Boo versus the cat, you will agree.

But at night, The Creature emerges. I’m not saying The Creature is bad, it’s just, not quite a person. Ever since she was a tiny squish, nighttime Boo has been more bug than human. When she was little, she had a green, Velcro swaddle that made her look just exactly like a larva. And that’s what she was: squirmy body and a mouth, sucking the life force from me to sustain her. Her night time cry is not like that of a day time baby. It’s fetus-like, impulsive, and unemotional. It’s only id.  Its only want: hold me, feed me, I feel alone, make me feel less alone. The Creature doesn’t know she’s a person. The Creature still thinks she and I are the same person. 

The Creature is the cutest and the sweetest. She is all mouth, no eyes. Give her the binky and she immediately is subdued. Give her the nook of my arm, and she shakes her head into it and her whole body relaxes. Her little squish face is the most placid thing you’ll ever see. Such a different face from that of the person emerging in the day time. In the day time, she’s expressive and opinionated and not a little bit judge-y. At night, she’s soft eyes, petal lips slightly parted.

The Creature does not care about my emotions or needs and I can’t blame her. She doesn’t care that it’s inconvenient for me to sit upright, nuzzling her at all hours. The Creature requires sleep. The Creature does not find things funny, only cold or scary or displeasing or, eventually, acceptable. 

Sometimes I feel embittered toward The Creature because she occasionally sprouts a tooth and that means she must be held at all times. Then I tell myself, stop. Look at this little thing. Soon she will change into something else entirely. The larva will hatch or whatever bugs do, and she will be her own person in both the day and night. She won’t reach for you with desperation, her eyes pinched tight, knowing you’re there because you’re always there, waiting to be received in your arms. Soon she will grow up.

The greatest wish you can wish for your kid is that they’ll grow up. As much as we want to plead with them to stay little, you want them to move on with their lives, to be free, to develop new skills and get big and tall, to fly like a beautiful butterfly or some cliché like that. 

The Creature is okay by me.

The Creature is awake. Gotta go.

Laura Wheatman Hill lives in Portland, Oregon with her dentist and two children. She blogs about parenting, writes about everything, and teaches English and drama when not living in an apocalyptic dystopia. Her work has appeared on Sammiches and Psych Meds, Her View From Home, Scary Mommy, and Motherwell.

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The FDA Wants to Make Research on Pregnant & Breastfeeding Mamas More Effective

by Erica Loop

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently released two new draft guidances designed to provide drug manufacturers with increased information and recommendations for conducting clinical lactation and pregnancy studies. While these guiding docs are still in draft form, they’re a step in the right direction when it comes to keeping pregnant and breastfeeding women safe.

Studying the effectiveness of medications in lactating and pregnant women isn’t exactly easy. This makes finding or getting high-quality data almost impossible for researchers and manufacturers.

photo: Victor Pinto via Unsplash

There are obvious ethical issues at play when it comes to testing the effectiveness of medications on pregnant and breastfeeding women. Beyond harm to the women, there’s also the potential to harm the fetus or infant. The FDA’s new draft guidance for clinical lactation studies expands upon previous statements, provides recommendations for when companies should conduct studies and when lactating women can participate in trials.

The second draft helps to guide manufacturers and researchers in using data (such as real-world date) in studies focusing on pregnant women and FDA-regulated drugs/biological products.

So what does this all mean for you? Right now, not a lot. But in the future it could help drug manufacturers to study the effectiveness and dangers of medications, reducing the risk to pregnant and breastfeeding mamas.

—Erica Loop

 

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This Tampon-Shaped Speaker Does What for Your Baby?!

by Shahrzad Warkentin

Talking to your baby and even singing are some of the ways expectant parents communicate with their babies while they are still in the womb. The new tampon-shaped speaker Babypod kicks that early introduction to music up a notch.

The Babypod is a tiny speaker that is inserted the same way you use a tampon. The speaker has an audio cord which can be connected into a smartphone or other music enabled device. Then all you have to do is queue up that playlist and let the party begin.

The makers of Babypod cited their own research into the benefits of music exposure in the womb. The device is intended for use up to 20 minutes per day after the 16th week of pregnancy. The company explained that the device was found safe to use in clinical trials of over 1,000 patients.  “The intensity of the sound that Babypod emits is similar to a conversation in low tone and has a control system so that it does not exceed this level, which can not damage the fetal ear,” the company said in an email to INSIDER.

While Babypod is FDA approved it’s always important to check with your health care provider before using any type of new device that can come in close contact with the womb and your baby.

“We don’t know if there is a sound or decibel level too high for a fetus. Maybe there’s a reason our bodies don’t come equipped with vaginal speakers,” Dr. Donnica Moore, a gynecologist, told INSIDER. “Anything that you may want to insert in your vagina during pregnancy should be cleared by your doctor first.”

—Shahrzad Warkentin

Featured photo: Suhyeon Choi via Unsplash

 

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Are You TTC? Here’s the Skinny on Progesterone—& Why It’s So Important

By Amy Beckley

Editor’s note: Any medical advice presented here is expressly the views of the writer and Red Tricycle cannot verify any claims made. Please consult with your healthcare provider about what works best for you.

 

As the name suggests, progesterone—as in “pro-gestation”—is critical to conception and pregnancy. But we don’t hear much about this super hormone that not only indicates ovulation is occurring properly, but also prepares the uterus to receive a fertilized embryo for implantation.

So why is progesterone so important when trying to conceive? Let’s find out!

Progesterone confirms ovulation.

At the beginning of each menstrual cycle, progesterone levels are relatively low. First, Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) stimulates an ovarian follicle to develop, which causes an egg to mature and increases estrogen production. Then, as estrogen levels rise, FSH production declines and Luteinizing Hormone, or LH, production increases. A spike in LH levels indicates that ovulation or an egg being released from the ovary, is about to occur.

Many ovulation predictor kits measure LH, as the presence of this hormone is “predictive” of ovulation. After ovulation comes the luteal phase, where the corpus luteum produces progesterone. The corpus luteum is the empty follicle from which the egg was released. The presence of progesterone indicates that ovulation has, in fact, occurred, because if no egg is released, there is no empty follicle or corpus luteum, to produce it!

Progesterone stabilizes the uterine lining.

Each month, estrogen is released before ovulation and stimulates the uterine lining to build up. After ovulation, progesterone acts to stabilize the uterine lining so it is at the optimal thickness to support implantation. Progesterone’s role is to prepare the uterine lining for a pregnancy, allowing it to become receptive to the fertilized egg so that it can attach, implant and thrive for the duration of the pregnancy. Ideally, after ovulation, progesterone levels remain high, enabling a fertilized egg to successfully implant.

Progesterone enables a fertilized embryo to implant.

Since progesterone is involved in stabilizing the uterine lining, high levels of progesterone are needed for the embryo to attach in the womb and to maintain the pregnancy. Implantation typically occurs seven to 10 days after ovulation. Up until about the 8th week of pregnancy, the corpus luteum produces progesterone to support the pregnancy. After about the eighth or ninth week of pregnancy, progesterone production is taken over by the placenta and continues to nourish the fetus for the duration of the pregnancy.

Progesterone is needed to maintain pregnancy.

Whether generated from the corpus luteum or the placenta, progesterone levels consistently rise and remain elevated throughout the duration of pregnancy to support a healthy uterine environment for the growing fetus. It has some side benefits too. That pregnancy glow? That’s mighty progesterone at work making the skin appear firmer and brighter!

Tracking progesterone shows the full picture.

While traditional ovulation predictor kits are great for determining the best time for intercourse when trying to conceive, they fail to show the full picture. The menstrual cycle has two distinct phases. The first is the follicular phase, which is comprised of menstruation and the fertile window. This is the time leading up to ovulation. The second is the luteal phase, which is the time after ovulation and is critical for enabling conception and implantation.

Progesterone is the dominant hormone present during the luteal phase. By using ovulation predictor kits to track hormones during the follicular phase and tracking progesterone during the luteal phase, women can understand both halves of their cycle and therefore, the full menstrual picture!

Progesterone plays a critical, direct role in conception and pregnancy, but it plays a peripheral role in other aspects of women’s health related to conception and pregnancy as well. For example, progesterone plays an important role in libido. During ovulation, many women experience their peak in libido, which perfectly matches the fertile window of when you’re most likely to get pregnant.

In the luteal phase, progesterone levels significantly rise and libido typically drops as well. It’s as if high progesterone levels are a stop sign for your body to let you know you’re no longer in the fertile window. It is common for libido to fluctuate throughout the cycle, but what happens if you don’t have any sexual desire at any time during your monthly cycle? Well, this could be a sign of low progesterone. See, for a healthy libido, it is really the balance of estrogen and progesterone that matter the most and if these are out of balance due to low progesterone, it could tank your sex drive.

From confirming ovulation to supporting implantation to helping maintain pregnancy, progesterone is a hard-working hormone that is necessary for so much related to conception, pregnancy and general women’s health. If women are tracking hormones in the first half of the cycle using ovulation predictor kits, adding progesterone to their tracking regimen can help them understand the full menstrual cycle. Knowing about this critical hormone empowers women to ensure their body is ovulating properly and is prepared to receive and support an early pregnancy.

Amy Beckley is the founder and CEO of Proov, the first at-home rapid response urine progesterone test, a hormone critical to fertility and general wellness. Proov was developed from Beckley’s personal infertility experience. Using her PhD in Pharmacology and passion for helping others, Proov empowers women with the knowledge to better understand their bodies.

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