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Pregnancy Week 15

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The fifteenth week of pregnancy

Your changing body
Your Uterus starts to rise past your hipbones. Your obstetrician will now measure the fundal height (distance from the top of the Uterus to the pubic bone) to make sure your baby is growing consistently and adequately.

You may find that your libido returns in the second Trimester. In fact, you may be easily aroused in part due to the increased blood flow and may find orgasms more intense than normal during the second Trimester. To know more about Sex during pregnancy

Hormonal changes coupled with the increased blood flow to your mucous membranes may often give you a stuffy nose. Nose bleeding may also occur due to the same reason in some expectant mums.

Your growing baby
Your baby is growing rapidly by week 15 of pregnancy and by the end of the week, your baby will probably weigh 70 g and will be 10–10.2 cm long (size of an apple).

Your baby’s bones and marrow are making great strides. The Cartilage is turning into bone and before you know it, all of those bones will be formed, and your baby will be ready for delivery! You may begin to feel movement of the baby as his bones harden and muscle tone improves.

If you are somewhat overweight, have a thick Uterus and/or if this is your first pregnancy, you may not be able to discern the movement of your baby. The movements will become more apparent after a week or two.

Your baby’s body is also looking more proportional to his head size in week 15 of pregnancy with legs slightly longer than the arms. Your baby will kick, twist, flex, bend and even make rapid movements in place at times. Eyebrows are starting to grow over the eyes, even though they may be very fine, light and hard to see.

The hair on the scalp is also beginning to grow, but will remain hard to distinguish for many more weeks. The three bones in the inner ear are slowly developing and the ears are beginning to gain auditory functions.

Your baby’s taste buds develop at this time. Though your baby’s eyelids are now firmly shut, he/she can sense light. Isn’t it amazing?

Tips for the fifteenth week of pregnancy
While sleeping, opt for a position that aids good circulation to your baby. Switching on to your left side is the best way to do so, as lying on your back or stomach can hinder blood circulation and also exert pressure on your growing Uterus.

Activities for the fifteenth week of pregnancy
Pray for your baby and yourself. Connecting to God is one way of remaining calm, peaceful and stress-free. Pray to God to give your baby health and a good life. You can do so a bit loudly so that your baby can also hear your prayers, now that his auditory sense is developing!

Supplements to be taken during the fifteenth week of pregnancy
Folic acid, iron and calcium supplements.

Common problems in the fifteenth week of pregnancy
“Rhinitis of pregnancy” or a stuffed nose occurs because the blood vessels in the nose get engorged with blood (due to increased blood volume). This is normal.

Common tests in the fifteenth week of pregnancy
Quadruple marker screening test or alpha- fetoprotein test is also performed at around any time between 15 and 20 weeks of pregnancy. In this blood test, four parameters are tested.

This includes Alfa-fetoprotein, human chorionic gonadotrophin Hormone (hCG), inhibin A and Estrogen Hormone. This test is considered to be a more accurate predictor of Down syndrome than AFP alone. An amniocentesis may be suggested any time between 15th and 20th week of pregnancy.

This test basically involves withdrawing and testing of a small amount of Amniotic Fluid surrounding the Fetus for genetic abnormalities such as Down syndrome and Neural tube defects like spina bifida. It is specifically suggested for expectant mums over the age of 35 and having a genetic history for such abnormalities or when the quadruple marker screening results are suspicious.

It is believed that the ability to detect the cases of Down syndrome is greater when results from the first as well as the second Trimester screening tests are jointly taken into consideration.

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