Pregnancy is something a lot of women go through at some point in their lives, sometimes more than once. A pregnancy that goes to term is 40 weeks. During these 40 long weeks, the woman’s body goes through many changes. I am going to explain those changes in detail and how they relate to the 11 major systems in the body.
Pregnancy begins with the reproductive system. The reproductive system in a woman consists of ovaries that connect to the fallopian tubes. The fallopian tubes connect to the uterus, then the cervix and finally the vagina. The ovaries release an egg which travels down the fallopian tubes where it gets fertilized by sperm, and into the uterus. For there to be a pregnancy there must be sperm to fertilize …show more content…
A woman will have a 40-50% increase in plasma. A 20-30% increase in RBC. Because of this it is important for the mother to take folic acid and iron supplements to maintain the ideal levels of hemoglobin. Going along with circulatory system is the lymphatic system. This system filters the blood and removes the toxins. Because of the increase in fluid in the woman’s body it overloads the lymphatic system and it cannot filter it as fast. This results in peripheral edema. Woman have a few options to help treat this. Compression stockings, elevating their legs while resting and massage to promote lymph flow. A system someone might not think changes very much is the respiratory system. This is not true, due to the hormone changes things like swelling in the lining of the nose, oropharynx, larynx, and trachea. These can in turn result in nasal congestion, voice changes and upper respiratory tract infections. These can all be worsened by fluid volume overload and edema that is associated with pregnancy-induced hypertension or pre-eclampsia. The diaphragm is moved up about 4cm due to the uterus expanding. This puts pressure on the lungs and decreases their capacity by about 20% by the end of pregnancy. Causing pregnant women to become short of breath, very
Pregnancy begins with the reproductive system. The reproductive system in a woman consists of ovaries that connect to the fallopian tubes. The fallopian tubes connect to the uterus, then the cervix and finally the vagina. The ovaries release an egg which travels down the fallopian tubes where it gets fertilized by sperm, and into the uterus. For there to be a pregnancy there must be sperm to fertilize …show more content…
A woman will have a 40-50% increase in plasma. A 20-30% increase in RBC. Because of this it is important for the mother to take folic acid and iron supplements to maintain the ideal levels of hemoglobin. Going along with circulatory system is the lymphatic system. This system filters the blood and removes the toxins. Because of the increase in fluid in the woman’s body it overloads the lymphatic system and it cannot filter it as fast. This results in peripheral edema. Woman have a few options to help treat this. Compression stockings, elevating their legs while resting and massage to promote lymph flow. A system someone might not think changes very much is the respiratory system. This is not true, due to the hormone changes things like swelling in the lining of the nose, oropharynx, larynx, and trachea. These can in turn result in nasal congestion, voice changes and upper respiratory tract infections. These can all be worsened by fluid volume overload and edema that is associated with pregnancy-induced hypertension or pre-eclampsia. The diaphragm is moved up about 4cm due to the uterus expanding. This puts pressure on the lungs and decreases their capacity by about 20% by the end of pregnancy. Causing pregnant women to become short of breath, very