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The gestation period of 4 weeks is an important stage in its course, one of the crisis periods in the development of the embryo. At this time, the most important organs and systems of the child are laid and begin to develop. The course of pregnancy and the health of her unborn child depend on how a woman lives this period, how she treats her health.
Methods for calculating the duration of pregnancy
The main method for determining the gestational age is the method used by the antenatal clinic gynecologist, or the obstetric method. He calculates the gestational age from the first day of the last menstruation and appoints planned instrumental and laboratory tests based on this date.
The embryonic counting method takes the date of ovulation as a starting point and lags behind the obstetric period by about 2 weeks. Women may think that their pregnancy began on the day when the expected period did not come. In order not to make confusion when communicating with a doctor, it is recommended to adhere to the obstetric method.
What happens to the fetus at this time?
According to the obstetric method, at week 4, the zygote, or fertilized egg, begins to rapidly divide. It produces many cells with different structures and functions. In fact, it is not yet a fruit. The collection of cells is called a morula, or blastocyst. In shape, it resembles a multi-chamber berry, not yet attached to the endometrium of the uterus. It is difficult to name the exact parameters of the blastocyst, since it is constantly growing.
Approximate parameters of the future embryo:
Weight – 0,5 mg;
Growth – 0,36-1 g.
Figuratively speaking, it is comparable in size to a poppy seed.
If we consider the gestational age according to the embryonic method, at 4 weeks the embryo is already fixed in the uterine cavity and continues to develop intensively.
At this stage, it is a germinal disc and consists of 3 layers:
Primary ectoderm – the basis of the skin, hair, tooth enamel, eye lenses, cells of the nervous system;
Mesoderm is the basis for the formation of future organs, skeleton, muscle tissue, circulatory, excretory and reproductive systems;
Endoderm is the basis of the respiratory and digestive systems, liver, thyroid and pancreas.
The future head of the fetus at the moment looks like a small droplet. The placenta has already begun to form. While it is still very primitive, it consists of 2 layers. The tissues of the future placenta are already connected to the tissues of the uterus, which makes it possible to provide the embryo with nutrition and oxygen.
The following extra-embryonic organs are responsible for nutrition:
Chorion – a prerequisite for a real placenta, which will form up to 12 weeks, from 4 weeks at the place of contact of the embryo with the endometrium of the uterus, a vascular network begins to form;
Amnion – a kind of “packaging” of the embryo, the premise of the fetal bladder, which protects the fetus from physical impact and drying;
The yolk sac is a supply of nutrients for the embryo, the basis of hematopoiesis up to 7-8 weeks of pregnancy.
Without a yolk sac, the existence of an embryo is impossible; if its functions or congenital pathology are violated, a miscarriage occurs. When conducting an ultrasound examination of the state of the yolk sac, the doctor determines the quality of pregnancy and the viability of the embryo.
According to research, it turned out that the genes of a man are responsible for the formation of extra-embryonic organs. We can say that the function of protection and provision is inherent in a person even before birth.
By the end of 4 weeks, blastogenesis ends – the initial stage of development of embryonic development.
What does a woman feel at 4 weeks pregnant?
If the pregnancy was unplanned and the woman does not suspect that she is pregnant, it is possible that she does not experience any changes in her well-being. But this does not happen often, in most cases a woman’s mental state changes, she becomes extremely emotional, touchy and whiny, irritable.
Additional sensations:
The perception of smells and taste of habitual food has changed;
The figure due to hormonal changes has become somewhat heavier;
There was swelling of the limbs;
There was nausea, in some cases vomiting (early toxicosis);
There were pulling pains in the lower back and lower abdomen;
Increased urination;
Vaginal discharge takes on the character of thick mucus;
There was an increased sensitivity of the mammary glands.
It is possible that due to early toxicosis, a woman will not recover, but, on the contrary, will lose weight. Do not worry about this if there are no other symptoms other than loss of appetite.
Abdominal and lower back pain at 4 weeks
Pain of low intensity in the lower abdomen and lower back, without abnormal discharge and fever – this is the norm at the 4th week of pregnancy. Such sensations are due to hormonal changes in the body, they pass quickly and without consequences. Intense pain accompanied by bleeding may be signs of the following pathologies:
cystitis, pyelonephritis – urination disorder and hyperthermia join;
Constipation, flatulence;
Ectopic pregnancy – sensations often occur on one side;
The threat of abortion or a frozen embryo is accompanied by bloody or sanious vaginal discharge;
Surgical pathologies (appendicitis).
The appearance of such symptoms is a reason for immediate medical attention.
Vaginal discharge at 4 weeks
Normally, at this stage of pregnancy, there should be clear, thick mucous discharge from the vagina. It is allowed to attach a small amount of brownish discharge – a sign of implantation of the egg in the endometrium of the uterus. If the color of such secretions becomes dark brown, they are accompanied by the appearance of abdominal pain and an unpleasant odor – this is a sign of an ectopic pregnancy, a miscarriage that has begun, erosion of the cervix, bacterial infection of the vagina.
Bloody discharge should not be normal at this time. Menstruation will no longer begin, as this process is regulated by the woman’s hormones.
Possible causes of bloody vaginal discharge:
sexual intercourse;
Gynecological examination in the mirrors;
Cervical erosion;
Started spontaneous abortion;
Ectopic pregnancy.
All atypical bleeding of any intensity requires immediate medical advice. During a miscarriage, the discharge may be accompanied by fever, spasmodic pain, and contain tissue particles. With an ectopic pregnancy, a woman can lose consciousness from intense pain, her skin turns pale, and dizziness is felt.
Fever and cold at 4 weeks
A slight increase in basal and total temperature to +37,3 ° C is the norm at this stage of pregnancy, if it is not accompanied by signs of a viral infection. The causes of such a symptom may be hormonal changes in the body, acceleration of metabolism, a decrease in the immune response, as a prevention of embryo rejection.
Against the background of a decrease in immunity in a pregnant woman, an infectious disease can begin at week 4 – SARS, influenza, cystitis, pyelonephritis. Then the body temperature rises to +38°C-+39°C. In this case, there is a danger to the proper development of the embryo, the risk of miscarriage.
Prevention of colds during pregnancy:
Avoid crowded places;
Do not come into contact with patients with infectious diseases;
Ventilate rooms more often;
Observe the mode of walking in the fresh air, the mode of sleep and rest;
Eat right, consuming vitamins in the form of fresh vegetables and fruits.
Do not self-medicate colds. Only a doctor can choose the right medicines, taking into account pregnancy.
The biggest mistake in self-medication during pregnancy is taking antibiotics. There are a limited number of antibiotics available for use in pregnant women, and week 4 is not the best time to use them. During the period of formation of the most important organs of the fetus, antibiotics can show a teratogenic effect, cause deformities and developmental pathologies in the unborn child.
Nutrition at 4 weeks of gestation
The main requirements for the preparation of the diet of a pregnant woman are a balanced diet rich in nutrients. Now you should not use canned food, fast food products and convenience foods.
The best dishes to introduce into the diet are vegetables and fruits, dairy and sour-milk products, fatty fish – salmon, trout, salmon. It is advisable to eat familiar food, avoiding exotic dishes. Boiling for a couple, and in water, stewing products is welcome. Fried, smoked food is not included in the diet of a pregnant woman.
The use of alcohol in any form is completely unacceptable – beer, house wine, low-alcohol cocktails. The woman and her unborn child now have a common circulatory system, and everything she eats and drinks enters the blood of the embryo.
Sex at week 4
Intimate relationships at this stage of pregnancy do not carry any changes. On the contrary, a psychological moment is possible, associated with the lack of need for protection and an increase in the sexual desire of a pregnant woman. The exclusion of sexual contacts or their temporary restriction occurs with the threat of a miscarriage in a woman, the appearance of pain and bloody discharge.
If the partner has infectious diseases of the genital organs, sexual contacts are stopped until his full recovery.
At the 4th week of pregnancy, there is an intensive division of embryonic cells, their functional distribution. The woman receives confirmation that she is pregnant and must now be more responsible about her health.
Video about the emotional state of a woman at 4 weeks pregnant, about how to inform the future father about pregnancy: