Eighth week of pregnancy: what month is it and what do you need to know about the accompanying changes in the body? What does the embryo look like and how does its size change in the 8th week of pregnancy? What is the usual symptom of lower abdominal pain, and is brown spotting at week 8 a typical symptom at this stage of pregnancy?
In the eighth week, pregnancy may or may not become visible from the outside. The forum often asks what the fetus or baby looks like in the 8th week of pregnancy, but at this time the embryonic development continues - the formation of organ buds is coming to an end. This is the optimal time for the first visit to the doctor and the necessary tests.
8 weeks pregnant - what month is it?
The 8th week of pregnancy is already second month, but still first trimester. In the later stages of pregnancy, often only one month is given, because the changes in the mother's womb from week to week are not so radical. In the 8th week of pregnancy, however, the size of the embryo continues to change from day to day.
Knowing which month it is, future mothers may wonder if the 8th week is not the time for the most troublesome symptoms of early pregnancy to begin to subside. However, we still have to wait for that - in the coming weeks, some of them may even intensify.
Time for the first visit and research
According to the current guidelines, in the 8th week of pregnancy, the first visit to the doctor is recommended - unless it took place in the previous week.
In order to make sure that the pregnancy is going well, you should not delay in the eighth week of pregnancy necessary (most often ordered during the first visit) research - not only urine analysis, blood count with the determination of the group and Rh immune antibodies, but also the level of glucose and TSH, as well as tests excluding rubella, toxoplasmosis, cytomegaly, hepatitis B and C, syphilis and HIV. You also need to test the microbiological cleanliness of the vagina and cytology - unless it was done earlier.
8 weeks of pregnancy: ultrasound
Vaginal ultrasound it is still the best way to find out what an embryo looks and develops like - it is still not a fetus yet. However, it is possible to obtain a printout or even a film at this stage - just like in the case of later ultrasound examinations performed through the abdominal wall.
The 8th week of pregnancy is the time seen during ultrasound pregnancy vesicle measures from 19 mm at the beginning to 26 mm at the end of the week. Based on research Ultrasound in the 8th week of pregnancy can be roughly determined when conception occurred, but from a medical point of view it is of little importance. An ultrasound printout is sometimes treated as one of the first "tangible" evidence of a pregnancy - it allows you to see with your own eyes what the future baby looks like in the mother's womb.
At the same time, it is on the basis of the measurements made by the gynecologist during the first trimester ultrasound that a more precise date of delivery and the actual age of pregnancy are estimated. This is particularly important for women whose cycles are irregular and a predetermined date based on the date of the last menstruation may be unreliable. During the second and third trimester ultrasound examinations, the pregnancy age is still monitored and compared with the current development of the fetus.
8 weeks of pregnancy - the size of the embryo, uterus and abdomen
Due to the fact that the embryo at 8 weeks is curled and still has a protrusion that can be compared to the tail, its size matters from the top of the head to the buttocks - it's the so-called CRL, the most reliable length indicator at this stage. With its application, the embryo is measured in the 8th week of pregnancy od 10 to 15 mm - he still gains 1 mm a day and already has most of his organs - in the early stages of development. The head is half the length of the body and the beginnings of the ears, nose and eyes are beginning to be visible on it. The limbs continue to develop, and the petiole slowly fades away, becoming part of the more and more stiffening spine.
In anticipation of the growing embryo in the 8th week of pregnancy the stretching process continues uterine ligaments. The uterus itself is about the size of a grapefruit or a small ball at this stage. By the time the embryo becomes a fetus, it is not large enough to cause the abdomen to enlarge, but the abdominal shell begins to loosen. You can feel a slight protrusion under the navel. The belly at 8 weeks of pregnancy is most noticeable in women who are pregnant or are going to give birth again or are multiple pregnancies. However, when we are dealing with the first pregnancy, the abdomen at 8 weeks may look like it did before.
