Health Books :: allergies, arthritis, attention deficit, cancer, weight loss and more

Health Books on pregnancy


What is pregnancy?

Pregnancy is the carrying of one or more embryos or fetuses by female mammals, including humans, inside their bodies. In a pregnancy there can be multiple gestations (for example, in the case of twins, or triplets). Human pregnancy is the most studied of all mammalian pregnancies.

Human pregnancy lasts approximately 40 weeks between the time of the last menstrual cycle and birth (38 weeks from fertilisation). The medical term for a pregnant woman is "genetalian," just as the medical term for the unborn human is an embryo (early weeks) and then "foetus" (until birth). A woman who is pregnant for the first time is known as a primigravida or gravida 1: a woman who has never been pregnant is known as a gravida 0; similarly, the terms para 0, para 1 and so on are used for the number of times a woman has given birth.

In many societies' medical and legal definitions, human pregnancy is arbitrarily divided into three trimester periods, as a means to simplify reference to the different stages of fetal development. The first trimester period carries the highest risk of miscarriage (natural death of embryo or fetus), while during the second trimester the development of the fetus can start to be monitored and diagnosed. The third trimester marks the beginning of viability, which means the fetus can survive if an early natural or induced birth occurs. Because of the possible viability of developed fetus, cultural and legal definitions of life often consider a fetus in the third trimester to be a distinct living person.

See also Pregnancy terms and definitions

Books about pregnancy


What to Expect When You're Expecting, Third Edition 
Heidi Murkoff
Paperback (2002-04-01)
$13.95

What to Expect the First Year, Second Edition 
Heidi Murkoff, Sandee Hathaway, Arlene Eisnberg
Paperback (2003-10-16)
$15.95

Taking Charge of Your Fertility: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health (Revised Edition) 
Toni Weschler
Paperback (2001-11-01)
$23.95

The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy 
Vicki Iovine
Paperback (1995-10-01)
$14.00

Your Pregnancy Week by Week, Fifth Edition 
Glade B. Curtis, Judith Schuler
Paperback (2004-01)
$15.95

Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth About Pregnancy and Childbirth 
Jenny McCarthy
Hardcover (2004-05)
$18.00

The New Contented Little Baby Book 
Gina Ford
Paperback (2002-03-07)
$17.17

Varney's Midwifery, Fourth Edition 
Helen Varney Burst
Hardcover (2004-01-25)
$124.95

Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression 
Brooke Shields
Hardcover (2005-05-03)
$23.95

My Boys Can Swim!: The Official Guy's Guide to Pregnancy 
Ian Davis
Paperback (1999-10)
$9.99

The Twelve Gifts of Birth 
Charlene Costanzo
Hardcover (2001-04-01)
$19.95

The Pregnancy Journal: A Day To Day Guide To A Healthy And Happy Pregnancy 
A. Christine Harris
Spiral-bound (2005-03)
$19.95

The Expectant Father: Facts, Tips and Advice for Dads-To-Be 
Armin A. Brott, Armin A. Brott
Paperback (2001-05)
$11.95

The Birth Partner, Second Edition 
Penny Simkin
Paperback (2001-06)
$14.95

Maternal-Fetal Medicine: Principles and Practice 

Hardcover (2003-09-23)
$155.00

It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health 
Robie H. Harris
Paperback (2004-07-22)
$10.99

Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy 
Mayo Clinic
Paperback (2004-04-01)
$19.95
>> More Books about pregnancy...
Please Explore Our
Online Bookstore

© 2006 by Dave Taylor: Content from Amazon and Wikipedia

an Intuitive Systems site