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Pregnancy
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Stretch marks during pregnancy
Women are prone to get them during pregnancy when they can appear on the abdomen, breasts or hips.Many women get stretch marks during pregnancy, many do not. Whether you get them or not is truly a matter of genes.
Taking them as a natural part of pregnancy, women are interested to prevent them. The bad news is, there isn't anything that effectively to prevents stretch marks. Although stretch marks are often noticeable during the pregnancy, the good news is that, they usually slowly change their redness to pink and then silvery and pale as time passes.
How does a pregnancy test work?
A. All pregnancy tests are based on the presence of a hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), that the pregnant woman produces after conception. The first self tests of the 1970's used ring, or "tube agglutination," tests consisting of pre-packaged red blood cells to detect HCG in urine. A ring at the bottom of the tube indicated a positive result. Sensitive to movement and human error, ring pregnancy tests are now rarely used.
Today's brands, such as e.p.t. and First Response, contain monoclonal antibodies that detect minute traces of HCG. These antibodies are molecules coated with a substance that bonds to the pregnancy hormone, if it's present, to produce either a positive or negative result. (Each test manufacturer uses a different "trade secret" chemical formula for the bonding substance.) The user collects urine and combines it with the antibodies provided in the package. The pregnancy test is timed, and a color change indicates the result. |
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