The birth of an infant is a wonderful process. The process takes place in stages as described below.

By nature, the male organ ejects sperms and the female organ produces eggs. Ovulation is the release of an egg from the ovaries. Normally, in women who haven’t reached menopause, ovaries release an egg once a month. This is known as ovulation. This egg travels through the fallopian tube toward the uterus. When the male sperm reaches the egg in the fallopian tube, fertilization occurs. The fertilized egg continues its movement towards the uterus, implants itself in the uterine wall and begins to develop into an embryo. Embryo is the earliest manifestation of all humans. The woman becomes pregnant, and it takes nearly 9 months, that is, three trimesters of 12 weeks, for the infant to be born.

Pregnancy causes a number of changes in a woman’s body in the first trimester (0 to 12 weeks). The very first change is the absence of menstruation. Other symptoms include fatigue, nausea and vomiting and enlarging breasts. However, a woman having these symptoms isn’t necessarily pregnant. The surest way to confirm pregnancy is a pregnancy test.

In the second (weeks 13 to 24) and third trimesters (weeks 25 to delivery), a woman may experience additional symptoms including an expanding abdomen, leg cramps, heartburn and hemorrhoids. These symptoms and changes are due to pregnancy hormones and the fetal growth. Although pregnancy involves a number of symptoms and changes in a woman, there is no way to predict which symptoms a woman will experience. Each pregnancy is different, even in the same woman.

By the end of the first trimester, the fetus is about three inches long and weighs about half an ounce. By the end of the third trimester, the fetus is about 20 inches long and weighs about seven pounds.

The best person to discuss the changes and symptoms associated with pregnancy is an obstetrician. The best source for further information on pregnancy is Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Its web address is www.plannedparenthood.org.