Apparently, your body has tell-tale signs of previous pregnancies that doctors, who know what they're looking for, can detect immediately – not just by blood tests.
Blood tests can tell if you are pregnant about six to eight days after you ovulate. Doctors use two types of blood tests to check for pregnancy: Quantitative blood test (or the beta hCG test) measures the exact amount of hCG in your blood. So it can find even tiny amounts of hCG.
Butler Tobah said an easy way of telling if a woman has had a baby is to check her belly for a pregnancy line (linea nigra), which usually fades after pregnancy but might never really go away. The same goes for darkening of the central part of the face, often known as the mask of pregnancy.
To determine if you have had a miscarriage, your health care provider may do a pelvic exam to see if the cervix has opened or thinned. Your health provider may also perform an abdominal or vaginal ultrasound to check for the fetus' development and heartbeat.
The answer is no.
A pap smear is a screening test used to detect and prevent cervical cancer, the most common gynecologic cancer. On the other hand, the only way to detect pregnancy is by measuring your human chorionic gonadotropic (HCG) hormone. So your gynecologist cannot use a pap smear to detect pregnancy.
The most common fertility tests for women are the pap smear, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) test, and the luteinizing hormone (LH) test. All 3 are performed within minutes. The tests can also uncover potential life-threatening issues that are hindering fertility.
A pap smear cannot detect pregnancy, but it is still important to have regular pap smears during pregnancy to check for abnormal cells on the cervix. Pregnancy can cause changes to the cervix that may lead to abnormal cells. If left untreated, these abnormal cells can develop into cervical cancer.
Tissue tests. If tissue left your body, the doctor may send it to a lab to confirm that you had a miscarriage. It can also help make sure there wasn't another cause for your symptoms.
Finding a cause
It's important to know that sometimes doctors will not be able to find a reason why you have miscarried. Try not to worry too much if this is the case. Most couples are likely to have a successful pregnancy in the future, particularly if the test results are normal.
In most cases, an ultrasound scan can determine if you're having a miscarriage. When a miscarriage is confirmed, you'll need to talk to your doctor or midwife about the options for the management of the end of the pregnancy. Often the pregnancy tissue will pass out naturally in 1 or 2 weeks.
The main reason for this is the change in hormones. During pregnancy, the body produces much more oestrogen and progesterone, which increase blood flow to the skin. The increased blood flow provides the skin with more nutrients, which helps to keep it healthy and plump.
You can rest assured that your widening hips, in most cases, will return back to their pre-pregnancy state, usually by 12 weeks postpartum. If you are experiencing pelvic pain or other hip-related issues, you should bring these up with your healthcare provider promptly.
If you have been trying to get pregnant for one year without success (or for six months, if you're age 35 or older), then your doctor will likely diagnose you with infertility.
Women may get a negative test result on a urine or blood pregnancy test despite being pregnant. Although many factors can contribute to a false-negative pregnancy test, the hook effect occurs when the woman has a high concentration of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), the pregnancy hormone.
Last menstrual period (LMP): Pregnancy normally lasts about 40 weeks from the first day of your last period. Accordingly, the number of weeks that have passed since indicate what week of pregnancy you're in. To work out your likely due date, count 280 days (40 weeks) from the first day of your last period.
If it is not removed by scraping the uterus with a curette (a spoon-shaped instrument), you may bleed for a long time or develop an infection. Unless all the pregnancy tissue has been passed, your doctor will usually recommend that a curette (also called a 'D&C' – dilation and curettage) be performed.
A missed miscarriage, also known as a missed abortion or a silent miscarriage, occurs when a fetus is no longer alive, but the body does not recognize the pregnancy loss or expel the pregnancy tissue. As a result, the placenta may continue to release hormones, so you may continue to experience signs of pregnancy.
There are three main treatments for early pregnancy loss.
There are two nonsurgical treatments: expectant management (letting the tissue pass on its own) and medication. The third treatment is a surgical procedure called dilation and curettage (also known as D&C or suction curettage).
An ultrasound scan diagnoses most miscarriages. It may also diagnose miscarriages where some of the pregnancy remains in your womb. You might not be referred for an ultrasound if you: take a pregnancy test which gives a negative result.
In women, the exam can also give information about the uterus and ovaries. When your healthcare provider presses on your belly, they are feeling to see if any of these organs are enlarged or painful. That might be a sign of problems that need more assessment.
If you need a Pap smear, it is safe to get one during pregnancy.
Your family doctor or gynecologist can test you for infertility, or refer you to a fertility specialist. Your local Planned Parenthood health center can also help you find fertility testing in your area.
If you believe that you or your partner may be experiencing infertility, it's important to seek an evaluation with a reproductive endocrinologist as soon as you can. Typically, the first steps will involve a visit to the doctor, blood tests, a pelvic ultrasound and a semen analysis.