Am I pregnant?

For most women, especially for those who aren’t planning a pregnancy, week one goes by without them realizing they arepregnant. Even week 2 may go undetected. Lots of women’s monthly cycles are variable, so most women assume that when their monthly menstrual cycle is late, it’s just that — late. There aren’t any immediate, obvious pregnancy symptoms during the first week, but there are signs such as fatigue, loss of interest in things, mood swings, and the constant need to urinate. However, most women attribute these symptoms to PMS, rather than assuming they are pregnant.

The menstrual cycle lasts for approximately 28 days, although it can be as short as 24 days or as long as 35. It begins when an egg leaves the ovary and travels into the fallopian tubes, where it’s met by sperm and fertilized. From there the fertilized egg travels through the fallopian tubes and into the uterus, where implantation occurs.

Some people speculate a woman isn’t really pregnant during the first week of pregnancy, since fertilization takes place during the second week. This is the main reason why so many pregnancies go undetected during the first week.

Changes in Your Body at 1 Week Pregnant

Again, no noticeable physical changes take place during the first week, although many internal changes are happening. Common symptoms include digestive problems like gas, constipation, tender breasts, fatigue, mood swings, morning sickness, and hormonal changes. These symptoms vary from woman to woman, and most women don’t feel these changes until after the second week. Doctors advise that the first week of pregnancy is your “get out of jail free week.” If your diet isn’t perfect, or if you have a glass of wine with dinner, your pregnancy isn’t likely to be significantly affected.

Your Baby’s Development

During the first week of pregnancy there’s no major development of the baby, other than the egg leaving the ovary and traveling to the fallopian tubes. You’re not actually pregnant at this time, since conception itself doesn’t happen until about two weeks after your period ends. Still, this week is included in the pregnancy calendar to help the doctor calculate the first day of your last monthly menstrual cycle. It’s from this day that the nine-month cycle (or 40 weeks in medical terms) is calculated, and your EDD (expected due date) is determined.

Once the egg is fertilized, the cells begin to divide over the next seven to ten days. During the first week the “baby” is called a blastocyte. You can break the blastocyte into two parts — the external part of this blastocyte will become the placenta, and the internal part will be the embryo during the second week of pregnancy. If more than one egg gets released and fertilized, multiple zygotes may form. The zygotes have 46 chromosomes, an equal number from each parent, and the chromosomes have genetic material in them that determine the baby’s sex, hair color, features, skin color, height, and eye color.

Pregnancy Week 1 Tips

If you are planning to get pregnant, the first week will be one of joy and anticipation. If you’ve been monitoring your morning basal body temperature, you will see that your temperature remains elevated beyond day 16 of your Luteal Phase (post ovulation). This is the first physiological sign that you’re pregnant. Take this time to contact your obstetrician to set an appointment, and change your eating and physical habits if you haven’t already done so. If you take medication and have not already discussed it with your doctor, this is the time to contact your doctor and ask questions, such as whether it’s okay to continue use of your medication throughout your pregnancy, or if you need to switch or quit your medication all together. Also, if you haven’t already, you can begin taking vitamins and minerals such as folic acid.

Dermatologists Share Tips to Treat Common Warts

Warts aren’t just for witches and goblins. According to member dermatologists from the American Academy of Dermatology, children and teens, people who frequently bite their nails, and people with a weakened immune system are more prone to getting warts than others. Although warts can grow anywhere on the skin, they are most common on people’s hands and feet. According to dermatologists, most warts are grey, brown, or skin-colored rough bumps that may have little black dots on them. People often call these dots “seeds,” but they are actually clogged blood vessels. Other warts are smooth, flat, pink bumps – often occurring on the face.

“Warts are caused by a virus, and the virus can sometimes spread from one place on your body to another or from person to person,” said board-certified dermatologist Adam J. Friedman, MD, FAAD, associate professor of dermatology, residency program director and director of translational research, George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences. “However, each person’s immune system responds to the wart virus differently, so not everyone who comes in contact with the virus develops warts.”

To prevent warts from spreading, Dr. Friedman recommends the following tips:

• Do not pick or scratch warts, or touch someone else’s wart.
• Wash your hands after treating warts.
• Wear flip-flops in public showers and pool areas.
• Keep warts on your feet dry, as moisture tends to allow warts to spread.

Although most warts go away without treatment within two years, there are things you can do to help get rid of warts more quickly. However, says Dr. Friedman, home treatment for warts is trial and error; what works for one person may not work for another and it is impossible to directly kill the wart virus. Home treatments are intended to irritate or inflame the wart area so that your immune system will fight off the virus.

To treat common warts at home, Dr. Friedman recommends one of the following methods:

1. 1. Apply a wart treatment product with salicylic acid to your wart: Available over-the-counter, this will help peel the wart-ridden skin and irritate the wart, which may trigger the immune system to respond. Before applying the product, soak the wart in warm water and then sand the wart with a disposable emery board. Use a new emery board each time you do this, and keep in mind that it can take several months to see good results.
   2. Cover the wart with duct tape: Although studies conflict about whether this gets rid of warts, changing the tape every few days may peel away layers of the wart-ridden skin and trigger the immune system to fight off the wart. To do this, soak the wart in warm water and then sand it with an emery board. Afterwards, apply duct tape to the area. Remove and reapply the duct tape every five to six days until the wart is gone.

If you notice that the skin around your wart is raw or bleeding, says Dr. Friedman, stop treating the wart at home and see a board-certified dermatologist. You should also see a dermatologist if you cannot get rid of your wart; your wart hurts, itches, or burns; you have many warts; you have a wart on your face or genitals; or if you have a skin growth and are unsure if it’s a wart or something else, as some skin cancers can look like warts.

“Dermatologists can treat warts through prescription medications or in-office procedures,” said Dr. Friedman. “However, it’s important to remember that there is no cure for the wart virus, so new warts can appear in a new spot at any time.”