This document summarizes the signs and symptoms of pregnancy across the three trimesters. It discusses subjective symptoms mothers experience like nausea and breast tenderness. It also covers objective signs examiners can detect, such as uterine size and fetal heartbeat. Pregnancy can be confirmed through urine or blood tests detecting human chorionic gonadotropin. Definitive signs include visualizing the fetus by ultrasound or feeling fetal movements. The document categorizes indicators as presumptive, probable, and positive based on what they directly imply about the presence of a fetus.

1. Presented By
John Britto Mary
(Associate Professor)

2. INTRODUCTION
• The total duration of pregnancy (38-40 weeks), is
divided into 3 trimesters.
• These are
• 1st trimester- 12 weeks
• 2nd trimester – 13- 28 weeks
• 3rd trimester – 29- 40 weeks
The diagnosis of pregnancy is studied and made
according to the changes occurring during these 3
trimesters. There are various signs and symptoms in
these trimesters , which will be discussed below;

3. First trimesters
• A) subjective symptoms:
• Amenorrhea – it means missing of menses. Some
women notice small blood discharge at the time
of first missed period. It is known as placental
(implantation )sign.
• Morning sickness – it is the feeling of nausea with
or without vomiting. It is usually seen in 50% of
women during second month. Mother feels loss of
appetite, but it does not affect the health of the
mother.

4. • Frequency of micturation – mother feels the urges to
pass urine again and again. It occurs mainly because
of the anteverted position of the uterus, in which the
gravid uterus puts pressure on the fundus of the
bladder. There is also stretching of the bladder base
due to the backward displacemnt of the cervix,
which further irritates the bladder . After 12 weeks,
the uterus straighten up, and the symptoms
disappears.
• Breast discomfort – there is a feeling of fulness and
pricking sensation in the breast, feel by the mother
during 6-8 weeks.
• Fatigue – mother feels fatigued easily in the early
pregnancy.

5. • b) objective signs:
• Breast changes – the breast shows signs, such as enlargement
of breast with vascular engorgement. This results in
visualization of delicate veins under the skin, the areola
becomes pigmented with appeareance of montgomerys
tubercules; a pale yellow secretion (colostrum) can be
expressed from the nipple in third month.
• Per abdomen – fundus of uterus is not felt in earlier
pregnancy . Till 12 weeks, it remains a pelvic organ at 12
weeks, a soft uterine fundus can be felt at superior border of
symbysis pubis.
• Pelvic changes –
1. Jacquemiers sign or chadwicks sign – it is the dusky hue of the
vestibule and anterior vaginal wall, occuring due to the local
vascular congestion at about 8 weeks of pregnancy.

6. • Cervical sign – or goodells sign – softening of cervix, around
6th week.
• Vaginal sign – the wall of the vagina become soft and during
6th week , a non irritating mucous discharge appears. Around
8th week , an increased pulsation is felt through the lateral
fornices, called osianders sign.
• Uterine sign – with the advancement in pregnancy , uterus
also keeps on increasing in size. Uterus is soft and elastic. It is
the size of mens egg at 6th week, size of cricket ball at 8th
week, size of fetal head by 12th week.
• Hegars sign – it is between 6-10 weeks. According to this sign,
when the uterus is palpated bimanually, the two vaginal
fingers can almost meet the abdominal fingers, which shows
that upper part of utreus is enlarged by growing ovum and
the lower part is soft and empty.

7. • Palmers sign – it is bimanual examination
regular and rhythmic contractions can be
elicited as early as 4 – 6 weeks.

8. SECOND TRIMESTER
• A) subjective symptoms:
• Amenorrhoea
• Uterus enlargement
• Quickening - mother feels the active fetal
movements at around 16th week
(multigravida), 18th week (primigravida).

9. b) Objective signs
• Chloasma – pigmentation appears on face and
forehead around 24th week.
• Breast changes – from 20th week, pigmenation appears
around primary areola in breasts, which is called as secondary
areola. Breasts are more enlarged and montogomers
tubercules are seen. Straiae become visible and colostrum
becomes thick and yellowish.

10. • Abdominal findings –
1. Inspection : after 20th week, there is appeareance of a linear
pigmentation in the middle of abdomen, extending from symphysis
pubis to ensiform cartilage called as linea nigra. Various degree of
straie also visible on the lower abdomen.
2. Palpation : uterus is ovoid in shape, enlargement of uterus, fundal
height is also increased. Uterus is;
at 16th week – between symbsis pubis and umblicus.
at 20th week – 2.5 cm below umblicus
at 24th week – at the level of umblicus
at 28th week – between umblicus and xiphoid sternum.
3. Braxton hicks contractions : women cannot feel the contractions at
this time , but these can be felt by placing a palm on the uterus.

11. 4.Active fetal movements : can also be felt by placing the
palms on the sides of the uterus.
5. Palpation of fetal movements: by 20th week, fetal parts can
be palpated.
6. External ballotment : around 20th week, by keeping the
mother in dorsal position, with one hand tapping of uterus
is done from one side, while the other hand, which is kept
outstriched on the other side feels the impulse.
7. Ascultation : by 20th week , one can hear the fetal sound
with the stethoscope. normally – FHS is 140- 160 /min.
There are other 2 sounds, uterine souffle and fetal souffle.

12. Uterine souffle – soft blowing systolic murmur
which is heard low down at the sides of the
uterus.
Fetal souffle – soft blowing murmur with the
fetal heart sound . It is due to rush of blood
through the umblical arteries.

13. 8.Internal ballotment – around 16- 28 weeks ,
internal ballotment can be elicited , as the fetus
is too small before 16th weeks to elicit sign.
• Clinical manifestation –ultrasonography – with
the help of sonography , gestational age is
determined.

14. THIRD TRIMESTER
• A) subjective symptoms:
• Amenorrhea
• Enlargement of the abdomen
• Pressure symptoms
• Fetal movements
• Lightening – it is the sense of relief felt by the
mother from the pressure symptoms due to the
engagement of the presenting part into the
pelvis.

15. • Objective signs:
• Skin changes
• Uterine shape – become cylindrical to
spherical
• Fundal height – increases
• Braxton hicks contractions
• Fetal movements and palpation of fetal parts
can more easily.
• ultrasonography

16. Signs of pregnancy
• 1. presumptive signs
• 2. probable signs
• 3. positive signs
Presumptive signs: this include maternal
physiological changes, which the women
experiences, indicating that she is pregnant.
Amennorhea
Nausea and vomiting in 1st trimester
Frequency of micturation in 1st trimester

17. • Fatique of mother
• Enlargement of breast
• Appeareance of montgomerys tubercles
• Expression of colostrum from nipples
• Pigmentation of skin (cholasma, linea nigra,
striae)
• Quickening

18. • Probable sign: these are maternal physiological
changes, which are detected upon examination
by the examiner.
• Changes in shape of uterus and enlargement in
the size.
• Positive pregnancy test through presence of HCG
in urine.
• Hegar’s sign
• Chadwick’s sign
• Osciander’s sign
• Goodell’s sign
• Ballotment of fetus.
• Braxton hicks contractions.

19. • Positive sign: these signs directly tell about
the presence of the fetus and are detected by
the examiner.
• Visualization of the fetus by ultrasound
• Visualization of fetal skeleton by x-ray
• F.H.S by ultrsound and later on by fetoscope
• Fetal movements palpable by examiner
• Visualization of fetal movements in late
pregnancy.
• Palpation of fetal parts.

21. CONFIRMATORY TEST
• The confirmatory test carried during
pregnancy are:
1. Urinary immunological tests
 Latex agglutination slide test
 Immunochromatographic test
2.ELISA or radioimmunoassay (RIA)
3.Biological test, achhein and zondek test

22. 1. Urinary immunological tests: it includes 2
test
latex aggultination slide test: in slide test, when HCG antesera is combined
with urine with HCG , if no agglutination appears, then the pregnancy is
positive. If there is visible agglutination there is no pregnancy. This test
comes positive after 2 weeks of missed menses.
Immunochromatogrphic test: these test are available in market
as pregcolor card or asccutest HCG . This test is more
sensitive than the former test and comes positive after 1
week of missed menses.

23. 2.Elisa or radioimmunoassay (RIA): this test is
specially indicated in patients with
trophoblastic diseases. It can detect HCG on
the 8th day of fertilization, before menses is
missed.
3.Biological test, achheim and zondek test : as
there is problem of available animals , this test
is no more used.