Pregnancy

Pregnancy, Signs of. Suppression of the menses is usually the first warning of the pregnant condition; it is by no means an absolutely reliable sign, as such suppression may be due to other causes, and a periodic flow sometimes occurs in spite of the fact that pregnancy exists. Morning sickness usually occurs during the second month of pregnancy, and lasts until the fourth month. Changes in the breasts and increase in the size of the abdomen are manifested in the third month as a rule, and "quickening" may occur at about this period. The one certain sign of the existence of pregnancy (the detection of the sound of the fcetal heart) is rarely observed by the physician much before the sixth month. The duration of pregnancy is usually about 275 days.