The following symptoms can indicate the possibility of pregnancy, but as you can see, there are other explanations for each of the symptoms listed.

Implantation Bleeding:

Implantation bleeding can be one of the earliest pregnancy symptoms. About 6-12 days after conception, the embryo implants itself into the uterine wall. Some women will experience spotting as well as some cramping.

Other Explanations: Actual menstruation, altered menstruation, changes in hormonal birth control use, infection or abrasion from intercourse.

Delay/Difference in Menstruation:

A delayed or missed period is the most common pregnancy symptom that leads a woman to test for pregnancy. When you become pregnant, your next period should be missed. Many women can bleed while they are pregnant, but typically the bleeding will be shorter or lighter than a normal period.

Other Explanations: Excessive weight gain/loss, fatigue, hormonal problems, tension, stress, ceasing to take birth control pill, illness or breastfeeding.

Swollen/Tender Breasts:

Swollen or tender breasts are pregnancy symptoms which may begin as early as 1-2 weeks after conception. With pregnancy, breasts may be tender to the touch, sore, or swollen.

Other Explanations: Hormonal imbalance, birth control pills and impending menstruation (PMS) can also cause your breasts to be swollen or tender.

Fatigue/Tiredness:

Feeling fatigued or more tired is a pregnancy symptom which can also start as early as the first week after conception.

Other Explanations: Stress, exhaustion, depression, common cold or flu, or other illnesses can also leave you feeling tired or fatigued.

Nausea/Morning Sickness:

This well known pregnancy symptoms will often show up between 2-8 weeks after conception. Some women are fortunate not to deal with morning sickness at all, while others will feel nauseous throughout most of their pregnancy.

Other Explanations: Food poisoning, stress, change in hormonal birth control method or other stomach disorders can also cause you to feel queasy.

Backache:

A lower backache may be a symptom that occurs early in pregnancy; however, it is common to experience a dull backache throughout pregnancy.

Other Explanations: Impending menstruation, stress, other back problems and physical or mental strains.

Headaches:

The sudden rise of hormones in your body can cause you to have headaches early in pregnancy.

Other Explanations: Dehydration, caffeine withdrawal, impending menstruation, eye strain, or other ailments can be sources of frequent or chronic headaches.

Frequent Urination:

Around 6-8 weeks after conception, you may find yourself making a few extra trips to the bathroom.

Other Explanations: Urinary tract infection, diabetes, increasing liquid intake, or taking excessive diurectics.

Darkening of Areolas:

If you are pregnant, the skin around your nipples may get darker.

Other Explanations: Hormonal imbalance unrelated to pregnancy or may be a leftover effect from a previous pregnancy.

Food Cravings/Food Aversions:

While you may not have a strong desire to eat pickles and ice cream, many women will feel cravings for certain foods when they are pregnant. This can last throughout your entire pregnancy. Some women develop aversions to certain types of food early in pregnancy and this, too, can last for the next 9 months.

Other Explanations: Poor diet, lack of certain nutrients, stress, depression, illness or impending menstruation.

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Source: www.americanpregnancy.org

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23HkLHZPdmI

Check out the sneak peek to the series we will be launching soon featuring Brian “Head” Welch!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrrNANcnAy4

It’s important that you take time to look into all of your options so that you can make an informed choice. There’s no going back to undo what’s been done, but you do have control about what the next step will be.

Share the News

Before sharing your news, you may want to make a mental list of who needs to know about your pregnancy. It’s important to seek out family and friends during this time so that you don’t have to face everything by yourself.

Be prepared for mixed reactions. Despite opinions family or friends may have voiced to you before you were facing a pregnancy, give them a chance to respond to the news and you may be pleasantly surprised.

Consider the Timing

Go back to your mental list of people that you need to share your pregnancy news with. When would be the best time to tell them? It’s important not to feel rushed, so early morning when someone may need to get out the door may not be the best. Late at night may also be difficult because your family and friends will need time to process the news and they may have questions.

Where is the best place to tell someone? When it comes to telling the father, your friends or your family, there will probably be different locations that will work better. Think about your privacy as well as your comfort level. Choose a location that you will be comfortable in as you share your news, such as your house/apartment, a corner booth at a coffee shop or maybe a family member/friend’s house.

Be Prepared

As you ready yourself to tell the father, your family or friends, be prepared for their reactions but try not to hold too tightly to any preconceived ideas about how they will respond.

Remember that it took time for you to process the fact that you are pregnant, so give them time as well as they process the news. If you do find yourself facing a judgmental response, remind them how much you need their support.

You have the gift of time, no matter how someone may try to pressure you into a quick decision. Whether you will parent, abort or choose an adoption plan you can let them know that you are going to take the time to explore your options and make an informed decision.

Ask Yourself

What do I think about my options – abortion, adoption and parenting?”

What did I think about each of these options before I got pregnant?”

How will my choice affect my health? My heart? My future?”

How will I feel about my decision one year from now? Ten years from now?“

Remember

This is your decision so don’t allow others to pressure you. Since you are the person who will live with the outcome of your decision, you deserve to be informed about all of your options so you can make a decision based on information instead of on feelings.

It’s normal to be a bit nervous about sharing the news of your pregnancy with the father, your family or friends, but always remember to surround yourself with people you can trust who love and care about you.

Take the Next Step

If you haven’t already confirmed your pregnancy with a doctor, we would be happy to schedule you for a free, lab quality pregnancy test at Collage Center. During this appointment you will also have an opportunity to talk about your options and ask questions.

If you’ve already confirmed your pregnancy at a clinic but are still trying to sort through your options, we would be happy to set up an appointment for you to talk with one of our peer counselors. You would have a chance to talk about each of your options and ask any questions you may have.

Don’t know where we’re located? DIRECTIONS

Call us…308.234.9880

There are several FREE and CONFIDENTIAL services that we can offer you no matter your age, race or religion:

- Pregnancy Tests

- Limited OB Ultrasounds

- After Abortion Help

- Community Referrals

- Pregnancy Support

We currently don’t offer sexually transmitted disease (STD) testing but we would be happy to give you information about STDs if you interested as well as information about where you can go in the Kearney area to get tested. If you think you have an STD, our first recommendation would be to contact your family physician about setting an appointment. Need more information about some of the most common STDs? Our Medical Director, Dr. Michele Krieger, has filmed some video blogs about herpes, chlamydia, gonorrhea, human papilloma virus (HPV) as well as STD myths.

Only 10-25% of people infected with genital herpes are aware of their diagnosis (1).”

Herpes is a viral sexually transmitted diseases (STD) which means that it’s incurable. The disease, along with its uncomfortable symptoms, will be with someone for life once contracted. It’s important to know that herpes can be transmitted without any signs of an outbreak. Another fact to remember is that herpes can be spread simply through skin-to-skin contact meaning that someone can easily contract herpes through oral sex. Condoms do not give complete coverage of the genital area which means that herpes can be transmitted even if a condom is used during sexual intercourse.

As a gynecologist, Dr. Michele Krieger, our medical director at Collage Center, sees several different cases of STDs on a daily basis in her office here in Kearney, NE. Check out this short video to hear what she has to say about herpes…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5P69yDVfmE

1. Gupta, R, Warren, T & Wald, A (2007) ‘Genital Herpes’, The Lancet, December 22/29, 2007, Vol. 370: 2127-37

Hardly anyone on TV or in the movies pays a price for illicit sex. But in real life, people often pay dearly … Sex without marriage so often leads to self-doubts, diseases, unwanted pregnancies, shattered emotions, manipulation and exploitation.”(1)

We live in a culture where maturity, character and especially virginity are not highly valued. Popular sitcoms and entertainment news applaud casual sexual hook-ups. Relationships aren’t expected to last and in most situations there is a count down to see which celebrity couple is going to break up or divorce next. Despite the media’s focus on sex, these statistics may come as a surprise…

In a recent survey of guys ages 15-17, two out of three (66%) said they could be happy in a serious relationship that DOESN’T include sex.”(2)

Six in ten teens recently surveyed say they wish they would have waited to have sex.”(3)

Here are some reasons why saving sexual activity until the commitment of marriage has advantages for both physical and emotional health.

Physical Health Reasons

• Avoid unplanned pregnancy
  • 1 in 2 pregnancies in America are unplanned*. The numbers reveal over 3 million of the 6.4 million pregnancies in the United States each year are unplanned (4).
  • 1 in 3 pregnancies are unwanted**; of the unplanned pregnancies reported, close to two thirds (2 million) are unwanted (4).
  • 76% of all unplanned pregnancies occur to women in their teens and twenties (4).
• Steer clear of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)
  • In the 1970s, only two STDs were common, and both were curable. Now more than 25 STDs have been identified, and several are incurable.
  • According to the CDC, more than 65 million Americans live with an incurable STD, such as herpes or human papilloma virus (HPV) (5).
  • More than one million people are living with HIV in the United States. One in five (21%) of those people living with HIV is unaware of their infection (6).
  • Genital herpes, HPV and syphilis can be transmitted by skin-to-skin contact. Condoms DO NOT fully protect (7).
  • Each year, approximately 19 million new STD infections occur, and almost half of them occur among youth ages 15-24, although this age group represents only one-fourth of the sexually active population (5).
  • More than 750,000 women each year in the United States develop pelvic inflammatory disease which can lead to infertility or increase the chances of ectopic pregnancy, a life threatening condition (8).
  • In a survey by the Medical Institute for Sexual Health, 80% of those who had herpes said that they felt “less confident” and “less desirable sexually” (9).
  • Click HERE to read our blog about the most common STD myths.
• Avoid death caused by fatal STD
  • AIDS causes more than 18,000 deaths in the United States each year(6).
  • The American Cancer Society’s 2011 estimates for cervical cancer in the United States are:
    • Approximately 12,200 cases of invasive cervical cancer
    • Approximately 4,200 women will die from cervical cancer (10)
• No birth control method can guarantee health safety…
  • No birth control method – not even condoms – will guarantee safety from pregnancy or disease. The Mayo Clinic points out the risks involved with condom use:
    • Condoms can trigger a latex allergy
    • Condoms aren’t foolproof; there is still a possibility of pregnancy or contracting a STD (11)

Emotional Reasons

• Increase your chance of a happy, lasting marriage
  • Couples that live together break up at a far higher rate than married couples. In the United States, the rate is 5 times higher (12).
  • Even when a couple living together have children together, they are still 12 times more likely to break up than married parents (13).
• Avoid the heartbreak, regret, and anger that sex outside of marriage brings
  • Many people regret it. They feel used and worthless, because they gave away something precious.
• Maintain healthier relationships
  • Many couples have reported that having sex ruined their relationship. They stopped getting to know each other and focused on sex instead.
• Make better decisions
  • It is harder to break up with someone who is not right for you or treats you poorly if you have had sex. With oral sex becoming more common among young adults than sexual intercourse, consider where you are going to draw your boundaries in order to protect you emotional and physical health.
    
• Grow in emotional maturity
  • Some people use sex as an escape from the disappointments and pain in life.

If you are at a point in your life where you are interested in making a commitment or a re-commitment to stay sexually pure until marriage, Collage Center is here to be a support to you. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you need more information about what it looks like to be sexually pure!

*Unplanned pregnancies include those reported by women to be unwanted or unintended as of 2001 which is the most recent year data was available.

**This figure includes pregnancies that end in abortion, births resulting from pregnancies that women themselves say they did not want and a smaller number of miscarriages were also from unwanted pregnancies.

1. Josh McDowell, Why True Love Waits (Tyndale, 2002), 129, 133.

2. “That’s What He Said” http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/resources/pdf/pubs/ThatsWhatHeSaid.pdf.

3. www.stayteen.org

4. “Unplanned Pregnancy: Key Facts” http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/resources/pdf/fast-facts-unplanned-key-data.pdf.

5. “Child Trends Research Brief – May 2010″ http://www.childtrends.org/Files//Child_Trends-2010_05_01_RB_STD.pdf

6. “HIV CDC Fact Sheet” http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/PDF/us.pdf.

7. “Genital Herpes CDC Fact Sheet” http://www.cdc.gov/std/Herpes/STDFact-Herpes.htm, “Genital HPV Infection CDC Fact Sheet” http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm, “Syphilis CDC Fact Sheet” http://www.cdc.gov/std/syphilis/STDFact-Syphilis.htm.

8. “Pelvic Inflammatory Disease CDC Fact Sheet” http://www.cdc.gov/std/PID/STDFact-PID.htm.

9. “The Effectiveness of Abstinence Education Progrmas in Reducing Sexual Activity Among Youth,” by Robert Retor ( The Heritage Roundation, April 8, 2002).

10. “American Cancer Society: Cervical Cancer” http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/003094-pdf.pdf.

11. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/condoms/MY00654/DSECTION=risks

12. Gerogina Binstock and A. Thornton, “Separations, Reconciliations and Living Apart in Cohabiting and Marital Unions,” Journal of Marriage and Family 65 (2003): 432-443.

13. The State of the Nation Report: Fractured Families (UK: The Social Policy Justice Group, 2006), 9-13, cited in “Cohabitation, Marriage and Child Wellbeing” by David Popence (National Marriage Project; Rutgers State University, 2008).

I never thought this would happen to me, now what?”

So, what’s your next step? It’s really important that your partner confirms her pregnancy. Collage Center can provide a free and confidential pregnancy test and follow up then with a limited obstetrical ultrasound if the test is positive. The ultrasound confirms the viability of the pregnancy (whether it’s likely to carry to term or end in miscarriage) and reveals exactly how far along she is. Our Medical Director, Dr. Michele Krieger, performs the ultrasounds right here at our Center.

Do I have any say in the end result of the pregnancy?”

As the father of this child, you can still have a say in the outcome of the pregnancy despite the fact that a woman can choose to have an abortion without the permission of the baby’s father. Your support is crucial as she decides what the outcome of her pregnancy will be.

How do I support her?”

Talk about your options with each other, with your parents and others in your life. Keeping the pregnancy a secret may create unneeded stress in what can already be a stressful time. Remember the importance of listening to her talk about how she is feeling. And don’t be afraid to speak up either. So many women have told us that they were just waiting for their partner to say, “I don’t know what will happen to us in the future, but I do know we can provide a future for our child.” Even if it gets to the point that the abortion is scheduled and she is sitting in the waiting room at the clinic, in her mind she is most likely screaming, “Please stop me from doing this!”

Where can we go to get the facts?”

Collage Center is a safe and confidential place that can provide you and your partner the opportunity to ask the questions you both may have. You have options and you are the only people who can make the final decision. Our trained staff can help you look at all of your options and answer your questions about abortion, adoption and parenting. She may be scared to call us for a pregnancy test appointment, so tell her you’ll call us. You can even offer to bring her in.

She doesn’t seem like she wants me involved…I might as well just bail.”

You can try to run away from this situation but the truth is that it’s not going to go away. You have an opportunity to step up and take responsibility. This is your child just as much as it is hers, so it’s important to figure out together what the best outcome of the pregnancy is for all three of you.

What if we disagree?”

Be honest with each other and take the time to look at all of your options together. Most importantly don’t pressure her to do something she doesn’t want to do. This decision should not be made too quickly. You have a right to look back on this in the future and know you made the right decision.

Abortion, like any medical or surgical procedure, carries several different risks. Serious medical complications such as bleeding, infection and damage to organs can occur during and/or after an abortion. There is also a higher chance of complications with later-term abortions compared with early abortions (1). Due to the fact that many women do not report their abortion, there is limited information about complications linked to abortion butthe resources available report the following risks:

Heavy Bleeding

Some bleeding after abortion is normal. However, there is a risk of severe bleeding known as hemorrhaging if the cervix is torn or the uterus is punctured during the abortion. Whenever there is severe bleeding, a blood transfusion may be necessary. Severe bleeding can occur after both a surgical abortion and after taking the abortion pill. One in 100 women require surgery to stop the bleeding after taking the abortion pill (2).

Infection

Whenever medical instruments are inserted into the uterus, infection can develop. Infection can also occur if fetal parts are not completely removed during the procedure, known as an incomplete abortion. Bleeding and/or pelvic infection may require antibiotics and scarring is possible for the pelvic organs. There is always the possibility for the need of a surgical procedure to fully empty the uterus (3).

Anesthesia Difficulties

Complications with local or general anesthesia during an abortion procedure can lead to seizure, cardiopulmonary arrest, and death (4).

Damage to the Organs

The cervix and/or uterus may be cut, torn or punctured by abortion instruments. This may cause excessive bleeding requiring surgical repair. Abortion instruments may cause permanent scarring of the uterine lining. The risk of these types of complications increases with the length of the pregnancy. If complications occur, major surgery may be required, including removal of the uterus (known as a hysterectomy). If the uterus is punctured or torn there is also a risk that damage may occur to nearby organs such as the bowel and bladder (3).

Rh Factor

What is the Rh Factor?

Types of antigens on blood cells help determine whether someone’s blood type A, B, AB, or O. Antigens are proteins on the surface of the blood cells and one of those proteins is the Rh factor. If a person has the Rh factor, they are considered Rh-positive. If a person does not have the Rh factor, they are Rh-negative. Pregnant women who are Rh-negative should receive the Rhogam injection. If an Rh-negative woman does not receive Rhogam, her body can develop antibodies which causes her body to respond as if it is allergic to the baby if the baby is Rh-positive. (3)

Abortion and the Rh Factor

It is important to understand the seriousness of the Rh factor. Rh sensitization can occur any time the fetus’ blood mixes with the mother’s blood, which includes miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, or abortion. Therefore, before a woman decides on an abortion, it’s important that she understand the risk of how the Rh factor may affect future pregnancies if not treated correctly.

Death

In extreme cases, complications from abortion (excessive bleeding, infection, organ damage from a perforated uterus and adverse reactions to anesthesia) may lead to death. The risk of death immediately following an induced abortion performed at or below 8 weeks is extremely low (approximately 1 in a million) but increases with length of pregnancy. From 8 weeks to 16-20 weeks, the risk of death increases 30 times, and from 8 weeks to 21 weeks and over, it increases 100 times (3).

1. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/795001-overview#showall

2. Mifeprex Package Insert FDA-approved label, July 2005.

3. Option Line: http://www.optionline.org/questions/considering-abortion/#note-21#note-21

4. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/795001-clinical