Most of the time, a woman or her care provider can make an accurate diagnosis of pregnancy. Unlike many conditions for which people seek health care, pregnancy is usually pre-diagnosed. Yet on rare occasions, its diagnosis may prove more puzzling. When there is doubt, the woman’s symptoms certain bodily changes assessed by a physician or midwife and specific laboratory tests provide the information to make a definitive diagnosis.
The Three Stages of Pregnancy
Fertilization is a two-part process that begins when the spermatozoon or sperm cell enters the ovum or egg cell, it is completed when the nuclei of the male and female cells (called pronuclei) unite.
Conception is the onset of pregnancy marked by implantation of the fertilized ovum. These two processes lead to pregnancy.
Pregnancy is the condition of having a developing embryo or fetus in the body after successful conception.