WHEN TO CALL YOUR DOCTOR

Pregnancy Test
A home test kit for pregnancy is a safe, non-intrusive and cost effective method of confirming pregnancy. Positive results are usually right. If you still have doubts, consult your doctor for a urine test or blood test to confirm pregnancy. Once the pregnancy is confirmed, you need to plan your pregnancy. Keep a pregnancy journal. Jot down how you feel, important pregnancy week-by-week information, and things you would like your baby to read when she grows up. This is a great gift for the baby. You could also share some of the entries from the journal with your partner.

WHEN TO CALL YOUR DOCTOR
Call for an appointment if you suspect you are pregnant, are currently pregnant and are not receiving prenatal care, or if you are unable to manage common complaints without medication.
Call your health care provider if you suspect you are pregnant and are on medications for diabetes, thyroid disease, seizures, or high blood pressure. Notify your health care provider if you are currently pregnant and have been exposed to a sexually transmitted disease, chemicals, radiation, or unusual pollutants.

Call your health care provider if you are currently pregnant and you develop fever, chills, or painful urination. It is urgent that you call your health care provider if you are currently pregnant and notice any amount of vaginal bleeding, the membranes rupture (water breaks), or you experience physical or severe emotional trauma. Hypertension is the term doctors use for high blood pressure. Blood pressure readings are measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg) and usually given as 2 numbers.

For example, 140 over 90 (written as 140/90). The top number is your systolic pressure, the pressure created when your heart beats. It is considered high if it is consistently over 140. The bottom number is your diastolic pressure, the pressure inside blood vessels when the heart is at rest. It is considered high if it is consistently over 90. Either or both of these numbers may be too high. Pre-hypertension is when your systolic blood pressure is between 120 and 139 or your diastolic blood pressure is between 80 and 89 on multiple readings.

If you have pre-hypertension, you are more likely to develop high blood pressure at some point. Blood pressure is the force with which blood pushes against the artery walls as it travels through the body. Like air in a balloon, blood fills arteries to a certain capacity—and just as too much air pressure can cause damage to a balloon, too much blood pressure can harm healthy arteries. Blood pressure is measured by two numbers—systolic pressure and diastolic pressure.

Systolic pressure measures cardiac output and refers to the pressure in the arterial system at its highest. Diastolic pressure measures peripheral resistance and refers to arterial pressure at its lowest. Blood pressure is normally measured at the brachial artery with a sphygmomanometer (pressure cuff) in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and given as systolic over diastolic pressure.
Considerations
Normal menstrual flow lasts about 4 days, produces a total blood loss of 30 to 80 ml (about 2 to 8 tablespoons), and occurs normally every 28 days (plus or minus 7 days). Vaginal bleeding may be something to worry about for women over age 50 (postmenopausal). The risk of malignancy increases with age. Make sure that bleeding is coming from the vagina and is not from the rectum or in the urine. Inserting a tampon into the vagina will confirm the vagina, cervix, or uterus as the source of bleeding. A careful exam by your health care provider is frequently the best way to sort out the source of the bleeding. This exam can be accomplished even while you are bleeding. Do not delay getting an exam just because you are currently bleeding.