State of embryonic or fetal development within the uterus. Also called gestation. Rarely, transgender men can become pregnant. Characterized by absence of menstruation, breast tenderness, nausea, vomiting, urinary frequency, weight gain, and fetal movement. Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in the blood and urine is an early diagnostic sign. Other common signs and symptoms are fatigue, breast enlargement, abdominal bloating / enlargement, mood swings, spider angiomas, Chadwick sign, Montgomery's tubercles, Hegar's sign, elevated basal body temperature, and stretch marks. Duration of human pregnancy is approximately 40 weeks.

Management of normal pregnancy involves prenatal health care, good nutrition, and eliminating risk factors to the fetus (smoking, substance abuse, and mental, physical and environmental hazards). See nicotine dependence for information on smoking cessation. Per the US Preventive Services Task Force, all pregnant patients should be screened for syphilis infection as early in their pregnancy as possible.

Routine medical examinations are necessary to monitor health of mother and fetus, determine multiple pregnancies, and watch for signs of complications such as miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, placental abruption, infection, thrombosis, and intrauterine fetal death.

For pregnancy-related conditions affecting the skin, see linea nigra, striae, pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy (PUPPP), melasma, and pemphigoid gestationis (rare). Impetigo herpetiformis is a rare but potentially serious pustular dermatosis typically seen in the third trimester of pregnancy. Postpartum, there may be swelling and lactation in accessory breast tissue in the axilla and other sites.