DIAGNOSIS CHECKLIST
for Pregnancy symptoms

Why: e.g. missed periods, nausea, vomiting, tiredness, urinary frequency, breast enlargement, breast tenderness, nipple enlargement, darkening of the nipples, insomnia, leg cramps, fainting, shortness of breath, heartburn, constipation, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, ankle swelling, carpal tunnel syndrome, back pain, vaginal Candida infection, skin pigmentation.

Why: to help determine the gestation of the pregnancy (how far along the pregnancy is) i.e. due date is one year and 7 days after the last menstrual period minus three months.

Why: to help determine the gestation of the pregnancy (how far along the pregnancy is).

Why: makes the due date unreliable.

Why: e.g. herpes simplex virus.

Why: e.g. cone biopsy for abnormal pap smears may increase the risk of cervical incompetence and thus miscarriage.

Why: many medications may cause fetal death or fetal malformations e.g. diethylstilbestrol, roaccutane, doxycycline, tetracycline, lithium, warfarin, phenytoin.

Why: to establish the risk of fetal alcohol syndrome.

Why: increases the risk of small size of baby, premature labour, miscarriage, stillbirth, cleft palate, sudden infant death syndrome.

Why: e.g. cocaine use increases the risk of bleeding in pregnancy and intrauterine fetal death; amphetamine use increases the risk of congenital heart disease.

Why: e.g. multiple pregnancies, miscarriage, congenital abnormalities, high blood pressure, diabetes, psychiatric illness, medical conditions.

Why: Vaginal bleeding in pregnancy may indicate ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage.

Why: e.g. uterine pain from a miscarriage tends to be colicky (cramp-like) and felt in the sacrum and groin; ovarian pain and pain from an ectopic pregnancy tends to be felt on one side in the lower pelvis and may radiate down the front of the thigh to the knee; abdominal pain in pregnancy may be a normal symptom.

Why: e.g. a period of amenorrhea (missed menstrual periods) followed by vaginal bleeding, lower abdominal pain (cramping), passing products of conception via the vagina and sometimes loss of pregnancy symptoms.

Why: e.g. history of missed periods, lower abdominal pain, vaginal bleeding which may be slight and brown in color, pregnancy symptoms, dizziness, may faint - must consider the possibility of ectopic pregnancy early in the management of bleeding in early pregnancy as ectopic pregnancy may be life threatening.