Pregnancy Symptoms & Timeline: Understanding Early Signs

Question
I am a 37 year old white female.  My first pregnancy resulted in a mis-carriage diagnosed as a "blighted ovum".  My second pregnancy resulted in a healthy baby boy who was born on April 29, 2003 via c-section because he was breech.  The first day of my last menstrual period was August 4, 2005 & I calculated my due date to be May 11, 2006.  My concern is that I do not have any symptoms yet & I feel like by now I should be feeling something.  The only thing that is strange is that I have little or no appetite.  I am so worried because of the first mis-carriage.  I have an appointment with my ob/gyn on October 6 & I have to go for an obstetric panel w/ reflex next week. What exactly is that checking for?  I so appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions, thank you.
Jennifer


Answer
If your last period started on August 4, then you probably ovulated on August 17 and are now only 4 weeks 5 days pregnant. At this time, you may have some nausea, fatigue, and breast tenderness, but you may not have any symptoms yet, either. A sonogram at this time may only show an empty gestational sac but will not show a fetus or a fetal heartbeat until 6 weeks (from the first day of your last period). There is no reason to suspect a miscarriage just because you do not have any symptoms yet. As long as you have not had any bleeding or cramps, there is no reason to suspect any problem. There is nothing you can do to cause a miscarriage and there is nothing you can do to prevent a miscarriage. It occurs in 15-20% of every pregnancy.  The obstetrical panel is merely the routine blood work done ini the beginning of the pregnancy (CBC, Hepatitis screen, Rubella, Varicella, HIV, urine analysis, etc).