Your local pregnancy center provides reliable, free pregnancy tests. Still, the only way to know for sure if you are pregnant is to get a physician’s diagnosis. This diagnosis can be readily obtained with an ultrasound, and some of the centers listed on this site provide this service for free. This information is important whether you are considering abortion or continuing your pregnancy. For more information about your pregnancy, contact Option Line.

How pregnancy begins

Some time after a woman’s period, her body releases an egg. If she has sex around this time, conception — also know as fertilization — may happen¹. When fertilization occurs, the baby’s features, including sex, hair and eye color, have already been determined². Did you know that 21 days after conception, your baby’s heart begins to beat?³

Note: Option Line and our network of participating pregnancy centers offers peer counseling and accurate information about all pregnancy options; however, these centers do not offer or refer for abortion services. The information presented on this website is intended for general education purposes only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional and/or medical advice.

REFERENCES

1. F. Gary Cunningham, et al., Williams Obstetrics, McGraw-Hill: 2001.

2. Kliegman: Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics 18th Edition, 2007 Sauders, an Imprint of Elsevier, Chap 79 The Human Genome; http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/210084012-3/1026247872/1608/210.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2450-7..50081-5_1721 (Accessed July 16, 2010)

3. Gabbe: Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies, 5th ed. Chapter 2-Fetal Physiology. Copyright © 2007 Churchill Livingstone, An Imprint of Elsevier; http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/210350553-6/1026956027/1528/21.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06930-7..50004-9–cesec23_55  (Accessed July 18, 2010)