Amenorrhoea: the diagnosis and duration of pregnancy

Abstract

In this chapter the features that lead to the diagnosis of pregnancy and help to determine the estimated date of delivery (EDD) are discussed. As many of the signs and symptoms are only presumptive evidence of pregnancy while others are positive indicators of the condition, it is a worthwhile exercise here to consider which is which. The words ‘signs’ and ‘symptoms’ incidentally should not be confused — signs are elicited on examination by a trained person, but the patient experiences symptoms.