Almost every married woman considers the stoppage of her usual monthly turns a warning that she is in the family way; and this will hold true in nine cases out of ten. Nevertheless, in some women the menses continue for a couple of months or more after impregnation takes place. So, also, there are many other causes for the suppression of the menses, and the failure of the monthly turn is not, therefore, conclusive evidence of impregnation. Other peculiarities may be noticed which will go to confirm the fact, and one is an enlargement of the neck. Singular as this may appear, it is true: and some married ladies keep the exact measure of their necks so as to be able to detect this sign. Pains similar to colic, fainting fits, shuddering and creeping of the skin, longings for unusual food and drinks, loss of appetite, morning sickness, fretfulness and peevishness, hysteria, and a dozen other changes in the feelings, temper or desires of a woman, are strong presumptive signs of conception.

The breasts, being always in sympathy with the womb, usually begin to enlarge a little, the nipples become hard, and their color turns from the usual delicate pink to a chestnut brown, with little dots or pimples on the circle. This alteration in the nipple must be closely observed to indicate positive pregnancy, as it frequently becomes dark from other causes. The hue occasioned by conception is peculiar to itself, and is a sure indication that gestation has commenced.

Soon after conception, in some females, the face and eyelids will swell; and many girls are suspected from this cause alone by their more experienced sisters. Others are warned of their condition by flying pains, palpitations, &c., and by pains at the top of the head. If the urine be kept in a clean vessel for several days, and a white scum arises at the top, this is considered by some physicians as conclusive evidence of pregnancy.

When a woman has become pregnant, the white line on the abdomen, extending from the navel to the pubis, becomes darker, and the navel itself swells out a little. The mucus membrane which lines the Vagina, which is usually of a delicate rose color, turns blue or purple.

The above are the most prominent and conclusive evidences of conception during the first three months, though some of them may not be experienced until a later period. At the end of thirteen weeks the enlargement of the womb begins to develop itself so as to leave no doubt whatever of the interesting situation of the lady. In some cases even this enlargement is the result of other causes; and should a doubt exist, an examination by a physician, or any experienced person who can feel the mouth of the womb with a finger, will determine the state of the case. The mouth closes and contracts together immediately after conception, and this condition of it can be easily detected if the finger be applied in the right place. If the mouth of the womb is not closed, then the enlargement is surely from other causes.