The question of all the heavenly questions: ‘’Am I pregnant?’’ Certainly, you can get the proof as soon as you perform a home pregnancy test. However, you may hope or suspect about your pregnancy even before missing your period. In case of some women, the cycles are irregular or long, they may develop pregnancy signs and symptoms before missing their period. This article may assist you in knowing the early signs of pregnancy.
11 Early Signs of Pregnancy
1. Missed Period
One of the most detectable early signs of pregnancy is the missed period. And it can be very reliable especially if your monthly menstrual cycles have always been regular or reliable. During pregnancy, however, tiny bit of spotting or bleeding is possible when it’s the time of your period. Other reasons behind missing a period apart from pregnancy may include loss or gain of excessive weight, stress, fatigue, and hormonal problems. Additionally, abruptly stopping the intake of birth control pills may also be the reason behind missing a period. Nonetheless, if there are chances of pregnancy and your periods are late, go for a home pregnancy test.
2. Breast Changes
This is another early sign of pregnancy. Once the conception is achieved, the level of hormones in a woman’s body begins to rise significantly, therefore, breasts are more likely to become tingly, swollen or sore after a week or two. They may also appear fuller and heavier with tenderness upon touch. The veins present on the breasts may become more prominent, and the area surrounding the nipples, known as areola, may darken.
3. Food Cravings or Aversions
Repellent feelings against the smell of coffee or bologna sandwich, not to mention peculiar aromas that are capable of triggering gag reflex, aren’t uncommon at all, especially if it is your first pregnancy. What is the reason behind it? Nobody knows for sure. However, it is suggested that it may be a side effect of rising estrogen levels which may affect biochemical and physiological environment of the body. You may experience nausea and vomiting towards the sight and smell of foods that you once have enjoyed. Craving for certain foods is also fairly common in pregnancy, and again the reason is changes in the hormonal levels.
4. Mood Swings
Mood swings during pregnancy are also very common and may be due to changes in hormones that affect the neurotransmitter levels. These changes affect pregnant women in different ways. Some experience depression or anxiety, whereas others feel heightened emotions that are both bad and good. A mental health professional or a healthcare provider must be consulted immediately in case you feel like harming yourself or if you feel you can’t cope up with your routine responsibilities and commitments.
5. Frequent Urination
Pregnancy brings along hormonal changes that will result in increased blood flow to the kidneys. Consequently, bladder is filled rather quickly, and you may feel the urge to pee more often. The symptoms of increased frequency of urination may appear as soon as six weeks into the first trimester. Problem may arise when more pressure is exerted on the bladder by the baby growing within your womb. Frequency of urination or intensity may increase significantly as the pregnancy advances towards final weeks.
6. Fatigue
Pregnancy also brings with it the feeling of tiredness and exhaustion. It is suggested that fatigue is due to elevated levels of progesterone that contribute to sleepiness. Frequent urination at night and morning sickness may also make you sluggish. Fatigue diminishes at the start of second trimester, but may sometimes return in late pregnancy, when you have more weight to carry. In addition, you may experience fatigue because of other discomforts associated with pregnancy that make it more challenging to have a good night sleep.
7. Morning Sickness
This is one of the early signs of pregnancy that most women will experience. Morning sickness usually appears after a month of conception, but in some cases it may appear a week or two earlier. This isn’t just limited to mornings; pregnancy-associated nausea may be felt at night, noon or morning. Half of the pregnant women report resolution of nausea by mid of second trimester, but it may take another month to ease up for other women. Some lucky women don’t have it at all.
8. Slight Bleeding
At times, a tiny bit of vaginal bleeding or spotting serves as one of the early symptoms of pregnancy. It is often called implantation bleeding and occurs upon the attachment of the fertilized egg to the uterus lining. This happens 10-15 days after conception. It usually lasts for a short period of time and happens around the time of period. It must be noted that the implantation bleeding is light as compared to menstrual bleeding.
9. Cramping
As a common sign of pregnancy, cramping occurs nearly at the same time as that of expected period, resulting from the contraction of the uterus. Cramping can be triggered early by the following acts: sexual orgasm, exercise and moving around.
10. Dizziness
The elevation in the levels of hormones causes widening and relaxation of blood vessels, resulting in dizziness during pregnancy. It increases the flow of blood to the baby, but decreases the venous blood that returns to you. As a result, the blood pressure becomes notably lowered than the usual, reducing the flow of blood to the brain, andultimately causing the temporary dizziness. This dizziness may be tackled to some extent by avoiding standing for longer periods, and utilizing hot baths. You must also eat regularly.
11. Increasing Body Temperature
The temperature when you wake up in the morning (also referred to as basal body temperature) may as well hint about the pregnancy in the early stages. It slightly escalates after the process of ovulation and stays at that point until the next period. In case you have been charting the basal body temperature to know about your ovulation, the continued escalation exceeding two-week time means you’re pregnant.
The above listed signs are classic markers of pregnancy, but some women tend to go through symptoms that are rather less common. Given below is a video that you can watch to know what a mother has to say regarding her very own signs during pregnancy!
How to Confirm a Pregnancy
The discussed signs and symptoms are not quite unique or specific to pregnancy. Some are just there to tell you that your period is about to begin or you are sick. In other cases, you may be pregnant without experiencing any of the discussed signs and symptoms. Even so, after missing a period or noticing any of these signs, you can take a home pregnancy test, especially if you don’t keep track of your period or if your menstrual cycle varies significantly from month to month. In case of a positive home pregnancy test, consult your healthcare provider right away. If the pregnancy is confirmed sooner, you can manage your parental care in better ways.
Watch the video below to learn more about home pregnancy tests: