While ultrasounds and pregnancy tests are the only way to ascertain if you are pregnant, there are symptoms you can look for. Early symptoms of pregnancy are more than just a missed period. These early signs might include fatigue, smell sensitivity, and morning sickness and they differ from pregnancy to pregnancy, and woman to woman. If you’re pregnant, you might experience one or more of these signs. Similarly, you should not worry if you don’t notice any of them.
Missed Period
If you have a regular menstrual cycle, failing to spot your period is often the earliest physical symptomof pregnancy. Note that you can receive a light spotting or bleeding around the time of your period even if you’re pregnant and fertilized egg implants are in your womb. With irregular cycles, you might realize other pregnancy signs before you note a missed period.
However, not all delayed or missed periods are caused by pregnancy. There are other reasons than pregnancy for delayed periods. It may be a result of too much weight gain or loss, stress, fatigue or hormonal problems.
Morning Sickness (Nausea)
Morning sickness is the eminent symptom of pregnancy; however, not every woman experiences it. You might start feeling sick and vomiting in the early weeks. It mostly passes by the 16th week. It is often referred to as “morning sickness” but it can happen at any time at night or day, and at worst it can affect you all day.
About one in every hundred women could experience hyperemesis gravidarum (severe sickness). It is going past the first trimester. The condition causes severe vomiting that no liquid or food can be kept down. The situation is treatable, and only in rare cases, it results in complications for the pregnancy.
Nausea is related to human chorionic gonadotropin, a familiar hormone found in the mother’s urine or blood prior to the missed period. As with the twins the higher the level of HCG the sicker you feel.
There is a possibility that food aversion, cravings, and nausea can last the entire pregnancy. Luckily, the signs lessen in most women in the 13th and 14th week.
Breast Changes
Your breasts may be extra tender and sore a week after conception. You are producing a lot of progesterone and estrogen in early pregnancy now that glands in the breasts start enlarging. This hormonal surge results in more fluid retention, breasts are more sensitive, sore and you feel bulky than usual. The nipples (areola) darkens, while the veins of your breast become more noticeable.
Spotting and Cramping
You might have cramps in your feet or legs in the first trimester. This is as a result of changes in the way your body metabolizes calcium. The implantation-as trigger the pains the fertilized egg connects to the uterine wall. The uterus stretches, hence the cramps to prepare for massive expansion for the next nine months.
In case your “periods” seems way different from usual or shorter, it might be a pregnancy symptom. Light vaginal bleeding- spotting might occur six to twelve days after conception because the fertilized egg implants in the uterus plush lining are being attached.
During the early pregnacy or first trimester, spotting should be assessed for three possible things: certain types of infections, ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage.
Bloating
Can’t you put on those skinny pants? Increased levels of progesterone slow the digestive tract, and the tummy feels puffier than usual. This can occur during notes Goist, PMS thus bloating reduces when your periods come through resulting to progesterone level to plummet. If bloating persists and periods never arrive, be ready for the stick to turn pink.
Fatigue
Feeling tired is normal symptom starting from the early stages of pregnancy. Most women start feeling fatigued as early as a week after conceiving. It is often associated with high levels of progesterone hormone, however other factors such as lower blood pressure, lower levels of blood sugar and an increase in blood production equally contribute.
It is essential to get enough rest if fatigue is related to pregnancy. Eating foods rich in iron and protein helps to offset the situation. Take prenatal vitamins during this early phase of pregnancy, drink plenty of fluids to sustain the blood pressure high enough, eat a healthy diet and rest when you can.
At early weeks your body is working 24/7 to support the pregnancy and fatigue is an expected response. The extra hormones produced following a conception causes the basal body temperature to shoot, which results in a lack of energy.
Mood Swing
Increased levels of progesterone and estrogen will directly affect your moods and make you more reactive and emotional than usual in early pregnancy stage. Unstable moods are common during early pregnancy and may cause anxiety, irritability, euphoria, and depression.
Peeing More Often
Don’t assume that frequent urination comes later when the child press your bladder, increased bathroom breaks regularly start earlier. The extra blood flow to the kidneys causes the production of more urine and also the swelling of the uterus exerts pressure on your bladder. There is little that can be done about this, unless the periodic urination has a burning effect, signs of infection or urgency. Don’t cut on your fluid intake.
Towards the end of the first trimester, the uterus rises into the abdomen which in turn takes pressure off the bladder.
Pregnancy Glow and Acne
The combination of high hormone levels and increased blood volume pushes more blood through the vessels, causing the oil glands to work overtime.The glossy appearance is because of the increased activities the body’s oil gland – and acne may develop.
Sensitivity to Smells and Cravings (Changing Taste in Food)
You may feel queasy when you smell certain things like alcohol, meat or coffee. You might lose appetite in certain drinks and meals and develop a craving for stuff you usually don’t like. Like other pregnancy symptoms, food aversion can be traced up to the hormonal change. It is the most dramatic in the first trimester.
White Vaginal Discharge
Vaginal discharge is a regular occurrence in a woman’s cycle. Leukorrhea (white discharge) is mostly associated with pregnancy; however, it is not a definitive symptom. With the change in estrogen brings up this vaginal discharge. This can happen days to ovulation or during early pregnancy.
Even with pregnancy, leukorrhea is not noticeable until late first trimester. It is tempting to examine recent changes in discharge after ovulation but this is not the best indicator to identify early pregnancy.
Never the less, these symptoms are not unique to every pregnancy. Some signs mentioned above can be an indication that your period is due or you are getting sick. And again you can be pregnant without experiencing any of the above symptoms. Furthermore, if you notice any tip-off on or miss a period, you will want to have a home pregnancy test,particularly if you experience irregular periods one month to the next or not keeping track of the menstrual cycle. In case your test turns positive, book an appointment with a health care provider. The earlier the pregnancy is confirmed, the better to begin prenatal care.
Put your mind at rest if you are worried about the pregnancy symptoms by taking an HCG test. This is the scientific proof of whether you are expectant or not.
