Wondering if you are pregnant? Though pregnancy results are well gauged by a pregnancy test there are a lot of pregnancy symptoms that you might have overlooked due to anxiousness or because a lot of the symptoms mimic premenstrual symptoms. The fact being said, right from the moment of the egg being implanted, your pregnancy begins. Hence these early signs of pregnancy emerge during the first week of conception and you must consciously watch out for them.
Signs of pregnancy that you need to know
Frequently Asked Questions
Early Signs Of Pregnancy That You Might Have Missed
These below-given early pregnancy symptoms needn’t necessarily be the only parameters that conclude of one being pregnant. A final test and consultation with your physician will really help.
1) Fatigue
Feeling sleepy most of the time? Well, blame increased levels of progesterone! Due to the need for your body to feed the fetus, you might feel very tired, sleepy and exhausted. Do NOT assume this to be the usual signs of tiredness out of your daily chores to ignore, instead count this as an early sign of pregnancy. Eat foods that are rich in minerals and iron to help fight signs of tiredness.
Also Read About How To Stay Healthy During Pregnancy
2) Nausea
Nausea that you feel in the early hours or during the day is morning sickness. The heaviness and the feel to vomit are signs of pregnancy that occurs in the early phase of pregnancy. Though the degree of this sickness might vary from one woman to another, it is said that around 80% of women experience this soon after conceiving. It is also mainly due to an increase in estrogen and progesterone levels that you tend to vomit every morning.
3) A Missed Period
This is the most obvious and well-interpreted symptom of one being pregnant. While a missed period needn’t necessarily be attributed to your pregnancy, it occurs to be one of the most major early pregnancy symptoms if you miss your monthly cycle. Also, other reasons for a missed period can include fatigue, fluctuations in weight, increased stress and other medications.
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4) Headaches
Are you looking at your headache as another sign of PMS? There might be a catch! It is the first signs of pregnancy – the decrease in the blood sugar levels with an increase in the estrogen and progesterone levels might make it difficult for the brain cells to process at a different pace altogether. This will thereby result in a headache.
5) Constipation And Bloating
If you are pregnant, thanks to the increase in the levels of progesterone, you might face difficulty and changes in bowel movements which will result bloating. Because of the decreased pace in the breakdown of food particles and digestion, it might turn out to be very hard to poop!
6) Back And Muscle Pain
Practically, your entire body is creating space for a new life in the system. Hence enlarging of the walls and ligaments within will certainly lead to body and muscle pain along with pain in the spinal cord.
7) Cramping/Spotting
Soon after conception, there is a growth in the cells on the walls of the vagina leading it to thicken. Also when the eggs are implanted on the walls of the uterus, it begins to bleed. This leads to both spotting (spots of red or pink discharge) and cramping within a week to 12 days of conception. This might often be mistaken as signs of the menstrual cycle by many but that might not be the case. It sure is one of the early pregnancy symptoms.
8) Changes In Breasts
Another very acute sign of pregnancy is the change in your breast size. With the estrogen levels increased, bigger, tender, sore and fuller breasts are signals of conception. This might occur a week before you miss your periods and might even last longer. The areolas around your nipples might turn darker and you might feel an itchy or a tingly feeling around your breasts prooving that these aren’t one of those regular PMS symptoms!
9) Mood Swings
Before you miss your period, due to change in the hormones you might face severe mood swings accompanied with oodles of emotional outbursts. You might get angry, violent, anxious, irritated or sob for every other matter. This is mainly due to the neurotransmitters in your brain that is reacting to the hormonal changes – another sign of pregnancy!
10) Food Cravings And Lack Of Appetite
Are you feeling a sudden dislike towards your favorite perfume or that aroma from a freshly brewed coffee? Chances are that these are initial pregnancy symptoms. Due to the change in the hormones when conceived, you might experience a lack of appetite, food aversions and develop a craving for certain food types within a week of conception.
11) Raised Body Temperature
During a normal period cycle, the body temperature might rise and get back to the base temperature after the cycle is over. But in the case of ovulation, the body is gearing up to make space for a new life within and is constantly overworking to supply all that is needed. Hence there might be an increase in the body temperature soon after conception and before you miss your period.
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12) Increased Urination
Increase in urination or the urge to pee more often is another very straightforward an early pregnancy symptom. As your kidneys are now working overtime, with an increase in estrogens, rapid changes in hormones and with the uterus pushing down on the urinary bladder, an increased urge to pee is a common sign. This is something that can last during the entire pregnancy period.
13) Vaginal Discharge
As we said earlier, these symptoms are very much similar to those you face before you get your periods. If you are pregnant, you might notice a thick discharge quite often and throughout the pregnancy period. As the walls of your vagina thicken due to pregnancy, it begins to discharge. Though this is completely normal, you might have to consult your doctor if the discharge seems to smell bad and is accompanied by itching and burning.
14) Increased heart rate
If you are pregnant, around week 8 or 10, you may notice an increased heart rate which is a pronounced early pregnancy symptom. Your heart may begin pumping faster and harder while palpitations and arrhythmias are common signs of early pregnancy. This normally happens due to increased blood flow. It is ideally advisable to start management before conception by consulting a doctor who can help supervise some low dosage of drugs.
15) Pregnancy glow and acne
You may find people noticing that “pregnancy glow.” It is the combination of increased blood volume and higher hormone levels that push more blood through your vessels and causes the body’s oil glands to work overtime which gives your skin a flushed and glossy finish. On the downside of it, you may also develop a severe acne outbreak.
Frequently Asked Questions
1) How early does one start experiencing the signs of pregnancy?
This differs from one woman to another. Some women begin to feel the signs of pregnancy within a week or two. However, symptoms like an urge to urinate, rise in body temperature, vaginal discharge, nausea, and cramping might occur just a few days before you miss your periods.
2) Can periods and pregnancy happen at the same time?
When you are pregnant, due to implantation bleeding you might face a slight discharge that is pink, red or dark brown in color before you make way to a missed period. This bleeding might be misinterpreted as a period cycle which might last only for a few hours or days.
3) Is it possible to not be pregnant with a missed period?
Yes! A missed period needn’t necessarily mean that you are pregnant. It can also be due to the intake of birth control pills, stress level increase, hormonal changes, drastic weight gain or loss.
4) Does every woman face the same pregnancy symptoms?
No. Every woman is different and so is her pregnancy. No two women can have the same pregnancy symptoms and no two pregnancies with the same women can likely be in the same way!
5) What is the difference between premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and pregnancy symptoms?
Though symptoms for both can seem similar like an increase in body temperature, cramps, discharge from the vagina, darkened areolas, you can get to know with a missed period and by getting yourself tested for pregnancy.
Having given all the possible signs of pregnancy, nothing seems best like grabbing a pregnancy test kit from a nearby drug store to check. Even better, reach out to your doctor for a definite answer.
Here’s our recommendation for home pregnancy test kit:
SIRONA PregRx Midstream Pregnancy Test Kit
Price: Rs.299/-
Buy link: SIRONA PregRx Midstream Pregnancy Test Kit
Also Read: Books to read during pregnancy
Also Read: Best pregnancy outfits
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