Early Signs and Symptoms of Pregnancy
Pregnancy symptoms occurs within our body due to hormone changes. The common pregnancy tests today tests for hCG, which is a hormone produced by the embryo after implantation and not before. Implantation occurs 7-10 days after ovulation, so the longer you wait to test after ovulation the more accurate it will be.
The following is a lost of possible signs and symptoms you might experience when you're pregnant.
| < |
1) Missed Period
One of the first and most obvious sign of pregnancy is a missed period. Some women though can still experience bleeding for the first few months of pregnancy. Also there could be other reasons why a women misses her period, for example stress or illness.
2) Breast Tenderness
Another obvious early symptom of pregnancy is breast tenderness. When you become pregnant hormones starts increasing, this causes your body to start preparing your breasts for producing milk and breastfeeding. Your breasts become tender and swollen and / or lumpy. Increasing weight of your breasts is just one of the normal reasons why a woman will gain weight during pregnancy.
Nipples may feel sore and extra sensitive. Also, your nipples may darken in colour. The veins around your breast area may become more noticeable.
3) High Basal Body Temperature ( BBT )
If you've been charting your temperature levels during your cycle, you will notice BBT will remain high. During your ovulation phase the hormone progesterone causes a spike in your temperature, and if you're pregnant, the temperature will remain high.
4) Fatigue
If you become pregnant, an early sign is fatigue. This is due to your metabolism increasing to support the changes in your body. Increasing levels of progesterone also has a sedative effect on you.
5) Frequent Urination
An early sign of pregnancy that you and other people around you may notice is frequent trips to the loo. This early pregnancy sugn may remain for the full nine months. This is caused by extra blood flow to your kidney and bladder area. Also the sweeling uterus can put pressure on your bladder.
6) Morning sickness
Another early sign of pregnancy is morning sickness. This can come on as soon as a week into the pregnancy. Most women experience nausea first thing in the morning when they eat on an empty stomach, but quite often as well nausea can affect women anytime during the day.
It tends to calm down when you've reached your second trimester, and your body adjusts to all the changes it is going through. It can be helped by ginger, vitamin B6, or snacks during the day, particularly things like dry biscuits or toast.
7) Sensitivity to certain smells
Another related early symptom of pregnancy is your heightened sense of smell. Smells whichnever bothered you before can cause you to feel nauseated. Certain foods and cooking smells are the main culprits.
8) Food Cravings and Changes in tastes
A common sign-symptom of pregnancy is of craving certain foods. taking a good pre-natal vitamin mau ease some cravings and too much weight gain. On the flip side, a less known but still common pregnancy sign are aversions to certain foods. Foods that you previously loved all of a sudden with just the thought of it will make you sick.