Pregnancy symptoms: 10 early signs of pregnancy

Are you pregnant? Some early signs of pregnancy may appear around the time you would not yet have had your period - either a week or two before or after.

Early signs and symptoms of pregnancy
Early signs and symptoms of pregnancy can be subtle. You may notice that your breasts feel different when you touch them or that you are taking extra trips to the bathroom. On the other hand, you may feel completely exhausted or distinctly anxious. These are some of the first signs and symptoms of pregnancy:

Missed period
If you usually have very regular periods and they are not late, this may be the first and most obvious sign that you are pregnant. But if you have irregular periods or are not tracking your menstrual cycle, other symptoms may be your first clues to a possible pregnancy.

Frequent urination
Immediately after you become pregnant, hormonal changes trigger a chain of events that increases the speed of blood flow through your kidneys. This causes your bladder to fill more quickly, so you need to urinate more often.

Frequent urination will continue - or intensify - as your pregnancy progresses. Blood volume increases dramatically during pregnancy, which leads to the processing of extra fluids and their release into your bladder.

Fatigue
Feeling suddenly tired? No, this is exhaustion. No one knows for sure what causes early pregnancy fatigue, but it is possible that rapidly rising levels of progesterone are to blame. Of course, morning sickness and the need to urinate frequently during the night can add to your fatigue.

You will start to feel more energetic once you have completed your second trimester, Although fatigue usually returns later in pregnancy when you gain more weight and some of the usual pregnancy concerns make it harder to get a good night's sleep.

Breast changes
A common early sign of pregnancy is tender and swollen breasts caused by rising hormone levels. The pain and swelling may feel like an exaggerated version of how your breasts feel before your period. Your discomfort should noticeably decrease after the first trimester, as your body adapts to the hormonal changes.

Nausea and vomiting

Morning sickness, which can appear at any time of day, often starts around two weeks after conception for many women. It is generally not harmful to the fetus, but it can affect daily life.

Implantation bleeding or spotting

If you notice light spotting around the time you would expect your period, it may be implantation bleeding. Some women experience light bleeding or spotting when the fertilized egg attaches to the uterine lining.

Note: Spotting or light bleeding during the first trimester is often nothing to worry about, but sometimes it is a sign of a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy. If your bleeding is heavy or accompanied by pain or dizziness, or if you are worried, call your doctor or midwife.

Cramping

Like spotting or bleeding, cramps are a confusing early symptom of pregnancy - because they can make you feel as though your period is starting. But they may actually be implantation cramps, which occur when the fertilized egg attaches to the uterus.

Constipation

If you are pregnant, constipation can be an early symptom. It is caused by an increase in progesterone, which relaxes the smooth muscles throughout the body, including the digestive tract. This means that food passes through your bowels more slowly.

Mood changes

It is common to experience mood swings during pregnancy, partly due to hormonal changes that affect neurotransmitters (chemical messengers in the brain). Everyone reacts differently to these changes. Some expectant mothers experience heightened emotions, both good and bad, while others feel more depressed or anxious.

Bloating
Hormonal changes in early pregnancy can make you feel bloated, similar to the feeling some women have shortly before their period. This is why your clothes may feel tighter than usual around the waist, even when your uterus is still quite small.

When do pregnancy symptoms begin?
Pregnancy symptoms vary for every woman (and even every pregnancy). Some women feel the first signs of pregnancy one or two weeks after conception, while others do not feel different for several months.

In the best study on this question to date, 136 women who were trying to get pregnant kept daily notes of their symptoms from the time they stopped using contraceptivese and until their 8th week of pregnancy. (This is counting every week from the first day of their last period.) The results:

• 50 percent had some pregnancy symptoms in the 5th week of pregnancy
• 70 percent had pregnancy symptoms in the 6th week of pregnancy
• 90 percent had pregnancy symptoms in the 8th week of pregnancy
• The first sign of pregnancy was usually a missed period.

The most common symptoms that needed to be monitored were nausea and vomiting, fatigue, frequent urination, and breast sensitivity and swelling.

From 8 weeks pregnant, women reported some additional pregnancy symptoms

• Heartburn
• Nasal congestion
• Shortness of breath
• Forgetfulness
• Varicose veins
• Itching
• Darker skin patches (on the face, belly, or areola)

When should I take a pregnancy test?
Some home pregnancy tests claim to be sensitive enough to give a positive result five days before your period is due. But you are more likely to get an accurate result if you wait until after the first day of your missed period to take the test. If you test too early, you may get a false negative pregnancy test or an unclear result such as a faint line.

If you test and get a negative result, but still have pregnancy symptoms and/or have not had your period, try again after a few days. Test first thing in the morning, when your urine is most concentrated. Home pregnancy tests measure the amount of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in your urine. During early pregnancy, hCG levels usually double every two to three days.

“Remember that conception occurs before you miss your period or experience any other symptoms, so it is essential to work on optimizing your health and to take a prenatal vitamin before trying to get pregnant,” says Dr. Alrahmani. If you have not already done so, start taking a daily prenatal vitamin with at least 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid.

Book your first prenatal appointment after you have received a positive pregnancy test result. Good prenatal care is essential for you and your baby. If you do not have a doctor or midwife to care for you during pregnancy, start seeking recommendations.

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