Are you wondering if you are pregnant if you should get a test? Keep on reading I have put together a list of symptoms that you can experience early in the pregnancy.
Pregnancy is counted from the first day of when the last menstrual period occurred.
However, development of the fetus occurs two weeks later after conception.
The earliest you can discover you are pregnant is after one week after conception.
Symptoms of pregnancy normally start 2 to 4 weeks after conception.
These symptoms mostly include a missed period, nausea and vomiting.
Although these symptoms commonly occur at the first trimester, they can extend up to the late stage while others may fade away.
Before you take a pregnancy test, there are some signs and symptoms at an early stage of the first trimester that you can experience.
However, some may experience severe to moderate symptoms while others may not experience any, which leaves them with no knowledge of them being pregnant until a later stage.
It is advisable to take a home test or visit a doctor/gynecologist when you suspect being pregnant.
Signs and Symptoms of Early Pregnancy
These signs occur within the first few weeks of pregnancy. They guide women in knowing whether they are pregnant or not without testing.
1. Increased Urination
Due to an increased amount of blood in the body during pregnancy, the kidneys process extra fluid. This lead to urinating more often than usual due to the extra fluid ending up in the bladder.
2. Missed Period
This is the most common obvious symptom during early pregnancy. It happens four weeks later after conception. However, this symptom can mislead you because there are other causes that can lead to missing your period like some other medical condition or the use of some medication and, therefore, taking a pregnancy test either at home or by visiting a gynecologist for confirmation is better.
3. Fatigue or Exhaustion
You may start experiencing fatigue or exhaustion when pregnant at an early stage. This is because progesterone levels increase which often lead to feeling extra sleepy.
4. Tender, Swollen Breasts and Nipples
Hormonal changes can lead to tingling, growing and aching of the breasts. The nipple may become darker and grow bigger in the areola.
5. Moderate to Light Spotting
Spotting can be a sign of your menstrual period starting but it can also be a sign of pregnancy. Most of the time, light spotting known as implantation bleeding occurs because that's when the fertilized egg pins itself to the uterus lining. You can confuse it to pre-menstrual spotting due to closeness in coloring which is brownish.
Women may also notice a white milky discharge from the vagina. It's due to thickening of vagina walls after conception. If this discharge is accompanied by itching, or unpleasant odor this means you are suffering from a yeast or bacterial infection and therefore should seek medical advice.
6. Increased Body Temperature
Is also one of the most frequent symptoms of pregnancy. Your basal body temperature tends to increase especially during hot weather or when exercising.
7. Nausea, Morning Sickness, and Vomiting
Some women may experience nausea accompanied by vomiting, while others may only experience nausea or vomiting only. Others may not experience any of these. Morning sickness can occur at any time of the day or night.
8. Bloating and Constipation
Bloating and constipation are pregnancy signs similar to those of the menstrual period. Hormonal changes can slow down your digestive system leading to constipation and bloating at the abdomen.
9. Cramping
Cramping sometimes happens when the egg attaches itself to the uterine lining.
10. Weight Gain
Even though most of the time it occurs at the end of the first trimester you may gain some few pounds during the early stages of pregnancy.
11. Moodiness
You can start getting emotional, weepy, anxious and depressed, when still early in the pregnancy. This is because your progesterone and estrogen levels increase.
12. Dizziness and High Blood Pressure
Many times in early pregnancies, normal or high blood pressure may drop and this leads to you feeling dizzy this happens because the blood vessels are dilated.
13. Food Aversions, and Smell Sensitivity
You may start disliking various types of food while liking others more. Also, you may become sensitive to different odor. In some cause due to some food and smell, you end up nauseating and vomiting.
14. Acne and Pregnancy Glow
Pregnancy glow as people call it may occur in form the of flushed skin, and glossy appearance due to increased body oil glands activity. You may also notice the appearance of acne on early stages.
15. Nasal Congestion
A runny or stuffy nose in early stages is due to increase in blood production hormonal levels causing the mucous membranes to dry out, bleed easily and swell.
16. Heartburn
Relaxing of the valve between the stomach and the esophagus causes stomach acid leakage leading to heartburn. This is because of hormonal changes.
17. Headaches and Back Pain
If you notice frequent headaches and back pains that were not there before, there is a possibility that you could be pregnant. There are women who before may have been suffering from continues headaches but after getting pregnant they get some reprieve.
18. Unusual Hunger/Cravings
You start craving for something specific e.g chocolate and getting hungry easily. Being pregnant means that you need more calories per day for the growth of the baby.
19. Vivid Dreams
You start experiencing more dreams than before. This is because of hormonal change.
20. Metallic Taste In The Mouth
It is another symptom of being pregnant. A taste like metal in the mouth.
21. Shortness of Breath
Although this symptom is more common in the late stage, it also appears to other women at an early stage. To support the fetus, the body demand for oxygen increases, therefore, leaving them short of breath.
Conclusion
Different women experience different symptoms. As seen, most of these symptoms are similar to those of the menstrual period and others for underlying health problems. It is therefore advisable to always make sure that what may be causing them is not something else other than suspected pregnancy early stages signs. This can be achieved by taking a test yourself and later confirming with a gynecologist for medical advice on how you are going to reduce these symptoms especially if they are severe.
I would love to hear about your pregnancy symptoms in the comments under.