Do you think you might be pregnant? There are several early pregnancy symptoms to look for to determine whether or not you are expecting. There are a number of good pregnancy tests out there, but depending on your body, it could take several weeks or more for a pregnancy test to give a positive result. Most of us can get faster results by just paying attention to our bodies and recognizing the signs.
#1 Missed Period or Implantation Bleeding
This is usually the first and most obvious sign of pregnancy. Some women experience spotting, or ‘implantation bleeding’ in place of a period. Implantation bleeding can sometimes be mistaken for a period, but there are several differences. Implantation bleeding is much lighter than a period and usually doesn’t last any longer than a couple days. It is also different in color, usually being a light pink or a rusty brown color. Many women do not experience implantation bleeding, they just have a missed period.
#2 Breast Tenderness
Early in pregnancy, many women experience tender, swollen breasts. Your body begins preparing your breasts for milk production almost as soon as you become pregnant. Some women also notice changes in the color of their nipples. They may become darker in color as they become more tender. Tenderness usually subsides after a few weeks.
#3 Frequent Urination
When you become pregnant, one of the ways the body responds is with a swelling uterus. Your body also begins processing extra fluids. This symptom usually subsides after the first trimester and then starts up again late in pregnancy.
#4 Fatigue and Tiredness
Becoming pregnant causes a lot of changes to your body which can very easily cause fatigue. Your body starts producing pregnancy hormones and has to work hard to prepare for the pregnancy. This can leave you exhausted. As with frequent urination, this symptom may subside after the first trimester and pick back up in the third trimester.
#5 Nausea
Not all women experience morning sickness but it is a tell-tale sign of early pregnancy. Morning sickness does not always happen in the morning, it can come at any time of day. Many women find that saltine crackers help alleviate the symptom. Sometimes this may last through an entire pregnancy, and sometimes it goes away after the first couple of months.
#6 Food Cravings or Aversions
You may begin craving certain foods or having aversions to foods. Early in pregnancy, your body needs several certain vitamins and nutrients. Food cravings are the body’s way of trying to get the nutrients it needs. A good way to alleviate this is to take prenatal vitamins. Nausea may also cause you to have aversions to foods early in pregnancy.
#7 Mood swings
Hormones being produced in early pregnancy tend to cause moodiness and can cause you to be more emotional than normal. You may experience heightened irritability. This can be caused from exhaustion, stressing over whether or not you are pregnant, and hormone changes in your body.
#8 Dizziness or Fainting
Early pregnancy can cause many women to become light headed and dizzy. This can be evident when you stand up after a time of sitting, walk for a long period of time, or try to climb up a flight of stairs. This might last throughout the entire pregnancy, or may subside after a while.
#9 Heightened Sense of Smell
Many women experience a heightened sense of smell in early pregnancy. This is thought to be caused by the higher levels of estrogen in the body during pregnancy. You may start feeling sensitivities do certain smells that you didn’t even notice before.
#10 You Just Feel Pregnant
Everyone has some kind of instinct, and sometimes is pays off to trust it. Some pregnant women just know that they are pregnant without taking a pregnancy test or going to the doctor. For people that are in tune with their body, this is not hard to do. Pregnancy causes many changes to a persons body, and many women can just tell when something is going on inside of them.
It is important to remember that pregnancy is different for everyone and no pregnancy is exactly the same. Pregnancy symptoms can also vary in intensity and duration for everyone. If you are sexually active and are experiencing several of these pregnancy symptoms and they are not part of your normal routine, there’s a good chance you might be pregnant. Your next step is to wait for a positive pregnancy test or set up an appointment with your doctor.
