If you wonder whether or not you are pregnant, you will need to know what signs to look for in the early days and weeks of pregnancy. Pregnancy symptoms may not be the same for everyone. Not to mention that it is not unusual to miss early pregnancy symptoms altogether, especially if you think you are simply having a lighter period and then you get a stomach flu. Knowing the most common signs to look for can help you identify whether or not you are pregnant.
Breast Tenderness May Be One of the First Symptoms of Pregnancy
Some women will have noticeable breast tenderness within the first few days after conception. Your hormones estrogen and progesterone begin to increase rapidly, which already cause changes in your body. In some cases, the breast tenderness may be uncomfortable enough that even wearing clothing makes it more painful. Wearing some looser-fitting clothing during that early stage of pregnancy might reduce some of the breast tenderness.
Bloating or a Sense of Fullness is Also an Early Pregnancy Symptom
It is not uncommon for women to feel a sense of fullness or bloating (similar to how you might feel right before you get your period) in the early weeks of pregnancy. You might notice that your pants fit just a little tighter around your tummy or that your abdomen just feels fuller than it normally does.
Missing Your Period is Often One of the Most Noticeable Signs of Pregnancy
If your periods are regular, missing a period may be one of the easiest ways to help you identify if you are pregnant. By the time you have missed a period, you could be about three weeks pregnant since conception most often occurs two weeks after the first day of your last menstrual period.
When your baby (which is called an embryo from week three to week eight) attaches to the wall of your uterus, light spotting can occur. If you notice light spotting at this time, you might simply think your period is lighter than normal, when in fact this is a symptom of pregnancy.
Frequent Urination is Another Early Pregnancy Symptom
You might realize that you are going to the bathroom a lot more than normal and that your bladder feels fuller in the early weeks of pregnancy. Frequent urination in early pregnancy is one early sign of pregnancy.
Even though it is still too early for your expanding uterus to be heavily pressing on your bladder as it does in your last trimester, your bladder does become more sensitive and irritable in the early week of pregnancy. One reason for this is that the increased pregnancy hormones cause your renal pelvis and ureters to dilate. This is one reason why it feels like you need to urinate more frequently.
Nausea and/or Vomiting (or Morning Sickness) is a Pregnancy Symptom that Occurs Around Six Weeks
If you have missed some of the earlier signs of pregnancy, chances are good you will not miss morning sickness as a sign of pregnancy unless you think you have a stomach flu. Most women begin to experience morning sickness by the sixth week of pregnancy and it may last until about 12 weeks of pregnancy or later. The good news is that morning sickness typically gets better as your pregnancy progresses.
Taking a Home Pregnancy Test to Identify if You are Pregnant
One of the best ways to identify for certain if you are pregnant is to take a home pregnancy test. Home pregnancy tests are more accurate if you take them after you have missed a period and if you take them first thing in the morning. It is important to note that home pregnancy tests are not always accurate and you may get what is known as a false negative.
It is possible, for example, for the result to show that you are not pregnant when in fact, you are pregnant. If you continue to have pregnancy symptoms even when your home pregnancy test is negative, be sure to see your care provider or visit your local health clinic.
References:
Lowdermilk, Perry, Bobak, Maternity and Women's Health Care, seventh edition, Mosby Inc. 2000.
 |
