Early Pregnancy Signs and Symptoms

From WikiParenting

There are clues your body gives that can tell you that you are pregnant, even before your pregnancy is confirmed by a pregnancy test and before you have missed a period. Look for these common early symptoms of pregnancy:

[edit] Breast changes

Breast changes during pregnancy may be the biggest early pregnancy symptom. Very early in pregnancy, you may find that your breasts may be:

• Swollen
• Sore
• Tender
• Tingly
• Fuller
• Heavier

[edit] Energy level

Has your energy level plummeted lately? Pregnancy hormones may be partly to blame. The hormone progesterone increases in pregnancy, and can leave you feeling fatigued. Other changes associated with pregnancy may contribute as your body prepares to carry a child:

• Lowered blood sugar levels
• Decreases in blood pressure
• Increased blood production

[edit] Spotting

An early symptom of pregnancy for some women – but not all – is implantation bleeding. Implantation bleeding happens earlier than you would expect in your cycle to be a normal period, and is much lighter in flow and color than a normal period. Implantation bleeding happens when a fertilized egg nestles into the lining of the uterus. If you have this early pregnancy indicator, it will happen about 10 to 14 days after you ovulated.

[edit] Morning sickness

Some women are unfortunate enough to be hit with morning sickness very early in their pregnancy. This classic symptom can strike any time of the day despite its common name, and may or may not result in vomiting.

[edit] Smell aversions

Pregnant women sometimes have a heightened sense of smell, and strong odors may make you queasy or sick to your stomach. Odors like cigarette smoke, perfume, or cooking food that you find objectionable may be a clue that you are pregnant.

[edit] Cravings

Food cravings are experienced by most women at some point during their pregnancy. Many women find that they crave foods they enjoyed when they were not pregnant, but also foods that they did not care for or would not consider eating before they were pregnant.

[edit] Headaches

If you are having frequent mild headaches, they may be a result of the influences of pregnancy hormones. The increased blood volume associated with pregnancy may trigger headaches in some women.

[edit] Constipation

Constipation early in pregnancy is usually due to pregnancy hormones. They slow the movement of food through the intestines which causes more water to be drawn from the stool. This results in a firmer stool which, due to the slower action of the intestines, is hard to pass.

[edit] Changes in mood

Unexplained changes in mood may be the result of fluctuating pregnancy hormones, and an early pregnancy symptom.

[edit] Dizziness

You may experience a feeling of faintness or dizziness early in your pregnancy. You can blame low blood sugar levels, decreases in blood pressure, and dilating blood vessels for this one.

[edit] Increased BBT

If you have been tracking your basal body temperature, you will see a temperature increase from the point of ovulation onward.

[edit] Missed period

While there are other reasons for missing a period, such as:

• Stress
• Medications
• Being over or under weight
• Illness

Missing a period is for most women the number one early pregnancy symptom that they have.

[edit] Testing

If you have any of these early pregnancy symptoms, you will need to perform a pregnancy test to be sure that you are pregnant. Many of these early pregnancy signs and symptoms can be present in women who are not pregnant.