Home Getting Pregnant Pregnancy Baby Toddler Child For You Blog Forum

Early Pregnancy Symptoms

There are some symptoms that may indicate that you have conceived before a pregnancy test will be able to show you a positive result. Cramping can be one of the earliest signs of pregnancy. This symptom is kind of tricky because some women do experience cramping in the weeks before their period begins. When cramping occurs as an early pregnancy symptom it is usually because the fertilized egg is attaching to the uterine wall.

Having breasts that are swollen and tender can be another early pregnancy symptom. Hormonal changes in a woman during pregnancy may cause your breasts to be more sensitive than they usually are. Some women do experience some breast tenderness at the time of ovulation and when their period is about to start. Breast tenderness during pregnancy usually feels a bit different, but if this is your first pregnancy you may not be able to tell for sure.

Fatigue is also an early pregnancy symptom. The increase in progesterone, a prominent pregnancy hormone, can make you feel absolutely exhausted. Progesterone is present in the week following ovulation and can make you feel tired pregnant or not. If your fatigue continues or worsens after the week following ovulation it may well be a sign of early pregnancy.

Being nauseated can be a symptom of early pregnancy. Some women will feel nauseated well before they miss a period. The increase in hormones can make a woman nauseated. Many people (doctors included) will tell you that nausea from pregnancy won't start until after the six week mark. However, there have been many women who felt nauseous before that little stick turned blue!

Bloating is a common symptom of an impending period, but it is also an early pregnancy symptom. An increase in the hormone Progesterone thickens the lining of the uterus and can make your abdomen look and feel bloated. The increase in pregnancy hormones also slows down your digestive tract and this may also cause bloat. Try drinking more water and less caffeine. Caffeinated beverages can make you retain more water which will make bloating worse.

Diarrhea or constipation can be a sign of early pregnancy. The hormonal changes in early pregnancy that slow down the digestive tract can frequently cause constipation. The Iron in prenatal vitamins can also cause constipation. If you suspect that you are pregnant drink lots of water and add some high fiber foods to your diet to combat the constipation.

Diarrhea is not as common of an early pregnancy symptom, but the increase in hormones can affect some women differently than others.

Headaches are another symptom of early pregnancy that are related to the increase in hormone levels. Headaches can also be caused by the increase in blood volume during pregnancy. Not all women will suffer from headaches in early pregnancy, and some pregnant women are lucky enough to bypass this symptom throughout their pregnancy.

Headaches during pregnancy can also be related to dehydration. Many pregnant women notice an increase in how frequently they have to go to the bathroom. If you aren't replacing what is coming out quickly enough you can get dehydrated easily. Some of the first symptoms of dehydration are headaches and increased thirst. If you find yourself with a headache, pregnant or not, drink a big glass of water and see if it helps.

Back pain is a common premenstrual complaint, but back pain may also be a sign of early pregnancy. This can be caused by the cramping from implantation bleeding, or from bloating or constipation. Some early pregnancy back pain is also related to the stretching of your uterus as it grows to make room for baby.

If you are pregnant you may experience some light spotting in the week to ten days prior to your expected period. The spotting is caused by implantation bleeding where the fertilized egg attaches to the uterine wall. Only about 25% of pregnant women experience spotting though so do don't worry if that is an early pregnancy symptom you miss.

If you have been tracking your basal body temperature as part of your efforts to conceive you may notice an increase in your basal body temperature as an early pregnancy symptom. This is generally considered an early symptom of pregnancy if you see a second increase in your basal body temperature about seven days after ovulation.

One of the first early pregnancy symptoms that you may notice is a darkening of your areola. Many pregnant women will notice that their areola turn a different color and get a little wider when they are pregnant. If your areola are normally pink they may turn brown, and if they are normally brown they may turn a darker shade of brown. For some women this will happen as early as a week after ovulation.

Vaginal discharge is another possible indicator of early pregnancy. During ovulation your cervical mucus will become more prevalent, but after ovulation if you are not pregnant it dries up. If you are pregnant you may notice a yellowish or cream colored discharge with a lotion like consistency. Vaginal discharge is not a very good indicator of pregnancy because there are so many other things that can cause a discharge.
Mood swings can be an indication of early pregnancy.

Many women suffer from mood swings before their period starts but PMS mood swings are usually on the angry side. Mood swings in early pregnancy will typically push a woman to tears rather than anger. This is not to say that a pregnant woman will not experience mood swings in the form of rages later in her pregnancy!

In early pregnancy some women may notice that they have to go to the bathroom to urinate more frequently. Most women are aware that this occurs in later pregnancy because the baby is pushing on your bladder, but this symptom can start very early in pregnancy for some women.

Your blood volume increases during pregnancy and your bladder and kidneys have to work harder to process all of the extra fluid. Your uterus also expands during pregnancy and can push on you bladder and kidneys causing more frequent trips to the bathroom.

A heightened sense of smell may be the very first pregnancy symptom that you notice. This change can occur well before you miss your period, and you may find that things you previously thought smelled great smell terrible to you.

Some pregnant women are so sensitive to smells that they need to change to unscented laundry detergents and body washes to keep from feeling ill when they use them. There are no physical changes in a pregnant woman's nose, and it does not get bigger as some old wives' tales suggest! No one is really sure why pregnant women have such a heightened sense of smell, but it could be related to an increase in hormones.

Food aversions are another early pregnancy symptom. Your sense of smell and taste are very closely related, and you may find that you can no longer tolerate the sight or smell of your favorite foods.

Frequently, one of the first aversions a pregnant woman may notice is that their morning cup of coffee no longer smells or tastes good, and the smell or taste of it may send them running for the bathroom. Craving certain foods such as chocolate or salty snacks can be a symptom of PMS, but generally a woman who is not pregnant will not suffer from food aversions.

Although it is not a symptom that most women associate with early pregnancy, increased thirst can be a sign that you are pregnant. You already know that pregnancy can cause increased urination because of higher blood volume, but this increased urination can make you thirsty too. Staying well hydrated is a good habit to get into for the duration of your pregnancy.

Now you know the symptoms of early pregnancy, but what do you do now? Should you go ahead and take a pregnancy test? Most pregnancy tests will not show a positive result until four or five days before you miss your period, and you may notice some of these early pregnancy symptoms several days before that. Remember that the pregnancy hormones in your urine and blood increase daily.

If you get a negative result five days before your period is supposed to start you could easily just be testing too soon. If you just can't wait to take a pregnancy test make sure that you get one that is marketed for early pregnancy, and test with your first morning urine because it is the most concentrated. Try not to be discouraged if you get a negative result and test again in a few days.

If you suspect that you are pregnant it is a good idea to start making sure you are eating plenty of healthy foods, drinking lots of water, and getting plenty of sleep. Growing a baby inside of you is hard and exhausting work and balanced nutrition, hydration, and plenty of rest can make a huge difference in how you feel through out your pregnancy.

If you are not already a member of our pregnancy and baby community site, why not join today, we have members from all around the world, which you can exchange ideas with. Its fun and best of all its free!

Video Source: Youtube