14 Early Signs of Pregnancy

1. The Classic Sensation of Nausea:

The most common, morning sickness and nausea due to pregnancy is not only a morning feature but can last the entire day. Nausea is the most common symptom of pregnancy and owes its popularity to the media as well. It can strike at any time of the day (or night), and the name ‘morning sickness is actually a misnomer. Though the exact cause is unknown, we can safely attribute it to the hormonal changes at play

2. The Supa-Tired Feeling

Do you feel exhausted, tired, or fatigued more often than not? Pregnancy-induced fatigue is mainly caused by the pregnancy hormone progesterone, lower blood sugar levels, and a boost in the production of blood. Just after a week or so after conception, a woman can start to feel tired all the time.

Although not a sure shot sign, if you feel you are getting exhausted suddenly in your routine, there are chances that good news is on the way. Get plenty of rest and increase your intake of proteins to combat the fatigue

3. What’s Up With The Breasts?

Want to go braless? If you feel your breasts are sore, swollen, tender, or even heavier, chances are that your body has started preparing itself for a baby. Just after the conception, a woman’s breasts start to change owing to the increased hormone levels in the body.

You might even notice that the area around the nipple, the areola, has darkened and your breasts might feel painful. This will go away as the body gets adjusted to the new hormones, but as of now, this can be an early symptom of pregnancy

4. A Bathroom, All The Time

If you have frequent urges to pee and are also constipated, your body is probably producing extra fluids to make way for the baby and the bladder is working overtime. This symptom often surfaces somewhere during the 6th or 8th week after conception. But a frequent urge to pee can also be a sign of urinary tract infection or even diabetes, so do weigh your chances before concluding that you are pregnant.

5. Suddenly Fat At The Abdomen

No, a four or six-week baby inside you will not extend your waistline, but hormonal changes could make you bloated causing that tight feeling along the midriff – signaling preps are underway. This may make you uncomfortable, and if this is accompanied by constipation, it may just get worse.

6. Ahh!! The Lower Back

Well, if you feel pains often in the lower back, it could be due to hormones that loosen your ligaments and this may continue all through the pregnancy phase due to weight gain and shift of posture. Many women also complain of headaches during early pregnancy, while some others feel that their backs are just not holding up

7. Food Cravings or Aversions

If you feel you cannot have enough of something, and if your partner’s all eyes popped out at your refusal for strawberries, it could be your body’s way of telling you that you are pregnant

8. Cry, Laugh, Scream

Mood swings; due to hormonal changes is also a preliminary sign of pregnancy. If you feel being pumped up with emotions, good, bad, and ugly, it is probably the surging levels of estrogen and progesterone doing the talking. You might cry for any weird reason, and might be getting more irritable by the day. Care for a pregnancy test as yet?

9. Vaginal discharge

A white, milky vaginal discharge may also indicate pregnancy. This discharge is due to the vaginal walls that start to thicken almost immediately when conception happens. This discharge may well stay there for the entire pregnancy. But an itching sensation, bad odor, or a burning feeling may be a sign of infection – do see your doctor right away

10. The World Goes Round, and I Go Down

Dizziness and fainting, just like it is in the movies, can also pronounce big time that you are pregnant, though it is directed by low blood sugar or blood pressure in your body. This lead to lower blood sugar levels and dilating blood vessels. A heightened sense of smell, be it good or bad can also signal something’s cooking inside

11. Spotting And Cramping

Some women experience PMS cramping in the uterine, even though the period is a bit away. It is a possible sign of pregnancy and can be noticed just a few days after conception when the fertilized egg implants itself.

Anywhere between 6 to 12 days, you might notice cramps like you have during periods, and some light spotting, known as implantation bleeding. Some women might mistake the bleeding for their period, but this bleeding and cramps are quite light and fade away quickly

12. Missed Period

A missed period is one symptom that prompts women to seek a home pregnancy test. However, you must know that a missed period can also be caused due to hormonal changes, if you have lost or gained too much weight, or have just stopped taking birth control pills. Some women may miss their period if they have been stressed or fatigued lately.

However, if you have a fairly normal cycle, and it’s passed by a week or two, we say get to the chemist and do a home pregnancy test soon. If it’s not yet pink, and you do not get your periods yet, try again in a week or so

13. High Basal Body Temperature

If you have been charting and monitoring your BBT, an elevated BBT constantly for 18 days indicates pregnancy. And the temperature will stay high all through your pregnancy period

14. That Feeling of Being Pregnant

If this is what you feel all the time, we say you trust your gut and wait till it is a few days post your period – take the HPT and be confirmed. And if your gut is positive, well, Happy Pregnancy!!

Do All Women Get The Same Early Signs Of Pregnancy?

All women and all pregnancies are different. If a friend or a sister of yours had a specific pregnancy symptom, it is not necessary that you will have it too. In fact, if you go from one pregnancy to another, your own symptoms may not be the same. Also, most of the early pregnancy symptoms are somewhat like the ones when your period is due, so it is not easy to notice them. The only sure-shot way is to take a pregnancy test and get an appointment with the doctor as soon as the test reads positive.