Is it possible that you are pregnant? As for some women, some of the earliest symptoms of pregnancy appear in the first few weeks after conception.
However, even before you miss a period, you may suspect – or hope – that you’re pregnant. For some females, early pregnancy symptoms begin in the first few weeks after conception.
These early pregnancy symptoms can also vary in their intensity, frequency and duration.
The early early pregnancy symptoms and signs that follow are only a guideline. A number of early pregnancy symptoms can appear similar to routine pre-menstrual discomforts.
Tender, swollen breasts
These might provide one of the first symptoms of pregnancy. Even early as two weeks after conception, the hormonal changes in our bodies may make your breasts tender, tingly or sore. Or at least your breasts may feel fuller and heavier.
Fatigue as one of the early pregnancy symptoms
Experiencing some fatigue and tiredness also ranks high among early symptoms of pregnancy. During the time of early pregnancy, the levels of the hormone progesterone soar. In some high doses, the hormone progesterone can put you to sleep and at the same time, lower blood sugar levels, lower blood pressure and increased blood production may team in order to sap your energy during your pregnancy.
Slight bleeding or cramping
Many times, a small amount of spotting or vaginal bleeding is one of the first symptoms of pregnancy. This is commonly known as implantation bleeding, and it happens when the fertilised egg attaches to the lining of the uterus – about 10 to 14 days after fertilisation. This kind of bleeding is usually a bit earlier, spottier and lighter in color than a normal period and does not really last as long. Some of us might as well experience abdominal cramping early in pregnancy. These kinds of cramps are similar to menstrual cramps.
Nausea with or without vomiting
Experiencing some morning sickness, that may strike at any time of the day or night, is one of the classic symptoms of pregnancy. For some of us females, the queasiness begins as early as two weeks after conception. Nausea tends to stem at least in part from rapidly rising levels of estrogen, which causes the stomach to empty more slowly. Women that are pregnant also have a heightened sense of smell, so various odors – such as foods cooking, perfume or cigarette smoke – might cause waves of nausea in early pregnancy. There actually exist some hints and tips to help combat the effects of morning sickness.
Food aversions or cravings
During the time you are pregnant, you might as well find yourself turning up your nose at certain foods, such as coffee or fried foods. Food craving is common as well. Same as most other symptoms of pregnancy, these food preferences can be chalked up to hormonal changes – especially in the first trimester, when hormonal changes are the most dramatic.
Headaches
While you are early in pregnancy, increased blood circulation caused by hormonal changes may trigger frequent, mild headaches.
Constipation
This one is yet another common early symptom of pregnancy. A boost in progesterone causes food to pass more slowly through the intestines, which can in turn lead to constipation.
Mood swings
The flood of the diverse hormones in your body in early pregnancy can make you unusually emotional and weepy. Some mood swings are also common, especially in the first trimester.
Faintness and dizziness
As it happens that your blood vessels dilate and your blood pressure drops, you may feel lightheaded or dizzy. While early in the pregnancy, faintness also may be triggered by low blood sugar.
Raised basal body temperature
The basal body temperature is your oral temperature when you first wake up in the morning. This temperature boosts slightly soon after ovulation and remains at that level until your next period. In case you have been charting your basal body temperature to determine when you ovulate, its continued elevation for more than two weeks may mean that you’re pregnant.
Missed Period
This one is perhaps the most obvious early symptom of pregnancy is when you’ve missed your period. This kind of sign of pregnancy is often what causes women to search for more details about the other pregnancy symptoms.
Some females may only experience a much lighter period compared to their usual. You may not exactly experience any of the pregnancy signs listed below until around the time you notice you’ve missed your monthly cycle.
Just “Feeling” Pregnant
This kind of early pregnancy symptom might be the reason why you are checking this list right now. Many of us females believe they have an intuition about pregnancy signs. The intuition they have is often proven correct.
It might just be that you just feel different; moody, queasy, tired, lightheaded. You may also have heartburn, constipation, or find yourself making more frequent trips to the toilet and just maybe you feel a dull ache or stiffness in the lower back, or maybe you have some sore breasts or they kind of seem overly sensitive, or you are simply not feeling like your usual self.
How can you tell for sure if you are pregnant?
What is sad is that, these symptoms are not so unique to pregnancy. Some of these can indicate that you’re getting sick or that your period is about to start. Similar to that, you might as well be pregnant without experiencing any of these symptoms.
Yet, in case you miss a period or notice any of the tip-offs on this list, you might want to take a home pregnancy test – especially if you are not keeping tabs of your menstrual cycle or if it varies widely from one month to the next. If the home pregnancy test that you have done is positive, make sure to make an appointment with your health care provider and the sooner your pregnancy is confirmed, the sooner you can begin prenatal care.
In case you are worried about possible early symptoms of pregnancy, you can put your mind at ease with a pregnancy test. What is more than just a pregnancy symptom, this is scientific proof positive of whether you are expecting a baby or not.
These tests for pregnancy work best if you wait to take them until at least a day or two after you miss your period. Even though the pregnancy test result is negative you should try it again a few days later to be sure.
