Early Signs of Pregnancy
Very Early Signs of Pregnancy
Wondering if you are pregnant?
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I remember the days I felt I was pregnant. Both my pregnancies were
planned, yet the early signs of pregnancy were very confusing. I estimated
the best days of conception using online pregnancy calculators. Since
I have a very regular period I counted on the accuracy of the estimated
dates.
Yet whether you are pregnant or not is not so easy to
understand for sure from the early signs of pregnancy. The first confirmation
came from the pregnancy test. I felt uneasy until it was confirmed,
even though I was pretty sure when I was pregnant.
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One of the very early signs of pregnancy which is rarely
mentioned is the instinctive feeling that something has changed. It
can be something obvious for other people also. When I got pregnant
the first time I felt it. I could not explain how, but I was sure. When
I made the test too early it was negative, and got very disappointed,
yet deep inside I felt that I was pregnant and bought another test.
After one week, the test was still negative. I felt awful, but dared
to buy one more test. This time it was positive. Ye! What a joy it was!
So trust your gut feelings as a very very early sign of pregnancy!
When I got pregnant and it was not yet confirmed by a
test, a friend of mine told me that I looked like that, because my eyes
were unusually bright and the skin had change in complexion. Changes
in the way a woman looks like are sometimes more obvious to other. This
seems to be also one of the early signs of pregnancy.
Other early signs of pregnancy are tender, swollen breasts,
fatigue, slight bleeding or cramping, nausea with or without vomiting,
food aversion or cravings, headaches, mood swings, constipation, faintness
or dizziness, raised basal body temperature, etc.
As early as two weeks after conception, there are hormonal
changes which can make your breasts tingle or feel sore and tender.
Sometimes women feel their breasts fuller and heavier.
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Another sign is something women take for a start of a
period. Often around the time of your regular period, you might have
cramping and bleeding. I have experienced this symptom as one of the
early signs of pregnancy. It is very confusing, because you wonder if
this is a period or a sign of miscarriage if the pregnancy test was
already positive. This bleeding is usually spottier, lighter in color
and very short compared to a normal period. It happens when the fertilized
egg attaches to the lining of the uterus and is known as implantation
bleeding. This bleeding comes about 10 to 14 days after fertilization.
Another of the early signs of pregnancy is fatigue. This
sign ranks high among early signs of pregnancy. The reason for it is
that the hormone progesterone soars and makes women sleepy. At the same
time, your energy is sapped by lower blood sugar levels, lower blood
pressure and increased blood production.
One of the early signs of pregnancy is caused by another
hormone estrogen, whose level also rises, causes the stomach to empty
more slowly. That is why the morning sickness, which can strike at any
time of the day or night, is a classic sign of pregnancy. When I got
pregnant my sense of smell got very strong and any odor of food, perfume,
cigarette smoke - made me feel nausea.
Also I felt very hungry. I had a craving for food. At
the same time I have heard my friends saying just the opposite that
their tastes changes dramatically. They turned up their nose at the
usual morning coffee and much loved before junk foods, and fried potatoes,
for example. Often food preferences are chalked up to hormonal changes.
A very early and not much mentioned sign of pregnancy
is the change in the drive for sex. Some women feel turned off by the
idea of having sex, while others have dramatically increased drive for
it. The reason is besides the hormonal changes, the increase flow of
blood to the genital area and hence the higher sensitivity.
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The flood of hormones in your body in early pregnancy
can make you very emotional. I remember how sensitive I felt in both
my pregnancies. Especially during my second one I felt unusually weepy.
It was very strange for me and I wondered if everything was ok. It is
comforting to know that frequent mood swings, headaches, faintness and
dizziness are normal in the first trimester.
Most of these symptoms of pregnancy are very confusing,
but there is another one which is more reliable - raised basal body
temperature (the oral temperature when you first wake up in the morning).
This temperature increases slightly after ovulation and remains at that
level until the next period. If you are pregnant the temperature will
continue to rise over the next two weeks. It is easier to use this symptom
if you have been charting your basal body temperature before conception.
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All these signs of pregnancy are not reliable. As soon
as you miss your period, it is a good idea to take a pregnancy test.
If it is positive, consult your doctor, nurse practitioner or midwife.
It is good for you to be aware of your baby as early as possible.
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