15 Early Symptoms of Pregnancy

Many women who are pregnant say that they know exactly when they got pregnant while there are others who even after being pregnant for several weeks are still unsure about their status. The sure-shot way to know whether you are pregnant or not is by taking a pregnancy test but there are certain early symptoms of pregnancy which might give you an inkling as to whether you are pregnant or not. In addition to a missed period which gives a good enough indication there are many other symptoms which would equally give you an idea of the status of your pregnancy. It is true that pregnancy symptoms vary from women to women but the below mentioned symptoms finds common ground with many women.

1.Tingling Sensation in Nipples

No sooner does your body get the signal that you are pregnant, the pregnancy hormones swing into action leading to your breasts receiving an increased supply of blood which causes a kind of tingling sensation in the nipples.  As you proceed with your trimester, your body gets habituated to the hormones levels and this feeling gradually subsides.

2. Tender Breasts

Tender breasts are also one of the signs of pregnancy. You will generally get this feeling in the first trimester. Soon after one conceives, rapid hormonal changes take place in the body. Due to this your breasts might feel sore and swollen to the touch. Also under the influence of hormones, the areolas get darker and wider to get the breasts ready for breastfeeding.

3.Cramping and Spotting

Once you conceive, the fertilized egg enters the uterus and attaches itself to its wall. This process called embryo implantation might cause minor spotting which is also known by the name of implantation bleeding. Some women also experience cramps – a feeling similar to what you have when your period is due.

4. Morning sickness

Generally morning sickness starts at about 6 weeks but in some women the feeling of nausea starts right from 4 week onwards. Contrary to its name you could feel nauseous anytime of the day though morning sickness is definitely more common in the morning.

5. Feeling Breathless

When we are pregnant our heart pumps excess blood through the body. This leads to our heart beating faster which results in a blood pressure drop. Thus women get these bouts of light-headedness and dizziness early on pregnancy.

6. Mood Swings

Many women report to experiencing extreme mood swings during the early stages of their pregnancy. A lot of hormonal changes occur in the body when one becomes pregnant and our body needs time to adjust to the new hormones. This takes the form of mood swings where women are given over to heightened sense of emotion.

 7. Altered Food Habits

Sudden change in food habits could be an early indication that you are pregnant. For instance you might suddenly develop an aversion to the foods that you loved till yesterday or suddenly hate the smell of a certain food. All this could indicate that you are pregnant.  

8. Feeling Tired

If you are an energetic person but lately you feel that you are hitting the bed more often then you could be pregnant. Although it’s not a reliable indicator still it’s a very common symptom in pregnant women. There is an increased level of progesterone in the body when one is pregnant and this could be the reason for that tired and exhausted feeling. By the second trimester this feeling subsides which again increases during your last trimester.

9. Headaches

Those women who are more prone to headaches find the frequency of headaches increasing. An increase of hormones in your body may cause headaches in some women who are in the early days of their pregnancy.

10. Bloated Feeling

Many women after getting pregnant report to experiencing a bloated sensation in their abdomen and of passing gas more frequently. It is because there is increased amount of progesterone hormone in the body. This hormone helps in relaxation of muscle tissues. As a result of this relaxation, your digestion also slows down which leads to increased incidence of gas, flatulence and bloating.

11. Back Pain

Are you lately experiencing back pain? If so then this could mean you are pregnant especially if you never had any problem with your back. Here we cannot offer you any consolation as this is one problem that might stay with you throughout your pregnancy.

12. Frequent Urge to Urinate

Once you become pregnant the pregnancy hormones lead to increased blood flow to the kidneys. This makes the bladder fill up faster thus you get the urge to urinate more frequently. This is one symptom which increases as you progress with your trimester.

13.  Increased Basal Temperature

An increased body temperature for more than two weeks is a strong indicator that you are pregnant especially when you have been trying to conceive. Take your temperature first thing in the morning and record its findings for about 2 weeks. If you find that it is higher than what your normal body temperature should be then most probably you are pregnant.

14.  Heartburn

This is one of the common symptom which a woman experiences during pregnancy. In some women it lasts throughout while others have these symptoms off and on. The multiplicity of hormones in the body when one is pregnant slow down the digestion process. This results in the stomach producing more acid to help in digestion. A portion of these excess acids might travel up the esophagus and cause a feeling of heartburn. 

15. Missed Period

A missed period is one of the most prominent symptoms of pregnancy. If you have missed a period chances are you might be pregnant. However, one needs to know that not all missed periods lead to pregnancy especially in women who have irregular periods.

 

Taking a home pregnancy test will set your heart at ease but a pregnancy test proves most effective only after you have missed your period. Till that time you can look out for these symptoms and prepare yourself mentally to the big task ahead.