Am I Pregnant? Early Signs of Pregnancy & When to Test

Early Signs of Pregnancy

The signs of pregnancy differ from person to person. One may experience some symptoms or all of them, and one may also not experience any symptoms at all. Some of the most common early signs of pregnancy are missing periods, fatigue, changes in breasts, nausea, and frequent urination.

All those women are confounded with doubts about whether they are pregnant; here are several common and not-so-common signs of pregnancy that they would be watchful about.

What are Common Signs of pregnancy?

Halted menses or missed period: Though the skipped period is not sure-shot evidence, it could be a strong indication of pregnancy.

Missed Period
Halted menses or Missed period

Lethargy or Fatigue: In several females, feeling exhausted is the earliest sign of pregnancy. If one senses a sudden urge to take afternoon naps, it could indicate being pregnant.

Lethargy or Fatigue

Changes in the breasts: Alongside feelings of exhaustion, breast alterations are probably the most preliminary signs of pregnancy. Changes in the breast could include feeling full and tender, sensitiveness on contact, size changes and the areola (skin area encircling the nipples) becoming dark.

Changes in the breasts / Sore breasts

Feeling nauseous and puking: Feeling nauseous and puking, additionally called morning sickness, is one of the symptoms of pregnancy. Though all women in others do not experience morning sickness, it could occur even 2-4 weeks after skipped menses.

Feeling nauseous and puking
Feeling nauseous and puking

Increased Urination: No sooner has a woman conceived; there is a rise in blood volume, and the kidneys which produce urine also become more efficient. The uterus is situated behind the bladder. When it becomes more significant to accommodate the growing baby and, as a result, pushes against the bladder, all of which contribute to increased urination.

Frequent Urination
Frequent Urination

Feeling full, bloated, aching sensation in the abdomen: In several women, pregnancy signs and symptoms imitate those of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Some women would even complain of loose bowels or feeling constipated when pregnant.

Feeling full, bloated, aching sensation in the abdomen :
Feeling full, bloated, aching sensation in the abdomen

Mood fluctuations and Irritable Behaviour: Hormonal variations merged with weariness could elicit mood fluctuations and angry behaviour. In case a heightened sense of crabbiness is experienced, it could be an indication of pregnancy. One needs to remember that feeling tetchy could also be a PMS symptom. Other prevalent signs of pregnancy comprise increased emission from the vagina, feeling opposed to some food items or odours, weight increase, and constipation.

Mood Swings

Less Prevalent signs of Pregnancy

Implantation Bleeding: An estimated 20% of females would have bleeding after implantation of the fertilized egg into the uterine lining. Implantation bleeding is classically faint in appearance and scanty in amount and usually arises about 10 – 14 days after conception.

Cramping: Some pregnant women experience mild uterine cramping early in pregnancy.

Cramping
Cramping

Heightened Instances of Headaches: In the case of women suffering from headaches, conception generally causes a decrease in their frequency. In others, there could be a noticeable rise in the number of instances headaches are felt during pregnancy. Unexplained frequent headaches later in pregnancy can signify a more serious condition called pre-eclampsia.

Heightened Instances of Headaches
Heightened Instances of Headaches

Food aversions, food cravings, excessive hunger:  Pregnant women become more sensitive to certain odours, and their sense of taste might change. It happens mainly because of hormonal changes in the body.

food cravings
Food cravings

Nasal congestion: An increase in blood volume can cause the mucous membrane in the nose to swell, dry out and bleed easily. This condition in the nose can cause a stuffy or runny nose.

Nasal congestion
Nasal congestion

When to do a Urine Pregnancy Test?

If you skip your period and notice any of the above symptoms, get the urine pregnancy test done with the first-morning urine sample and consult your gynaecologist.

Consult gynaecologist online