What are the Early Signs of pregnancy?
Symptoms of pregnancy are the signs which indicate a woman is pregnant. Within the first one or two weeks after missing the period, a pregnant woman can notice pregnancy symptoms. Increased levels of pregnancy hormones often cause symptoms like fatigue, tender breasts, morning sickness, and light spotting.
Not only this, some women even experience early pregnancy symptoms like mood swings, bloating, increased vaginal discharge, frequent urination, and intermitted cramping. However, symptoms of pregnancy can differ from woman to woman.
What are the Common early pregnancy symptoms?
Here are some common early signs of pregnancy:
Missed period
Missed period is the first and most common early signs and symptoms of pregnancy for women who become pregnant. This happens when fertilization between egg and sperm is complete, and your body starts to produce the HCG hormone.
HCG is a hormone produced in the placenta after 8 to 10 days of conception to help the foetus grow. This way, your body ceases to ovulate, and the menstruation cycle is absent. Women suspecting pregnancy during this early stage should conduct pregnancy tests to know the presence of HCG hormone and confirm pregnancy.
Explore ▶ HCG Levels in Pregnancy and Miscarriage.
Tender and swollen breasts
Hormonal changes in early pregnancy can make your breasts sensitive and sore. After a few weeks, this discomfort decreases when your body adjusts to hormonal changes.
Spotting or light bleeding
Several women are surprised to know that spotting or light bleeding can be an early symptom of pregnancy. However, only one-third of women experience it. This is often known as implantation bleeding when the fertilized egg attaches to the uterine lining. However, this is different from bleeding that occurs during a miscarriage, which is heavier.
Nausea with or without vomiting
Morning sickness, which occurs at any time of the day or night, usually starts one to two months after becoming pregnant. However, some women feel nausea early, and some women never experience it. The actual cause of nausea during pregnancy is not clear, but pregnancy hormones can make you suffer from nausea.
Frequent urination
Frequent urination is also an early symptom of pregnancy which women experience after missing periods. When pregnant, your body makes additional blood and fluid to bear the developing foetus. This makes the kidneys work hard to filter more blood to eliminate waste products through urine, leading to frequent urination. The urine can show a darker hue, like orange or brown.
Moreover, as the fetus grows, the size of the uterus also expands and puts pressure on your bladder. This causes frequent urination, mainly during night-time.
Fatigue
Fatigue is a pregnancy symptom usually occurring in the first week after conception. The body of pregnant women produces a high level of progesterone to endure the growth of the fetus. On the other hand, increased hormones might slow down your metabolic process.
Due to this reason, the body consumes more energy in the digestive process, making pregnant women feel tired.
Headache and dizziness
Headache and dizziness are the most common early symptoms of pregnancy, which are caused due to hormonal changes in the body and increased blood circulation. Dizziness and headache during pregnancy might appear more or less, depending on a woman's physical condition.
Bloating
Bloating is a common symptom of early pregnancy experienced by pregnant women. It is caused by the increased hormone progesterone, which affects the function of the digestive system. This further results in increased gas in your stomach and cause bloating.
Food aversions
When you are pregnant, you might become sensitive to some odours, and your sense of taste can also change. Like other early pregnancy symptoms, food aversions can be caused due to hormonal changes.
Cramping
Cramping is another early symptom of pregnancy, which occurs almost 1-2 weeks after conception. You will experience sharp pain or cramping in the lower abdomen near the uterus, just like menstrual cramps. This is caused by your body's increased production of hormones to nourish the developing embryo and expansion of the uterus in tandem.
Moreover, Understand ▶ hCG's Role in Pregnancy and Miscarriage.
Summary
Thus, every woman is pregnant differently. Some common early pregnancy symptoms start with missing periods, tiredness, tender breasts, cramping, and bloating. If you think you might be pregnant, then do a home pregnancy test. Also, consult a doctor if you get a positive pregnancy test result.
Discover about ▶ HCG Tests and Low hCG Levels.
