Are you pregnant? Or feel you could be? What are the signs of early pregnancy?
Please note: Not ALL the symptoms can happen at the same time, some women may not even feel these symptoms at all, whereas some women will have an overload of several symptoms all together.
The earliest symptoms of pregnancy can appear in the first few weeks after conception.
Pregnancy symptoms can vary in intensity, frequency and duration.
Many women have described early pregnancy signs to be very similar to pre-menstrual discomfort.
Take a pregnancy test?
Although someone may say, “Well if you think your pregnant, then just take a pregnancy test?”
Taking a pregnancy test in the early weeks, may not always be the case. Here’s why:
– You could be in early days for any pregnancy test to even detect a change. The most advanced popular pregnancy test on the market is probably “Clear blue” It states It can pick up your pregnancy within 1-2 weeks of conceiving. However many women have proven this to be incorrect. I myself used Clearblue 2 weeks after conceiving, however it showed me as ‘not pregnant’. Not just that I actually used the Clearblue test again 6 weeks later and it STILL showed as ‘not pregnant’. Considering I was overdue on my periods and had the ‘feels’ how could this be possible. I then tried the clear blue test again at 8 weeks which then confirmed ‘pregnant’.
Now, this couldn’t necessarily mean that there was a fault with the actual Clearblue test itself. It probably meant, there maybe wasn’t enough HCG level for the test to pick up. Or it actually could simply mean, the tests are not accurate. (sorry Clearblue!)
Signs of early pregnancy continued…
– Secondly you could be feeling symptoms straight after concieving (yes this is possible) and you just want to makesure that, you are pregnant.
– Pregnancy tests may not be readily available where you live.
– You don’t feel too good (high fever, excruciating pain) and need to rule certain things out before you make your way to the hospital to check if everything’s okay. Sometimes the egg can implant itself incorrectly, mostly known as ectopic implantation. This can cause extreme discomfort and can be dangerous, therefore making it better to check if you could be pregnant or if the pain is to do with something else.
– You could have underlying health issues and pregnacy can affect you adversely, hence you would need to find out asap.
– Your just overly excited and want to find out anyway – very common! I was too. I remember rumaging the internet for early signs, when I was pregnant with my first born.
Every women’s body is different, regardless. You don’t need to be told to wait before you can find out.
Although, these below are not ‘all’ the signs of early pregnancy. They are experienced the most in many pregnant women during the first few weeks.
What are the signs of early pregnancy? Let’s have a look.
You “Feel” Pregnant
This is probably 99% of why you are here. You feel pregnant right! There’s no right or wrong way to feel pregnant, however it does trigger your mind to think ‘why’ you are feeling this way. Is this even a sign? Yes! It’s an early sign of pregnancy actually. Your body is very clever at communicating with you and can sometimes send vibes making you think you are ‘pregnant’. Many women have said they have an intuition about pregnancy signs. I myself was one of those. During my second pregnancy I had the ‘feels’. Was I correct, YES!
So why do you feel different? It could be a change of routine, change of body structure, some cramps here and there, loss of appetite, queasy etc. Your basically not feeling your usual self. If that is correct, then read on, as the ‘feel’ may lead onto more symptoms which may confirm you could be pregnant.
Raised basal body temperature
Did you know, your body temperature can detect pregnancy and even ovulation. Many women charter there body temperature when they are trying to conceive. Your basal body temperature naturally increases slightly soon after ovulation and remains at that level until your next period. If the temperature continues to rise for more than 2 weeks after ovulation, this could be a sign you are pregnant.
This is a very common sign and can also be a positive sign too. This is another sign I had experienced also with my first born. I remember getting a full blown temperature shortly after ovulation which lasted 2 weeks. It wasn’t the normal type of temperature where your I’ll and coughing and full of flu. No! It’s different. My body just remained very warm and I felt extremely weak during those weeks.
This is nothing to worry about as your body tends to return to normal quiet quickly after this type of temperature.
Tender, swollen breasts
Another very common pregnancy sign which can be detected as early as 2 weeks after conception. Tender and sore breasts. This is due to hormonal changes and some research even suggests it’s because after ovulation your body starts geting prepared and one of the signs is tender sore breasts, as they will be filling up with milk as the months go by. Your breasts may feel fuller and heavier also. Breasts can grow fuller up to a cup size bigger and remain full through out the pregnancy.
Tired/Fatigue
Fatigue and tiredness also rank high among early signs of pregnancy.
In early pregnancy, levels of the hormone progesterone increases. You will naturally feel tired as this body change is happening. At the same time, lower blood sugar levels, lower blood pressure and increased blood production also occurs and you can imagine, when your body is doing all this work inside you, you are bound to feel tired!
Cramps and Spotting
Implantation bleeding is also a very common early pregnancy sign. Most women do get this mixed up with their real period, but they are different.
Implantation bleeding is not heavy like your regular bleeding and only occurs for a few days. It is spotting like bleeding which happens when the fertilised egg attaches to the lining of the uterus – about 10 to 14 days after fertilisation.
However, when it happens, can vary from women to women. This was another sign I had, with a twist. My implantation bleeding actually began 8 weeks after concieving. It was only when I went in for my ultrasound scan they noticed a little heart beat inside me which confirmed late implantation. (Being 2 months pregnant and bleeding is not a nice feeling, however regardless of when this happens, it isn’t harmful to your baby). Many women don’t experience implantation bleeding as it doesn’t be enough to cause spotting or even leak out.
Some women also experience abdominal cramping early in pregnancy.
These cramps are similar to menstrual cramps and are very common. It’s just a sign to show your body is getting ready to form a baby, ofcourse it’s going to have to stretch and pull here and there a little, causing the discomfort. Some pregnancy cramps can last a few months, however they should only be mild and nothing unbearable.
Morning Sickness
Morning sickness, a classic indication that you could be pregnant. And if you don’t detect it, then I’m pretty sure your family members will. I come from an asian background and I can definetely say the elders in my family would always look out for this sign. It was like, if you vomited (being a married women ofcourse) then its 100% guaranteed your pregnant. Who needs a pregnancy test hey! Luckily with both my pregnancies I didn’t feel nauseous at all. Safe to say I got away from being under the radar.
Morning sickness can strike at any time of the day or night. It can begin as early as two weeks after conception and last a few weeks, few months (normally first trimester) or even the whole pregnancy. Nausea is experienced due to the rapidly rising levels of estrogen, which causes the stomach to empty more slowly in vomit form. Nausea can be triggered by anything. As Pregnant women have a heightened sense of smell, various odors – such as foods cooking, perfume or cigarette smoke – may cause sudden waves of nausea.
Nausea without vomit
A horrible feeling that you want to vomit but nothing comes out. This was another sign I experienced. I found sucking on a sweet would help prevent the longetivity of this feeling.
Food aversions or cravings
Many women have experienced this sign as early on as 2 weeks also. You will either be put off by certain foods or begin liking foods you never liked before. Food cravings are common and these are all linked to hormonal changes in the body which cause these aversions and cravings to happen. During the first trimester, these cravings and aversions are most dramatic as that’s when your body goes through the most hormonal changes.
I never experienced any aversions or cravings with either of my pregnancy’s. That feeling of wanting Ice-cream at 2am! NOPE! It’s always made me wonder what pregnant women who having cravings, actually feel like.
Leave me a comment below if you’ve had super high food cravings and what it’s like.
Headaches
During early pregnancy, increased blood circulation caused by hormonal changes can trigger frequent and mild headaches.
Similar to headaches, another early sign of pregnancy can be faint or dizziness. As your blood vessels dilate and your blood pressure drops, you may feel light headed or dizzy. It can also be due to lowered blood sugar levels. So ensure to keep topped up on those energy fruits and drinks.
Mood swings
Mood swings also are common, especially in the first trimester.
As your body goes through the most hormonal change during the first trimester, that’s when these odd swings are on a high also. Mood swings can make you emotional and weepy. They are basically uncontrollable tantrums which pregnant women simply feel. There is no scientific ruling behind it, accept that your body is going through a rapid change and sometimes when you can’t keep up with it, you break!
A ‘blue’ sight
This sign is an interesting one to look out for. It’s probly not something you would feel or notice straight away. Your vagina may turn a Smurfy shade of blue.
When you’re newly pregnant the increased blood flow down below can cause your V area to turn blue.
This shade of blue can begin to show as early as 2 weeks after conceiving.
This is known as Chadwick’s sign
Constipation
Constipation is another common early sign of pregnancy many women have reported. An increase in progesterone causes food to pass more slowly through the intestines, which can lead to constipation.
Missed Period
In a space of 1 month – so much can happen! You could either experience all or some of these signs, or wait till you’ve missed your first period. A missed period is the most obvious early sign of pregnancy.
A missed period won’t however always mean your pregnant. You could just be having a delayed cycle or your period is probably still masking it’s way out. However you should begin to see other signs of pregnancy lurking in once you started establishing your phase into the first trimester.
Alternatively, some women don’t even experience any early pregnancy symptoms. Their belly just begins to grow! Magical!
Early signs of pregnancy – what next?
To confirm your pregnancy after noticing some of these early signs, it’s still best to take a home pregnancy test if it’s available to you.
Before you decide to visit the hospital to register your pregnancy, you could wait a few days after your missed preiod and do a home test. I noticed the drugstore £1 tests are 100% better than any branded expensive tests out there. If your home pregnancy test is positive, make an appointment with your health care provider, because the sooner your pregnancy is confirmed, the sooner you can begin prenatal care.
Are you pregnant in 2020? Check out how the current world wide pandemic may affect your pre and post pregnancy. Click Here
Have you experienced any of the signs above? Leave me a comment below.
Related: Travelling in pregnancy
