11 Early Pregnancy Symptoms

• Linda Larsen


• 7 Jan 2016

There are a few signs that point to a successful pregnancy.  Although a pregnancy test can only be done after the first two weeks of conception, there are those telltale signs that point to a successful conception.  The very first sign of a successful pregnancy is the missing of the periods.  But to some women with irregular menstrual cycles, this is not a reliable means of coming to a conclusion.  Listed out, here are some very common early pregnancy symptoms that could point to a possibly successful conception.

1. Sore Breasts: Very tender breasts and nipples are an early pointer to a successful conception.  Some women, though do experience tender breasts with each menstrual cycle.  But reportedly, these two situations are quite different.  They both just do not feel the same.  The tenderness and soreness are brought about by the increase in hormones that allow for the increased supply of blood to the beasts. This tenderness could sometimes last a week, but there has been instances when it lasted right through the first trimester of pregnancy.  The practical way to deal with this soreness and tenderness is to use a good supportive bra. Along with the tenderness, the breasts could swell up a little with the blood vessels standing out prominently on them.   The user could talk to professional, to choose the right bra fit.

 

2.Darkening of the Areolas: This too is an early pregnancy symptom.  Noticeable typically after the first or the second week of the pregnancy, they might point to  a successful conception.  The hormonal changes that prepares the body to receive a baby does indeed cause the darkening of the areolas.  The skin here thickens and thus prepares the breasts for the breastfeeding of the baby.  This is one of the most common early pregnancy symptoms and in some women, small puckering of the skin along with a small goose bump type of appearance also is seen to occur.  At times heightened areolas called Montogomery tubercles appear; this helps with the lubrication of the nipple during breastfeeding and comes as a welcome sign to the expecting mother.

 

3.Spotting:  Or also known as implantation bleeding, may occur from the fifth to the tenth day after conception.  This indicates that the embryo has attached itself onto the walls of the uterus and would make it home for the next nine months.   Although not a major concern, a doctor should be referred to incase it goes beyond the usual ten days or so.  Spotting is a result of the embryo trying to attach itself to the uterus. This has been primarily attributed to the hormonal changes that set in with maternity.  Along with spotting, there could at times be small cramps that set in.  This is one of the most noticed early warning of a conception and should appear in most women; though numerous instances of women not noticing it has also been reported.

Click here to know about Spotting Before Periods

4.Frequent Urination:  The human body produces a hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), once the embryo has successfully implanted itself on to the uterus wall.  The hCG, releases the human hormones progesterone and estrogen, which enables the body to sustain the pregnancy.  Lack of these hormones would mean the untimely abortion of the fetus.  The heightened levels of hCG cause the person to frequently pass out urine.  The typical do-it-at home pregnancy tests relies on the appearance of this hormone hCG, to test positive to a successful conception.  As the pregnancy advances the levels of hCG too increases;  this along with the pressure that the growing baby exerts on the urinary bladder causes women to make very frequent trips to the restroom, pointing to one of the early pregnancy symptoms.  A painful urination could possibly point to a Urinary Tract Infection and a physician must be consulted immediately.

5.Fatigue:  In the initial stages of a pregnancy, the fetus needs that extra nutrition to grow.  This, coupled with the changes in hormonal balance causes the mother to be to complain of fatigue.  She seems to tire easily and always would complain of feeling drained.  At this stage, the mother must make that extra effort to nourish herself to take care of the extra need and must take rest frequently.  The fatigue is seen to be at the highest during the first and third trimester of the pregnancy.  These hormonal changes tend to leave the person, moody and emotional at times.  Those long climbs of the stairs could leave you breathless.  Giving small breaks between household chores would be a good thing to do.

6.Missed Period:  The missed period would be the time when most women take a pregnancy test.  So, if regular periods are the norm, then a missed period is definitely a sign of conception.  The test has to be performed immediately.  But there are those women who do not have a regular cycle, they too can check to see, but should not take a missed period as being definite.  Get tested.

7.Morning sickness:  For some  women at around the sixth week of their pregnancy, would experience morning sickness.  This is nothing but vomiting and nausea that occurs soon after getting out of bed in the early morning. It is believed that this is due to the hormonal imbalances that occur in the body.  But there are a sizable number of women who do not experience this at all.  Usually the morning sickness is mild and very tolerable in nature.  It is more of a nuisance value than anything else.  But if the symptoms are acute and hard to bear then, it would be wise to consult a doctor.  Various women have very differing experiences with this symptom out of all the early pregnancy symptoms.  Some might not experience them at all.  This sickness need not be restricted to the early morning only.  It could set in at any time of the day and is very subjective to the person.

8.Sensitivity to Smell: During pregnancy, the whole human body is tuned to perform at its best capability to bring out a progeny.  Thus, all the various senses are at their peak.  Some women do report a heightened sense of smell that would make even the most favorite of their smell obnoxious.  There has not been a scientific explanation to this feeling, but it occurs in various degrees to various women, some at times not even experiencing it at all.  It would help to have a change of clothes often, as smell is usually lingering around the clothes we wear and the places we visit.

9.Body Aches:  Some women could experience a headache, for others, a mild backache.  This could be due to the loosening of the ligaments in the lower back to accommodate the growing baby inside of them.  It would be advisable to consult a doctor to administer the suitable medication rather than use any over the counter formulation.  The distorted weight distribution during a pregnancy would mean an awkward posture towards the end of the pregnancy, the mother-to-be would have to just bear with it at most times.

10.Cravings:  Most women experience some sort of carving or the other.  And there are various cultures that go on to say that a particular craving is good and another bad.  There has not been any scientific explanation to the cravings, but people associate it general to the increased nutritional intake needed for the developing fetus.  Effort must be made here to avoid binge drinking and eating.

11.Bloating:  The hormonal changes that occur is for the smooth growth and delivery of the fetus.  At times the over action and the subsequent reactions to the hormones can cause weight gain or the bloating of the body parts.  Most women complain of swelling in the extremities, that is the hands and legs.  The reduced body functions could also mean constipation for many women.  Doctors advice mild exercise to prevent this from happening.  Another convenient method is to take small meals around the day rather than three big ones.

I hope these important 11 early pregnancy symptoms will help you know about your pregnancy. Most women would be aware of the pregnancy after about four weeks when they miss out on their periods.  Although a simple urine test could give out a result after just two weeks of conception, this is rarely done. There has been over the years, many explanations given out for the various changes that take place during pregnancy.  Various cultures giving their own interpretations to this experiences.  Man old nannies would give out solutions to most of the nagging of problems but bringing out a life into this world would make all the pain worth the while.