Am I pregnant? Is this the very first question that strikes your mind after you notice a missed period? A pregnancy test or ultrasound is the right option to ascertain your pregnancy. Noticing early symptoms can also help you ascertain the same before even missing out a period.  

Early pregnancy symptoms may vary from woman to woman. Some women may suspect their pregnancy during the initial few days of conception while others don’t observe any pregnancy symptoms until they miss a period. There are also cases when women don’t know about their conception till months after they conceive.

However, pregnancy testing is the perfect and clear-cut way to determine pregnancy. A pregnancy testing kit measures a hormone called Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). The body starts building this hormone from the very moment of conception and it increases quickly during the initial days of pregnancy. Even though HCG appears early after conception, building a noticeable amount of hormone takes a bit of time. The produced HCG must be enough to register on a pregnancy test. Typically, it takes approximately three to four weeks from the first day of your last period to have enough secretion of HCG in your body to depict a positive pregnancy test result. If you can’t wait for this long then try to notice the following ten early signs of pregnancy symptoms.  

Most common early signs of pregnancy symptoms

• Missed periods:

Once you conceive and your body begins to produce HCG, it restricts the ovaries to release the mature egg every month. You will probably miss your expected menstrual cycle four weeks after the conception. But this pregnancy symptom can be misleading if your menstrual cycle is irregular.

• Frequent Urination:

You might realize that you are urinating more frequently than usual. During pregnancy the amount of blood in your body increases which causes the kidney to process more fluid than usual. This fluid leads to your bladder which increases your urination frequency.

• Nausea (with or without vomiting):

Nausea, often known as morning sickness, is a common early pregnancy symptom. Contrary to its other name nausea can occur any time of day or night. Most women experience nausea only during the first trimester while others experience it throughout pregnancy. However, there are cases when women never feel nausea during the overall pregnancy period. The cause of nausea is unclear; probably it is the impact of pregnancy hormones.

• Tenderness and swelling in the breast:

Again it is the hormonal changes that make your breast tender and swollen. It continues for a few weeks and then automatically goes away as your body gets adjusted to the hormones. By week 11 after conception, nipple and breast changes may occur. Hormones continue to make your breast grow while areola (the area around the nipple) may turn darker in color with increased size.

• Mood swings:

Mood swings are common during early pregnancy. The reason is the high level of estrogen and progesterone that makes you emotional, weepy, and more reactive than usual. It may cause you to feel depressed, anxious, or euphoric.

• Smell sensitivity and food aversions:

During pregnancy, you may become sensitive to specific odors and may experience a sense of taste change. It can even develop a strong distaste for some foods. Smell sensitivity may cause nausea and vomiting.

• Light spotting:

Sometimes, a small amount of spotting occurs after 4 weeks of conception. It is known as implantation bleeding and happens when the fertilized egg creates a blastocyst that gets attached to the lining of the uterus. It results in implantation bleeding. It occurs during the regular time of the menstrual cycle, but not all women necessarily experience it. It may occur with mild, moderate or severe cramping.

• Bloating and constipation:

The hormonal changes may cause bloating that gives very similar symptoms of your menstrual cycle. It may impact your digestive system, slow it down and result in constipation.

• Fatigue:

Fatigue is a very common symptom that appears during the early pregnancy period. It may appear any time as your progesterone level soars. It also makes you feel sleepy.

• High blood pressure and dizziness:

High blood pressure and sometimes dropping blood pressure is evident in the early stages of pregnancy. Fluctuating blood pressure causes dizziness.

• Heartburn:

Hormones allow the valve between your stomach and esophagus to relax. It causes the stomach acid to leak and develop heartburn.

Summary 

Early Pregnancy symptoms are not similar in every woman. Some women may discover one or more of the above-mentioned pregnancy symptoms, while others may notice all or not even a single other than missed periods. In a few cases, that too may not be evident. To get a confirmation other than guesswork you need to opt for a pregnancy test.

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