Am I pregnant? First signs of pregnancy
This article is about early signs of pregnancy (pregnancy symptoms). Knowing them will help you determine the probability of pregnancy. Just compare your symptoms with the following signs of pregnancy and assess your condition. Pregnancy is a unique phenomenon, when unexpected or long awaited new life arises inside you.
This is amazing, nothing is compared to this feeling. Each woman should experience it at least once in her life.
Many women think they can feel pregnancy from the very first day, assuming that something will begin to stir in their belly. Actually, it is not so. No woman can immediately determine if she is pregnant or not. Нere are the main symptoms of early pregnancy that can be useful but can’t give 100% true answer to the question: «Am I pregnant?»
Most reliable pregnancy signs
- The first sign of pregnancy — irritability
One of the earliest signs of pregnancy is the increased nervousness and irritability. A pregnant woman finds it difficult to control her behavior, even if she understands that her emotions and behavior are not normal. Outbreaks of aggression can be very strong. This condition is caused by hormonal changes in your body, which precede other more obvious processes of pregnancy. Irrational nervousness and irritability are early signs of pregnancy.
- The second sign of pregnancy — you want something salty.
Distinct desire to eat salty food (or other changes of food preferences) is really one of the symptoms of pregnancy. Sometimes habitual food can seem tasteless or salted insufficiently.
- The third sign of pregnancy — nausea
The third and one of the most widespread manifestations of new life inside the woman is nausea. It is called early toxicosis. Nausea can be slight and felt only in a specific time during the day, or it can appear as an intense feeling, accompanied by vomiting after each meal.
- The fourth pregnancy symptom is swelling of the breasts.
Usually pregnant women experience breast swelling a little later, but sometimes this symptom of pregnancy manifests itself rather early.
- The fifth sign of pregnancy — period delay.
The most obvious and reliable sign of pregnancy is the delay of your menstruation. Everyone has heard about this symptom, of course, every woman knows what it can mean! The absence of menstruation is the most reliable confirmation of the incipient process of pregnancy. By the way, if pregnancy is really confirmed, you will be able to say goodbye to mens for a very long time — nine months of pregnancy plus about six months or even a year after birth, which is very nice.
Specific signs of pregnancy
Why are these signs called specific? These symptoms cannot accurately diagnose pregnancy, because the female body and her hormonal system is extremely complex. Not all women have these symptoms, but still some have and that’s why we’ll mention them.
- The first specific sign of pregnancy is the increased activity of vaginal microflora, accompanied by abundant flocculent white discharge.
- The second specific symptom of pregnancy is the change in odor perception or aversion to some food.
- Third on the list of specific symptoms is the «metallic taste» in the mouth.
- The next sign of pregnancy is increased sleepiness and fatigue in expectant mother, or vice versa — sleep disorders.
For exact determination of pregnancy use modern diagnostic tools, such as pregnancy test sold at any nearby pharmacy.
Have a positive result? You should immediately consult a doctor and start recommended pregnancy examinations.
Pregnancy signs in QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. FAQ.
These are the answers to most frequently asked questions. The information can partially repeat what has already been stated above, but still it will be useful to read.
- Which signs of pregnancy can be observed before menstruation delay?
After slightest period delay, women usually rush to the drugstore to check possible pregnancy with pregnancy test. However, tests can usually show the result only after your period is late. In a situation when you want to know the answer earlier, you should pay attention to some possible pregnancy signs. They can be barely noticeable or strong enough; however, they can indicate your pregnancy.
First of all, examine your breasts. If they are sensitive, it may indicate that you are pregnant. Your breast can increase significantly. Darkening of the alveoli, hyperpigmentation on the face, small pimples on the nipples can be early sighs of pregnancy.
If you are pregnant, you may also experience severe nausea or dizziness, not only in the morning but also during the daytime, hypersensitivity to smells and changing of food preferences. Your appetite may increase, but some women feel strong food rejection. Whining, bad mood, uncontrolled anger can intensify on early stages of pregnancy.
You may experience abdominal pain and slight bleeding, which is often mistaken for early periods. The thing is that in a period of 8−10 days after fertilization, the fertilized egg, having made its way through fallopian tubes, attaches to the uterus, causing these quite unpleasant symptoms. Pregnancy can be determined by daily measuring of basal temperature. As you know, basal body temperature is slightly higher after ovulation, and if you are pregnant, it remains above 37 degrees. However, if the temperature plummeted, you can be sure your period is due.
- Is it possible to notice pregnancy in the first week?
It’s hardly possible to determine pregnancy in the first week. At this time, the fertilized egg is moving along the fallopian tubes to the uterus. The embryo has the shape and size of a pea. A week later, it attaches to the uterine lining.
You should keep your basal temperature diary. During pregnancy, temperature is above 37 degrees. Other pregnancy signs in the first week: drowsiness and fatigue, headaches, migraines, pain in the rump, swelling of breasts, nausea — all these are possible while the body adjusts to the nurturing of offspring.
- What do women feel in the first month of pregnancy?
Successful conception can be determined by several individual characteristic. Different symptoms help determine only the probability of conception, as many of them may be just the signs of false pregnancy. 100% pregnancy confirmation can be done only by gynecologist.
According to statistics, in the first month after conception 90% of women observe state changes of the breast. Increased sensitivity, certain tenderness, swelling, darkening of areola and nipples, secretion of colostrum — these factors can be sighs of pregnancy.
Some women feel toxicosis. Statistics tells us, that during the first month, more than 60% of women experience morning sickness — nausea, aversion to food, vomiting, altered sense of smell, often in the first half of the day. Some scents become unbearable, others — in a strange way — very attractive.
Rapid growth of the uterus can cause pain in the back or in the sacrum area. In the last week of the first month of pregnancy the fetus, increasing in volume, can put pressure on the uterus, causing frequent urination. Pink vaginal discharge may be the sign, that the embryo has attached in the uterine cavity.
In any case, do not trust your intuition. The first weeks are very important in the development of your baby. If you think, you may be pregnant, go to the gynecologist as early as possible, in order to be observed and to ensure your and your baby’s health.