Last updated on June 19th, 2023 at 11:19 am
What are early pregnancy symptoms?
A pregnant woman feels the changes very early on. Her appetite is different, she is sleepy, her breasts are tense, etc. For some women, the changes are pretty unpleasant. They have to go to the toilet all the time, have stomach pain, and morning sickness. Women in early pregnancy are quite often examined for bladder or gastric inflammation, as they do not think about pregnancy.
Early pregnancy symptoms can vary in their intensity, frequency, and duration. What are early pregnancy symptoms for one woman, can be only premenstrual discomfort, for another.
Early pregnancy symptoms are:
- missed period
- morning sickness
- tender, swollen breasts
- leg cramps
- digestive problems
- mood swings
- fatigue
- frequent toilet visits
- food aversions or cravings
- slight bleeding or cramping
- headaches
- faintness and dizziness
- heartburn
1. Missed period, an obvious pregnancy sign:
A missed period is the most obvious early pregnancy sign. It usually causes that the woman starts searching what are other early pregnancy symptoms.
You might not experience any other listed pregnancy signs until around the time you notice you’ve missed your monthly cycle.
2. Morning sickness, an unpleasant symptom of pregnancy:
Morning sickness usually occurs between the second and eighth week of pregnancy. It is not necessarily that nausea occurs only in mornings, because evening or night sickness, with frequent vomiting, is also quite common.
READ ALSO: Get rid of morning sickness
3. Tender, swollen breasts:
In early pregnancy, the breasts enlarge, become tense and sensitive. Some pregnant women get darker nipples, or their breast veins become more prominent.
4. Leg cramps are common in early pregnancy:
One of the early pregnancy symptoms is also severe leg cramps. They are caused by changes in calcium metabolism in the body.
RELATED: Importance of minerals during pregnancy
5. Digestive problems:
Many pregnant women have digestive problems during the whole pregnancy. Bloating and constipation are the most common problems.
RELATED: Probiotics during pregnancy
6. Changes in hormone balance cause mood swings:
Mood changing is one of the early pregnancy symptoms as well. From joy to crying, from the sun to rain. Mood swings are caused by hormonal changes and are more common in early pregnancy.
7. Women are tired in early pregnancy:
Unusual and constant fatigue is typical for the first weeks of pregnancy. You will hardly get out of bed in the morning, and fall into it in the evening.
Fatigue occurs due to an increased level of progesterone in the body. Progesterone’s job is maintaining the lining in the uterus and thus supporting pregnancy.
8. Frequent toilet visits:
After the sixth week of pregnancy, frequent and regular visits to the toilet begin. Frequent urination occurs due to the pressure of the uterus on the bladder.
9. Food aversions or cravings:
The food you like might not seem so appealing anymore in early pregnancy. I love pizza, but for the first two months of my pregnancy, I couldn’t see, let alone eat it.
In contrast, you will probably crave foods that you don’t even like or eat strange food combinations.
RELATED: Pregnancy diet for the 1st trimester
10. Slight bleeding or cramping:
Light-Colored bleeding, which doesn’t last as long as a regular period can occur. That happens because the fertilized egg attaches to the lining of the uterus.
If women are bleeding during the first months of pregnancy, it usually happens at the time when they are supposed to have a period.
11. Hormonal changes in early pregnancy often cause a headache:
Hormonal changes in early pregnancy increase blood circulation. This can trigger frequent, mild headaches.
12. Faintness and dizziness:
Because of the hormonal changes, blood vessels dilate, so your blood pressure drops. That can cause lightheaded or dizziness.
13. Heartburn:
Heartburn is a common condition during pregnancy. It is described by a burning sensation in the chest or throat. It appears due to many changes that happen in your body during pregnancy.
Frequently asked questions about early pregnancy symptoms
How soon can I get pregnancy symptoms before I miss my period?
You can experience common early pregnancy symptoms within days after conception, or about a week-and-a-half before you expect your next period.
How can I tell if I’m pregnant after 1st week?
You can’t tell for sure if you are pregnant after 1st week, but if you experience one or more early pregnancy symptoms, you may be pregnant.
How can I tell if I’m pregnant?
The absence of period is surely one of the most reliable symptoms that you are pregnant, but still not a reliable indication that this is true.
The simplest way is to take a test that determines the hormone secreted by a fertilized egg.
You can take the test at home. There are many pregnancy tests on the market.
Home pregnancy tests usually claim to be 99 percent accurate, but you should aware that this is not 100%. Even if the test is done by an experienced lab technician in a lab, it can be a false positive or false negative.
Only an assurance from a gynecologist who performs an ultrasound examination is 100% guarantee that you are pregnant.
If you happen to be pregnant, I wish you a pleasant pregnancy with as little trouble as possible! With all pregnancy symptoms, it can be hard sometimes, but it’s still one of the nicest periods of your life!
You can find a lot of useful articles about pregnancy on our site.
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