Early Pregnancy Symptoms

The Most Common Early Pregnancy Symptoms

1. Tender or Swollen Breasts

Increased hormone levels often result in sensitive, swollen breasts. The tenderness may remind you of how your breasts feel before the beginning of your normal monthly period. The discomfort often decreases after the first trimester, as you adjust to the hormonal changes.

Some women also report that the areola, the circle that surrounds the nipples, darkens with the onset of pregnancy.

2. Sensitivity to Odors and Foods

Strong odors such as perfume, fish, or even roses may trigger nausea. Getting away from the odors may be the quickest way of alleviating the symptoms. It is also not uncommon for women to find that foods they once enjoyed are now unpalatable. This is partially due to the olfactory senses being so closely related to the sense of taste.

Common food aversions are orange juice or anything else acidic, some dairy products, meat, spicy foods, and even coffee, especially the smell of it. Adversely, cravings for certain foods outside the normal realm of habit can also be an indicator of pregnancy. Like most things, reactions to odors and foods are because of the considerable fluctuations in hormones during early pregnancy.

3. Frequent Urination

The early pregnant uterus is down low in your mid-pelvis, and thus can press on the bladder, which is right in front of it. As the uterus grows, the pressure is relieved. Women may experience this symptom within the first few weeks of pregnancy and find the need to urinate increases as the baby grows and exerts more pressure on the already taxed bladder.

Later in pregnancy, there are increased body fluids, including urine and blood. As your kidneys pump up production, more frequent trips to the bathroom will become necessary, especially in the last few months of pregnancy. Sometimes frequent urination is a sign of a bladder infection. Increasing fluids, especially water, can help flush water through your system.

4. Exhaustion

With the increased hormone levels and the additional stress put on your body as it adapts to the state of pregnancy, you are apt to tire quickly. The good news is your energy levels will return to normal during the second trimester. Some feel this is nature's way of protecting the baby at a time when women might not realize they are pregnant.

5. Morning Sickness

Although the nausea and vomiting commonly associated with pregnancy is referred to as morning sickness, it can occur at any time of the day. The majority of women will find relief from these early pregnancy symptoms within the second trimester, but that does not mean you may not continue to experience morning sickness off and on throughout the pregnancy.

6. Implantation Bleeding

It is not unusual to experience a small about of vaginal bleeding around 10 days after conception. The fertilized egg burrowing into the blood-rich lining of the uterus may be the cause of this bleeding. Normally, the bleeding is light and lasts 24-to-48 hours.

7. Increased Basal Body Temperature

If you have been charting your basal body temperature in an attempt to get pregnant, you may see your temperature remain elevated for 18 consecutive days. When this happens, chances are good you are pregnant.

8. Mood Swings

Fluctuating hormones may cause rapid and extreme mood swings. It is not unusual for an expectant mother to cry for no obvious reason or to anger easily. Rest, balanced diet, and regular exercise will help even out the emotional upheaval.

9. Menstrual Cycle Symptoms

In the early stages of pregnancy, many women report feeling similar to the way they do at the beginning of or during their menstrual cycle. So familiar are the symptoms that they may not think they’re pregnant. A heavy feeling in the abdomen, pressure to urinate, bloating, breakouts, and even cramps can occur. This condition sometimes lasts for a couple of weeks, but some women have had these symptoms through most of the first trimester and for each consecutive pregnancy.

Other early pregnancy symptoms may include constipation, a very reactive gag reflex, heartburn, a change in vaginal discharge, a persistent metallic taste in the mouth, and dizziness or fainting.

The Next Step

If you think you are pregnant, whether or not you are having early pregnancy symptoms, the way to find out is to take a home pregnancy test or to schedule an appointment with your medical professional.

Note that a home pregnancy test, while 99 percent accurate during lab testing, is not always conclusive. Each test has a different sensitivity rating, and home use is not, obviously, the same as controlled lab conditions. Also, the test indication, if taken a few days after possible conception, is not always reliable that soon.

Follow a home urine test with a visit to your practitioner, as more medical offices use blood tests to determine if there is an increase in the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG. Pregnant women experience a spike in this in the first trimester.

Healthy lifestyle choices are especially important during the first weeks of pregnancy. Proper nutrition, prenatal vitamins, and an increase in folic acid help the growth of the baby. Also avoid infections, smoking, and alcohol to keep you and your growing baby safe. A health professional can make sure you start your child’s life off with the best possible care.

External Resources

• Early pregnancy tests and ovulation test kits that are very sensitive can be found here.
• The Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy is a great resource to prepare for a new child.
• What to Expect When You’re Expecting has proven to be a reliable guide for mothers, fathers, and even other members of the family curious about the progress of the pregnancy.