Symptoms of a Teenage Pregnancy

Physical Symptoms of a Teenage Pregnancy

You may actually recognize pregnancy symptoms within your daughter before she recognizes them herself. The first trimester of a pregnancy can feel quite similar to a bout with the flu, so your daughter may not realize her condition.

Look for these physical symptoms of a teenage pregnancy within your daughter:

• Menstruation Missing or Very Light: If your daughter mentions that her period hasn't started even though it should have, or if she comments that she had a very light period, this may be one of the first signs of pregnancy.
• Body Changes: Your daughter might complain of swollen or tender breasts and may mention some weight gain. She may mistake these symptoms as proof of an approaching menstrual cycle.
• Exhaustion: The early stages of pregnancy can be quite tiring, so sheer exhaustion can be a sign of pregnancy.
• Apparent Illness: What may seem like the stomach flu or a bladder infection may actually be pregnancy.
• Other symptoms include food cravings, backaches, headaches, and other persistent maladies which have no other obvious cause.

Realize that the physical symptoms of early pregnancy can be different from one woman to another. Your daughter may exhibit all of these signs, none of these signs, or somewhere in between.

Other Symptoms

Early pregnancy can bring about other symptoms which do not necessarily manifest themselves in a physical way, although fluctuating hormones can usually be blamed. Your daughter may seem much more emotional, similar to a case of premenstrual syndrome. In this instance, if your daughter does not yet know that she is pregnant, she may not understand why her emotions are going haywire. If she does know that she's pregnant and hasn't yet told you, there may be a mixture of hormones and worry causing the emotional instability.

Approach the Issue

There are three possible outcomes you need to plan for when you approach your daughter after recognizing possible symptoms of a teenage pregnancy:

1. She may not be pregnant.
2. She may be pregnant and not yet realize it.
3. She may be pregnant and trying to hide it from you.

Since you can't be sure which scenario is accurate, you will want to approach your daughter with possible outcomes for each scenario. Only you know the absolute best way to approach your daughter when you think she may be pregnant. Some teenagers respond well to a gentle confrontation, while others may respond better to simply being handed a home pregnancy test. It's up to you to figure out the most appropriate route.

Pregnant and Scared

Whichever approach you take when talking to your daughter about the possibility of her being pregnant, try to keep these things in mind:

• She is probably scared. If she has an inkling that she may be pregnant-–or she already knows she is-–she is probably quite scared about what the future will bring.
• You need to keep your emotions in check. Losing control or getting into a shouting match as a result of a teenage pregnancy will certainly not help the issue.
• Find out for sure if she is pregnant. Since many physical signs of certain illnesses and other health conditions can easily resemble pregnancy, don't allow your daughter to simply assume she is pregnant without insisting upon a test to make sure.
• Offer a well-thought out plan. No matter what the final outcome (pregnant or not, keeping the baby or not), you should present your daughter with several options so she knows that a teenage pregnancy does not necessarily equal a tragedy.

There is no doubt that approaching your daughter about the possibility of a pregnancy will be a stressful situation. Try your best to approach her in a calm and loving manner and she may be more willing to confide in you and trust your advice.