Pregnancy comes with many signs and symptoms. For many women they will only experience a small proportion, while for others they won't experience any at all. Although signs and symptoms can give you a good indication that you are pregnant, most women know deep down inside them that something has changed and this change can be enough for them to know. Of course though to be completely sure you should take a pregnancy test or see your Doctor.
For some mothers, pregnancy symptoms can begin immediately after conception. Usually signs will start popping up when your baby implants after ovulation. When your baby implants it causes an increase in progesterone levels. This can cause a temperature rise and if it remains high for 15 or more days after ovulation then it can be a very early sign of pregnancy. Some women may experience a temperature drop at implantation instead. Some women also experience implantation bleeding and this can be brown, red or pink in color. Further more some women experience slight cramping.
Using a pregnancy test will, in most cases, give you a strong indication of pregnancy. A pregnancy test measures the pregnancy hormone hCG in your urine. Some tests are super sensitive and can tell you if you are pregnant as little as four days after your period is due. Most tests you have to wait 10 days after your period is due. In some cases the test maybe negative but you are in fact pregnancy. If you have tested yourself early on, wait until 14 days after ovulation and test again and it is much more accurate. If you feel the test is wrong seeing your Doctor is a good idea. They can give you a blood serum test which is much more accurate and sensitive as they can detect very low levels of hCG.
Other symptoms of pregnancy include a missed period (which is the first symptom women notice), frequent urination, morning sickness, breast changes, cravings, body changes, and fatigue and smell/food aversions.
Despite a missed period, many women experience breast tenderness early on and this can be one of the first indications of pregnancy. Breast tenderness can also be a sign of an impending period, but breast tenderness in relation to pregnancy is more intense. You will find that your breasts are much more tender and there will be a clear indication compared to tenderness from an impending period.
Many women find that they frequently need to urinate. This symptom is very common and is also a problem for women in the third trimester when baby is pressing down on their bladder.
Morning sickness of course is another symptom - one many women dread! It can start as early as 2 to 4 weeks after conception but many women experience is around the 9th or 10th week. Despite being called morning sickness, many women experience sickness and various different times of the day and it can be different each day or every week. Typically it will be worse during the first trimester and ease off in the second and third, however for some sickness can be bad throughout.
Food and smell aversions can also be fairly common. Some women find that smells they were ok with can suddenly cause them to feel nauseous or even be sick. Cravings are also experienced in about 85% of women.
Fatigue can also be a symptom and many women feel completely wiped out from their normal routines. This usually is overcome after the first trimester, but rest is important.
Lastly it is worth acknowledging intuition. Many women just know that they are pregnant or that something is different. It is hard to explain exactly what this feels like but it is something that is very real and that can be experienced before or after symptoms are apparent.
Despite the symptoms described here there are many less common symptoms. If you feel you are pregnant take a test or go to the Doctors and get it confirmed.
