A lot of women are so well-tuned in to their body's rhythms that they begin to feel pregnant soon after they conceive.
Most women, however, won't experience any early pregnancy symptoms until several days after conception when the fertilised egg attaches itself to the uterine wall. Others may notice no signs of pregnancy for weeks and begin to wonder "Am I pregnant?" only when they miss a period. Below is a list of some of the first signs of pregnancy. You may experience all, some, or none of these symptoms of pregnancy:
Altered sense of taste. You may notice that your sense of taste changes. Some women say they have a metallic taste in their mouth, others say they can't stand the taste of coffee, tea, or food they usually like.
Frequent urination. Once the embryo implants and begins producing HCG (the hormone - human chorionic gonadotropin) ,you'll probably find yourself yourself going to the loo more often.
Darkening of your areolas. If the skin around your nipples gets darker, you may have successfully conceived, though this could also signal a hormonal imbalance unrelated to pregnancy or be a leftover effect from a previous pregnancy.
Implantation bleeding or cramping. About eight days after ovulation some women experience implantation spotting - a slight staining of a pink or brown colour, as well as some cramping. You might also see some spotting around the time you expect your period; this is caused by the egg burrowing into the endometrial lining.
Fatigue. Feeling tired? Exhausted? High levels of the hormone progesterone can make you feel as if you've run a marathon when all you've done is go to work as usual. Fatigue is a very common sign of early pregnancy, though probably not a definite symptom on its own.
Tender, swollen breasts. If you're pregnant, your boobs will probably become increasingly tender to the touch, similar to the way they feel before your period, only more so. Once your body grows accustomed to the surge of hormones, the pain won't seem so bad.
Food cravings. Food cravings really can be a sign of pregnancy sometimes. But they could also be a sign that your body is low on a particular nutrient. However if cravings are accompanied by some of the other symptoms on this list, start counting the days from your last period.
Morning sickness. If you're one of the fortunate ones, morning sickness won't hit you until a few weeks after conception. Some women don't get it at all! But as early as a couple of days following conception, you may begin feel slightly queasy. And not just in the morning, either as pregnancy-related nausea can be a problem morning, noon, or night.
A missed period. If you're normally regular and your period is late, it's certainly worth trying a pregnancy test. A missed period is the surest sign of pregnancy in a woman of childbearing age who usually has regular periods.
And last but not least......
A positive home pregnancy test. If you've waited to test until at least the first day of a missed period and a blue line appears in the test window, you're most certainly likely to be pregnant. Make an appointment with your doctor to get it confirmed and start counting the days!
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TheBabyWebsite is just an information website. This is no substitute for visiting a doctor and it is really important that you make an appointment to see your doctor as soon as you suspect you may be pregnant. |
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