There are a hell number of early symptoms of pregnancy, some are observed at an early phase while some may take time to get noticed.
Some pregnancy symptoms are quite similar to the premenstrual signs and therefore one has to be careful while giving observations about them.
Symptoms Of Pregnancy – The Important Indicators
1. Late or missed period
When talking about the late or missed period, it is one of the very first symptoms of pregnancy. Well, there are some more symptoms which you may experience before the missed period.
If you are trying to get pregnant, a missed period is necessarily not the only sign which will confirm for it. For many women, irregular and late periods are very normal and thus, one should look for the other symptoms as well.
If your period is pretty regular, and then it does not happen on time, it can be pregnancy. Try for the pregnancy test to confirm for it.
(Also read: When can I take pregnancy test?)
2. Fatigue all the time
Many women, who feel active and less fatigued all the time and do not need much naps start requiring some naps during the first trimester. It’s the extra progesterone that makes you feel tired very easily and quickly than earlier as there are many activities that starts like the extra bold requirement for the baby etc. Though, in the second trimester, the situation will get back to normal, so there is no need to worry. The remedy for this sign it is to head to bed early and have as much sleep as required by your body.
3. Feeling sick
Probably, one of the most commonly talked about pregnancy symptoms is the morning sickness. Around 80% of women feel queasy during their pregnancy especially in the first trimester.
You may feel weak, sick and queasy, or even feel like vomiting. One can start feeling nausea from as early as two weeks of pregnancy, due to the changes in the hormones.
You may feel sick at any time of the day, or night but the early morning ones’ are the worst. If you’re lucky, you’ll escape nausea completely by the second trimester.
4. Period pains
Well, this can be a confusing symptom, as it happens exactly around the time when you would expect period pains.
If you’re hoping that you might be pregnant and then start feeling the menstrual-type cramps, this may be a sign of pregnancy rather than your period. Have a check on it. However, it’s one of the less common symptoms.
5. Stomach cramps
Rather than period-style pains, some women experience a bit of tummy cramping. This may be due to your ligaments starting to stretch as your uterus is changing shape. Stomach cramps along with one or two other symptoms can be taken as the early symptoms of pregnancy.
6. Food aversions
Can’t stand the smell or the taste of some of your favourite foods? Some women find that one of their first signs of pregnancy could be the intolerable smells of certain foods. It can even turn their most liked scents to work out against them while making them sick.
If many of the needed foods also are making you feel sick, don’t worry about the baby. The baby is so good at absorbing nutrients from the mom during this phase that it doesn’t consider for the food. It’s the mother who suffers from the aversions and not the foetus.
You can go for taking a prenatal vitamin if you are worried about the various nutrients and folic acid so as to prevent certain birth defects in the child. Drink lots and lots of liquids to avoid dehydration and make the phase more convenient. You will soon be able to lose your disgust as soon as you head into the second trimester.
7. Spotting or light bleeding
It’s very usual to have light spotting or bleeding in the early pregnancy. In fact, it can occur in around 20% of pregnancies.
You may feel cramps or some light spots of blood starting a little earlier than you expect your period when your fertilised egg touches your womb lining, which is called implantation bleeding. Mystifying, it can occur just before or around the same time your period is due but is usually a bit lighter.
Even bleeding that continues to your sixth or seventh week can be normal. At that point, you can go for an ultrasound to make sure the baby is developing normally.
8. Feeling light-headed
Some women get very lightheaded or feel dizzy and weak during early pregnancy. Some even have fainting spells. It could be the hormones, or it might because of low blood pressure.
Get yourself checked by your doctor to get a better idea of what’s going on. If your blood sugar is low, try eating smaller meals more often throughout the day. For many women, this erratic feeling gets better after the first trimester, while for some, it may continue for the whole nine months.
9. Mood swings
Those hormonal changes that make you emotional during your monthly cycle stick around there for the early pregnancy too. And once you get to know that you are pregnant, you might get stressed out about the idea of becoming a parent.
Even though if it’s planned, there can be a lot of fear. The raised progesterone level is the main reason behind the mood swings. Fatigue and hunger can make the situation even worse, so try to find some time to rest and eat small portions throughout the day and just stay calm and relaxed.
You’re likely to feel better by 14 to 16 weeks. If you don’t, bring it up with your doctor. The doctor can definitely recommend someone to provide support through the pregnancy and after.
10. Constipation
It can be usual to find that you are more constipated than before in the early times of pregnancy. It is another symptom of pregnancy. This is due to the progesterone hormone that acts directly on your bowel while making it more relaxed and sluggish.
Go for a healthy diet throughout your pregnancy. Make sure that you are drinking plenty of fluids, especially water and include in more of the fibre content. You may observe that there is an urge to pass urine more frequently than you used to in the earlier times.
This is actually because of the effect of the beta-hCG hormone which leads to your kidneys to work harder to produce more urine.
This is however, different to the reason that you will need to pass urine more often in the later stages of pregnancy, which is due to the pressure of the baby’s head on your bladder.
Note: Any of the only symptoms should not be considered as pregnancy. Go for a checkup with your doctor and have a pregnancy test to confirm for it.
All of these symptoms are not accurate for me, except for the missed period. I felt nothing after the intercourse. After having missed period, I tried the test and saw 2 lines. How happy! So, just wait!