First Signs of Being Pregnant
The first signs of being pregnant – there are 7 signs you should be looking for if you are newly pregnant. Some mothers-to-be can experience just one or two of these signs, others may have all of the first signs of being pregnant. As soon as you have conceived, it takes about a week or so for the fertilized egg to implant itself in your uterus. When implantation occurs, it’s now possible for your body to experience one or all of the 7 first signs of being pregnant. Hormone levels begin to change now, and your body reacts to the different hormone levels.
Here are 7 first signs of being pregnant:
1. Frequent (and sometimes urgent) Urination
More frequent urination is one of the classic first signs of being pregnant. In fact, many women do experience much more frequent urination long before a missed period. When can this frequent urination begin? Commonly, it happens about 7 to 12 days after the rise in temperature that occurs at ovulation. The changes in hormone levels are a result of implantation of the embryo, and the hormone known as human chorionic gonadotropin, (hCG), is thought to be the cause of more frequent urination.
2. Rise in Body Temperature
At ovulation, it’s common for your body to have an increase in body temperature of around one-half to one degree F. Your basal body temperature (the lowest body temperature attained during sleep) usually stays elevated after ovulation has happened and stays elevated past when your next period should begin. This rise in body temperature is one of the very early signs of first signs of being pregnant, but it is often overlooked because it is so subtle.
3. Light Spotting
When conceptions happens, light spotting of blood often occurs before your next menstrual period should start. This light bleeding from implantation is usually pinkish or brownish and is not a heavy flow – like your period. Your normal menstrual flow should start with light spotting, then becomes heavy, then it taper off again before it ends.
4. Rise in Body Temperature
It’s completely normal to have an increase in body temperature at ovulation. Your basal body temperature staying elevated after ovulation is completed and remaining elevated through when your period should begin can be one of the very early signs of pregnancy.
5. Fatigue
Fatigue, or a severe lack of energy one of the most common first signs of being pregnant. Unusual fatigue may be very difficult to distinguish from other kinds of exhaustion, mainly because there are plenty of other causes of exhaustion. Feeling extremely tired can be related to the change in hormones levels in your body. The extreme fatigue usually disappears as your body eventually adjusts to the new hormone levels.
6. Nausea
Nausea, or morning sickness as it is also called, is a feeling of nausea and stomach upset early in the morning during the early stages of pregnancy Nausea is one of the first signs of being pregnant. Not all pregnant women get morning sickness, and for those who do become nauseated, it doesn’t always happen in the morning. Like many of the other first signs of being pregnant, morning sickness usually goes away on its own after a short period of time.
7. Tender Nipples and Breasts
Tender nipples and breasts are one of the classic first signs of being pregnant. As your body begins to undergo structural changes to develop a way to feed the new life that is developing within your body, a sensation of tenderness in the breasts and nipples happens. Again, these feelings of tenderness and tissue sensitivity usually go away as your body gets used to to the new hormone levels.
When the first signs of being pregnant are experienced, confirm your pregnancy by using one of the more accurate home pregnancy tests. There can be big differences in the reliability of these home tests for pregnancy, and you should confirm a positive with your physician.
A drawn-blood pregnancy test can be used as early as 8 to 10 days after conception, and a urine pregnancy test (the most common home pregnancy tests) can be accurate as early as 10 to 14 days following conception. Remember, pregnancy tests are not 100 per cent accurate and correct. If you think you may be pregnant, and confirm that feeling with a home pregnancy test, see your physician immediately to determine the right course of action to care for you and the new life developing within you.
Be on the lookout for the first signs of pregnancy, and be sure to pay close attention to your body.
