Early pregnancy symptoms vary between women and can include missed periods, fatigue, nausea, breast tenderness, bleeding, frequent urination, mood changes, and food cravings. It’s important to take a pregnancy test to confirm pregnancy, as these symptoms can also be caused by other factors.
Early pregnancy symptoms vary between women and can even vary between pregnancies for the same woman. For some women, symptoms can occur within days of conception, while for others, it may take weeks for them to appear. Some of the most common early pregnancy symptoms are missed periods, fatigue, nausea, and breast tenderness. Other early pregnancy symptoms may include bleeding, more frequent urination, mood changes, and food cravings. For sexually active women showing early symptoms of pregnancy, it’s important to take a pregnancy test, because these symptoms can be caused by other things as well.
Missing a period is the most common of the early pregnancy symptoms women notice. Sometimes periods are delayed or blood flow is lighter rather than completely absent. Other reasons a period may be missed are major fluctuations in body weight, hormonal changes, stress, and the use of birth control pills.
Being unusually tired is another common pregnancy symptom. Fatigue is often felt within the first week after conception. Other causes of fatigue can include depression, stress, and physical illnesses like colds or the flu.
Nausea and vomiting, called “morning sickness” in pregnant women, may first occur within two weeks to two months of conception. It can last throughout pregnancy, but some lucky women never experience morning sickness. Other common causes of nausea that might be mistaken for morning sickness can include food poisoning, stomach flu, and other ailments.
Breast tenderness is felt early by some pregnant women. It often starts within a week of conception, and the breasts may feel swollen and uncomfortable or sore when touched. Other things that can cause breast tenderness include birth control pills and an impending period.
One of the earliest symptoms of pregnancy is called implantation bleeding, which occurs when the embryo attaches itself to the uterus. Sometimes it can cause blood spots and cramps. There are other things that can cause the same symptoms, including sexual intercourse, your menstrual period, and infection or illness.
Frequent urination is also a common sign of early pregnancy and often starts about six weeks after conception. Early frequent urination is attributed to the increase of blood in the body during pregnancy and the extra fluid processed by the kidneys. Later in pregnancy, frequent urination is also caused by the baby putting pressure on the bladder. Other causes of increased urination not related to pregnancy, besides increased fluid intake, can include urinary tract infections, use of diuretics, and illnesses such as diabetes.
Cravings for certain foods can also be an early sign of pregnancy. The craving doesn’t have to be about some weird combination of foods, like stereotypical ice cream and pickles. It can include strong cravings for a variety of foods, depending on the woman. Other reasons for food cravings can include nutritional deficiencies, depression, and impending menstruation. Still other early pregnancy symptoms may include back pain, sensitivity to smells, and changes in the physical appearance of the breasts, such as darkening of the areolae.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
