9 Pregnancy Symptoms: Do You Know What to Watch for?

So, you think you might be pregnant? But how do you know for sure? Since pregnancy symptoms can appear as soon as six days after conception, it’s important for moms-to-be to know what’s happening to their bodies.

Below are nine common pregnancy symptoms.

Pregnancy symptoms: Periods, Spotting, and Breast Changes

Missed period or spotting

One of the most obvious pregnancy symptoms is a missed period, although pregnancy is not the only reason for missing a period. Some women experience “implantation spotting” as the fertilized egg attaches to the uterine wall.

This spotting usually occurs about the same time as the expected period if not a little sooner, about six to twelve days after conception, and is much lighter than the typical period.

Breast swelling, tenderness or pain and changes in nipple color

Changes in the breasts such as swelling or tenderness, similar to what some women experience prior to the onset of a menstrual period, or the sensation of fullness can occur as early as one to two weeks after conception. This happens as the breasts prepare to start producing milk. Those who have been on birth control pills may not experience this. (2)

Pregnancy symptoms: Food cravings, Headaches, Lightheadedness and Morning Sickness

Food cravings

Both food aversions and food cravings are common pregnancy symptoms. The changes in hormones can turn a mother away from foods she used to love, and make her crave foods she might have avoided before. Hormonal changes in the first trimester are the most dramatic so changes in food preferences will likely be stronger during these early months.

Headaches and lightheadedness

Rising hormone levels can also cause headaches or hormonal migraines during the early stages of pregnancy.

Some women experience lightheadedness in the early stages of pregnancy as blood pressure decreases. This happens as hormones change and the heart beats faster to pump more blood to the rest of the body.

Nausea and vomiting

Nausea and vomiting are more commonly referred to as “morning sickness”, but morning sickness can happen at any time of the day. This pregnancy symptom can start between the second and eighth weeks of pregnancy. It is thought that the elevated estrogen levels in pregnancy slow the emptying of the stomach, which results in nausea. (1)

Pregnancy symptoms: Fatigue, Urination/Constipation, Mood Swings and Other Signs

Fatigue and mood swings

Women may experience fatigue in the early stages of pregnancy as the body produces more progesterone, and they experience lower blood sugar and blood pressure levels, and increased blood production.

Changing hormones can also result in mood swings, such as “crying at the drop of a hat.”

Frequent urination or constipation

With embryo implantation, the body starts to produce the hormone hCG, “which is believed to stimulate frequent urination”. (1)

As the uterus changes shape and size, it will press against the bladder which means needing to urinate. It can also be a factor in the presence of constipation. Some women may experience minor urinary incontinence when they sneeze, cough or laugh.

Mask of pregnancy

Darker-skinned women may notice a darkening of the skin of the forehead, bridge of the nose, upper lip and cheek. Doctors refer to this as melasma or chloasma, but it is more commonly known as the mask of pregnancy. (1)

Elevated basal body temperature

For those women who have been tracking their basal temperatures to determine when they’re ovulating, “basal body temperature increases slightly soon after ovulation and remains at that level until your next period ... its continued elevation for more than two weeks could mean that you’re pregnant.” (3)

Sources:

1) Am I Pregnant? 12 Early Pregnancy Symptoms (Week by Week) MedicineNet.com. Web. June 10, 2013.
http://www.medicinenet.com/pregnancy_symptoms/article.htm

2) 15 signs you might be pregnant. Locke Milne, Natalie. Today’s Parent. Web. June 10, 2013.
http://www.todaysparent.com/pregnancy/being-pregnant/15-signs-you-might-be-pregnant

3) Getting pregnant. Symptoms of pregnancy: What happens right away. Mayo Clinic. Web. June 10, 2013.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/symptoms-of-pregnancy/PR00102

Reviewed June 10, 2013
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith

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