Pregnancy Symptoms
All woman must be sensitive enough to detect changes in their body to associate them as pregnancy symptoms. Because pregnancy is a natural bodily process, it then involves a series of changes to the woman's body. While there are common symptoms that signal pregnancy, it varies from one woman to another. The same also goes with the entire span of carrying the baby in the womb, since some women have complicated pregnancies while others have it easier.
Indeed, there is a wide range of symptoms that most women go through various symptoms at once. While for others, they suffer from none of these whatsoever. This can be explained by the varying anatomical make up for individual women. However, there are common tell-tale signs that could mean pregnancy for you, especially when more than one of these symptoms exhibits themselves.
Tender or Swollen Breasts
Most women find their breasts become noticeably tender as early as the first couple of weeks since the period of conception. Aside from this, the breasts also become fuller and heavier, along with the changing of the nipples' color.
Do take note, however, that increased sensitivity on your breasts can be due to several outside factors such as hormonal imbalance, stress, effects of using birth control pills, or PMS.
Delayed Menstruation
For most women, this is the most common and first indicator of pregnancy. However, there are also pregnant women who experience spotting or some form of bleeding during the expected time of their menstrual period. This is referred to as implantation bleeding and due to the fertilized egg that is attached on the uterine wall. If, however, women experience bleeding during menstruation it is often lighter than regular period.
If you have no history of missed period or irregular cycle, then a delayed period might just signal the fact that you are pregnant. When this happens, consult with a doctor to make sure that it is not caused by other factors such as stress or over-fatigue.
Nausea or 'Morning Sickness'
This is another pregnancy symptom common during the early stages of pregnancy. This symptom is associated with vomiting, which contrary to the term, may take place regardless of the time of day. Nausea is also commonly exhibited during the 2nd to 8th week of pregnancy. The stage of development of this symptom varies from woman to woman, since other exhibit it soon after conception, while others at the sooner stages of pregnancy.
Nausea is caused by the increased level of estrogen, which slows down the emptying of the stomach thus resulting to nausea. Other symptoms related to this are aversion toward certain types of food or, on the contrary, food cravings.
Frequent Urination
The implantation of an embryo on a woman's uterus can lead to the production of the hormone HCG that stimulates frequent urination. Moreover, it could also be caused by growth of the uterus, which exerts pressure on the bladder causing the urge to urinate.
Other Common Pregnancy Symptoms
Aside from those mentioned above, there are other symptoms to watch out for that might just indicate you are pregnant:
- Easily fatigued
- Increased basal body temperature
- Frequent mood swings
- Abdominal bloating
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Understanding Pregnancy Symptoms Recommended Resources:
Brown University
University of Virginia
