Pregnancy symptoms differ from woman to woman and one of the most significant pregnancy symptoms is a delayed or missed menstrual cycle. Understanding the signs and symptoms of pregnancy is important, because each symptom may be related to something other than pregnancy. Some women experience signs or symptoms of pregnancy within a week of conception. For other women, pregnancy symptoms may develop over a few weeks or maybe none at all.
The following are common early signs of pregnancy:
Difference in Menstruation
A delayed or missed period is the most common pregnancy symptom leading a woman to test for pregnancy. When you become pregnant, your next period should be missed. Many women can bleed while they are pregnant, but typically the bleeding will be shorter or lighter than normal menstruation.
Breast Tenderness
One of the very noticeable early signs of pregnancy is tender, swollen, somewhat sore breasts. You may notice this pregnancy sign at bedtime when you are trying to get comfortable and go to sleep, when exercising or showering, or when getting dressed.
When you become pregnant, your body begins preparing your breasts for producing milk and breastfeeding. Hormones start increasing and some women notice their nipples darken in color.
Fatigue
Feeling fatigued, tired, stressed, and depressed are all pregnancy symptoms, which can start as early as the first week after conception.
Morning Sickness
This pregnancy symptom is well known, and it is related to the nausea symptom. Your body is craving food and you have not eaten all night so your tummy begins to feel queasy. Your body has more hormones than normal and this can cause you to become more sensitive to aromas and foods. Each woman is different and will have different foods that may or may not contribute to morning sickness.
Frequent Urination
Around 6-8 weeks after conception, you may find yourself making a few extra trips to the bathroom. One cause of this symptom is that the swelled uterus can put pressure on your bladder. Pregnancy also causes extra body fluids to be processed by your kidneys and bladder. This symptom of pregnancy may remain constant for nine months.
Backaches
Lower backaches may be a symptom that occurs early in pregnancy. This low back pain is caused by several factors. Weight changes due to pregnancy, your uterus gets bigger, and your baby grows larger every week, causing a strain to you lower back. Your posture and torso are also thrown out of alignment. This weight is mostly in the front of your torso, which pulls on your back.
Headaches
The sudden rise of hormones in your body can cause you to have headaches early in pregnancy. Dehydration, caffeine withdrawal, impending menstruation, eye strain, or other ailments can be the source of frequent or chronic headaches.
Food Cravings
While you may not have a strong desire to eat pickles and ice cream, many women will feel cravings for certain foods when they are pregnant. This can last throughout your entire pregnancy.
Taking a doctor recommended pre-natal vitamin supplements and a pure fish oil capsule, may ease cravings and help prevent extra weight gain.
Mood Swings and Irritability
This early symptom of pregnancy may decrease in the second trimester. Meanwhile it’s important to get plenty of sleep, eat right, take your prenatal vitamins and fish oil (fish oil is known as "good mood food") and get moderate exercise.