Do All Women Get Early Pregnancy Symptoms
Each mom-to-be and each pregnancy is unique, so you may only notice some of these early signs of pregnancy. For example, you may notice some signs of pregnancy before you even miss a period alternatively, missing a period may be your first clue that you are pregnant. What’s more, the symptoms you notice in a second pregnancy may be different from what you experienced the first time around.
If you think you may be pregnant, a home pregnancy test will confirm it. If you experience any of the symptoms of early pregnancy but the test comes out negative, there is still a chance you may be pregnant. Wait a week, and then take the test again. If the test is positive, make an appointment with your healthcare provider to confirm the pregnancy. You can also download our Pregnancy Guide to learn more about what’s ahead of you in these first weeks and months of your pregnancy.
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Pregnancy Symptoms Vs Pms Symptoms
Pregnancy symptoms often mimic PMS symptoms. For example, fatigue, nausea, and breast tenderness can be symptoms of both pregnancy and PMS.
But if youre pregnant, there may be some telltale signs that its not PMS. For example, you may experience implantation bleeding.
This is light spotting or bleeding that occurs about 10 to 14 days after conception, usually about a week before your period would usually start. This bleeding will be lighter and stop after one to three days.
Other symptoms like breast tenderness, bloating, and cramps could be symptoms of either PMS or pregnancy. Until you can take a home pregnancy test, it will be difficult to tell what is causing these symptoms.
What Are Some Of The Early Signs Of Pregnancy
Most women will have some symptoms of early pregnancy within a few weeks of becoming pregnant.
The most common symptom of early pregnancy is a missed period. This may be less obvious to women with irregular cycles or who are using a type of contraception that affect their periods. These women may not notice a missed period. Its also common to notice physical changes such as:
- morning sickness nausea and/or vomiting that may come and go throughout the day
- needing to pass urine more frequently
- an increase in breast size
Some women will experience many of these changes, while others wont feel very different to usual. If you are having severe symptoms, ask your doctor about things you can do to help you feel better.
The hormonal changes in early pregnancy can also cause changes to your mood. You may feel more emotional and cry more easily. These feelings are very common in early pregnancy, but if they become severe and start to affect your daily life, its a good idea to discuss them with your doctor or pregnancy care provider.
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What Else You Might Experience Throughout Pregnancy
Throughout your pregnancy, your body will do some weird and wonderful things. Some of these physical changes may subside, while others may continue over the course of your pregnancy. These are some of the changes you may experience during the second and third trimesters:
Most of the time, these physical discomforts and changes are completely normal, but there are some signs you should not ignore, including severe headaches, changes in eyesight, or sudden swelling . If you notice anything that just doesnââ¬â¢t seem right, consult your healthcare provider.
What Are The Advantages Of Using A Home Pregnancy Test
There are quite a few advantages to using a home pregnancy test, including:
- Pregnancy tests are inexpensive.
- Theyre easy to use.
- Home tests provide results quickly.
According to pregnancy kit manufacturers, most at-home pregnancy tests are 97% to 99% accurate when you use them as instructed. Positive results can be trusted, but you can get a falsely negative result very early in pregnancy.
Blood tests tend to be more expensive and, for many women, the wait for an appointment can be difficult. Home tests allow you to quickly know if youre pregnant shortly after conception.
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Other Causes Of Pregnancy Symptoms
In very early pregnancy, symptoms are usually mild. Due to this, it is easy to mistake pregnancy symptoms for normal aches and pains.
Hormonal shifts that happen as a womans period approaches may cause symptoms that also appear in pregnancy for example, breast tenderness and swelling. Some women with PMS can experience these symptoms ahead of every period.
In some cases, a woman may still experience the symptoms of early pregnancy despite not being pregnant. Possible reasons for this include:
What Are The Two Main Types Of Pregnancy Ultrasounds
Transvaginal ultrasound
During a transvaginal ultrasound, your pregnancy care provider places a device inside your vaginal canal . In early pregnancy, this ultrasound helps to detect a fetal heartbeat or determine how far along you are in your pregnancy . Images from a transvaginal ultrasound are clearer in early pregnancy as compared to abdominal ultrasound.
Abdominal ultrasound
Your pregnancy care provider performs an abdominal ultrasound by placing a transducer directly on your skin. Then, they move the transducer around your belly to capture images of your baby. Sometimes slight pressure has to be applied to get the best views. Providers use abdominal ultrasounds after about 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Traditional ultrasounds are 2D. More advanced technologies like 3D or 4D ultrasound can create better images. This is helpful when your provider needs to see your babys face or organs in greater detail. Not all providers have 3D or 4D ultrasound equipment or specialized training to conduct this type of ultrasound.
Your provider may recommend other types of ultrasounds. Examples of additional ultrasounds are:
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Where Does An Ectopic Pregnancy Happen
Its considered an ectopic pregnancy whenever the fertilized egg implants outside of your uterus. The egg is meant to travel down the fallopian tubes and imbed itself into the wall of your uterus, where it can begin to develop. In an ectopic pregnancy, the egg implants in one of the structures along the way. The most common place this can happen is within the fallopian tubes. The majority of ectopic pregnancies happen herecalled a tubal ectopic pregnancy. A fertilized egg can also implant on other organs in your abdominal cavity. This is a rarer form of ectopic pregnancy than one that happens in a fallopian tube.
Bloating And An Enlarging Belly
Early pregnancy is not when you will begin to show, but some people report an enlarging belly as an early pregnancy symptom. This is typically caused by bloating as opposed to the growing baby.
Weight gain in the first trimester is generally not very noticeableusually only a pound or two. In fact, you may even lose weight from a combination of not feeling well, food aversions, and a better diet as you make lifestyle changes.
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What Are The Early Symptoms Of Pregnancy Before Missed Period
A missed period is the first symptom of pregnancy among women who have a regular monthly menstrual cycle. During the first few weeks of pregnancy, women may experience bleeding like a light period, with minor spotting or losing little blood. This is known as implantation bleeding. However, each pregnancy is unique, and not everyone will experience these symptoms.
Moreover, some women start feeling pregnant even before missing their period. Yes, missing a period is not the sole indicator of pregnancy! Some women may experience symptoms of early pregnancy before a missed period, and women trying actively to conceive may be more aware of them. Yes, you may have pre-pregnancy symptoms before your missed period.
Every menstrual cycle, a woman’s body prepares for a prospective pregnancy. Some changes in the second part of each cycle might mimic pregnancy symptoms. Hormonal changes are to blame, which might become a recurring occurrence for some women. So, how to detect early pregnancy before a missed period?
Pregnancy Symptoms Vs Period: Learn The Different Symptoms Between Pregnancy And Period
Trying to conceive a baby can be an exciting, frustrating, and mystifying experience.
Conversely, having a pregnancy scare when you are not actively trying to conceive can induce a lot of anxiety and worry.
Since period symptoms and pregnancy symptoms before a missed period can be so similar, it can be difficult to distinguish between the two.
Many women wonder about the difference between pregnancy symptoms vs period symptoms, and exactly how early they can tell if they have become pregnant.
While a late or missed period is the first indicator for many women, depending on where you are in your cycle, you may notice symptoms of pregnancy before a missed period.
Learn some key differences and indicators that can signal early pregnancy.
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More Hungry Or More Thirsty
While some mums-to-be suddenly can’t bear the thought of eating, others suddenly find theyre so ravenous, eating is all they can think about.
For forum mum MsDodger, her appetite went through the roof. “I eat a lot normally but this it was a massive leap,” she says. “I could not stop snacking all day and eating large meals.”
And this ravenous urge can apply to drinking as well, as eating, as bleurgh discovered. “Thirst! I wondered how much I could actually drink before drowning myself. Even my hubby said he nearly asked if I was drinking for two before I tested.”
Raised Basal Body Temperature
If you’ve been using a special basal body thermometer to track your first morning temperature, you might notice that it rises around 1 degree when you conceive and stays elevated throughout your pregnancy.
Though not a foolproof early pregnancy symptom , it could give you advance notice of the big news.
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Tender Swollen Or Sore Breasts
One of the first things you may notice if you are pregnant are your swollen and sore breasts.
If this is your first pregnancy you may notice this more and feel a tingling sensation or pain every time you touch your breasts.
As soon as you get pregnant your breasts start preparing to become the source of food for your baby. They are helped along in their ambitious endeavor by the hormones estrogen, progesterone and several more.
Your breast is made of glands connective tissue and fatty tissue. The glands begin to increase in size as soon as you become pregnant. To help them grow, blood and fluids flood your breasts and this makes them feel heavy and tender.
Can I Get Pregnant Again After An Ectopic Pregnancy
Most women who have had an ectopic pregnancy can go on to have future successful pregnancies. There is a higher risk of having future ectopic pregnancies after you have had one. Its important to talk to your healthcare provider about the causes of your ectopic pregnancy and what risk factors you may have that could cause a future ectopic pregnancy.
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What To Do When Your Period Is Late
If your period is more than a week late and you got a negative pregnancy test, you may want to schedule an appointment with your health care provider to be safe. Your doctor can do a blood test to confirm that youre not pregnant.
If the blood test is also negative and your practitioner rules out any other possible concerns, its fine to sit back and go with the flow . Every woman skips a period now and then, especially if shes under stress or has been sick. Relax and do what you can to ease anxiety by eating right, getting enough sleep and exercising.
From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect When You’re Expecting. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.
Excess Gas & Bloating
Well lets go ahead and add another not-so-pleasant pregnancy symptom to the list.
Excess gas and bloating can be a super early pregnancy symptom.
But in all seriousness, this actually is a very common early pregnancy symptom. Many moms have shared that being extra gassy was one of their earliest pregnancy symptoms.
With both of my pregnancies I had an unusual amount of gas leading up to my missed period. And it was that super uncomfortable kind where it felt like trapped gas. Thats another reason why I knew something was up.
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Other Causes Of A Missed Period
A missed period can occur for many reasons, including:
- Period delay: If a woman ovulates a few days later than usual, this may delay her period by a few days.
- Hormone disorders: Numerous conditions can cause hormonal imbalances that delay ovulation, or even suppress it, resulting in a missed period.
- An early pregnancy loss: A chemical pregnancy, or early pregnancy loss, can sometimes cause a positive test that a negative test then follows. In some cases, the late period that occurs is an early pregnancy loss.
- Malnourishment: Women who are very underweight or eating too few calories may not ovulate, which can cause their periods to disappear. Doctors refer to this as amenorrhea.
- Perimenopause: A woman entering menopause may ovulate less frequently, causing fewer periods. This stage is known as perimenopause.
Not Sure If Hungry Or Sick
Oh dear, our appetite really can be a bit of a rollercoaster in early pregnancy. It can be a confusing time when you’re not sure if you’re feeling sick because you need to eat or you’re feeling sick because you’ve got morning sickness and eating will make it worse.
Forum mum-to-be katie4matthew sums it all up when she says,“I cant tell the difference between feeling sick and hungry at the moment. I’m so confused!”
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What Is A Pregnancy Test
A pregnancy test is a way to determine if youre pregnant by looking at the amount of human chorionic gonadotropin in your body. From the very beginning of pregnancy, your body starts to go through changes to support growth in the grouping of cells that will develop into your baby. One thing that happens very quickly is production of hCG. This chemical is only found in pregnant women and it starts to build up once the fertilized egg implants in the uterus about 10 days after conception.
There are two main types of pregnancy tests urine tests and blood tests. Often, youll take a urine test at home with a home pregnancy test kit. This type of test can be purchased over-the-counter and is available in a variety of price ranges. Blood tests to check for pregnancy are done in your healthcare providers office.
When Can You Confirm Your Pregnancy
If you think you might be pregnant because you missed your period or are experiencing some of the early symptoms of pregnancy listed above, you can take a home pregnancy test.These tests can confirm a pregnancy by checking your urine for the presence of a hormone called hCG.
If you think you may be pregnant, but the test says otherwise, test again after a few more days or speak to your healthcare provider. You can also ask your provider to confirm your pregnancy with a blood test. Think you might be pregnant? Take our Am I Pregnant quiz. It wonât tell you for sure, but itâs all good fun!
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Other Early Signs Of Pregnancy
These early pregnancy symptoms tend to appear around or after the time that you miss your period, usually sometime between weeks 4 and 9. But again, every woman and every pregnancy is different, so you may not experience these symptoms at all, while other moms-to-be may notice them a little earlier.
When Do You Have Your First Prenatal Ultrasound
- Confirm pregnancy .
- Check for multiple fetuses.
- Measure the size of the fetus.
- Help confirm gestational age and due date.
Some providers perform your first ultrasound closer to 12 weeks of pregnancy.
20-week ultrasound
You can expect an ultrasound around 18 to 20 weeks in pregnancy. This is known as the anatomy ultrasound or 20-week ultrasound. During this ultrasound, your pregnancy care provider can see your babys sex , detect birth disorders like cleft palate or find serious conditions related to your babys brain, heart, bones or kidneys. If your pregnancy is progressing well and with no complications, your 20-week ultrasound may be your last ultrasound during pregnancy. However, if your provider detects a problem during your 20-week ultrasound, they may order additional ultrasounds.
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How Soon Can I Take A Pregnancy Test
You should wait at least one to two weeks after you have sex to take a home pregnancy test. That is the earliest the test will detect levels of human chorionic gonadotropin , a hormone produced during pregnancy.
If you take a test too early, it may not yet be able to detect hCG. If possible, you should wait and test the week after you miss your period.
After getting a positive home pregnancy test, see a doctor and let them know. They will be able to confirm the pregnancy and discuss next steps in your prenatal care.