Weird Food Cravings And Aversions
Food cravings and aversions are definitely staples of pregnancy, but did you know that it can actually be one of the first indicators?
That was certainly the case for me. Right away, I had the insatiable need for red meat! This need continued for a good two weeks, until it changed to Mexican food.
My first pregnancy I didnt find out I was pregnant until I was just after six weeks. I have longer cycles so for me this was about a week late. I really didnt think I was pregnant when I took the test, but in hindsight there were a few early pregnancy symptoms. The most obvious was that my eating habits changed. One day I really wanted sweet potatoes fries for lunch at work, another day I couldnt bring myself to eat anything for lunch except carrots covered in ranchand usually I dont like ranch.
McKinzie Bean | Today Mommy
Weird Early Symptoms Of Pregnancy
Something that sticks out to me as my “ah ha!” moments of realizing I was pregnant before I’d even taken a pregnancy test is that the symptoms I first noticed were weird, not typical. Like yeah, those common pregnancy symptoms popped up for me later on, but in those two weeks before my missed period I wasn’t running around barfing in planters or peeing every five seconds like you see in the movies.
Instead, being grossed out by a favorite meal and feeling suddenly so dizzy on an autumn walk that I needed to sit down tipped me off that I might just be pregnant , even before I was far enough along to get an accurate result on a home pregnancy test.
Morning Sickness Or Nausea
That telltale, queasy feeling known as morning sickness can hit you at any time of day and it typically begins when you’re about 6 weeks pregnant, though it can vary and strike even earlier. For most women, nausea starts by week 9.
Hormones, mainly increased levels of progesterone , can cause the stomach to empty more slowly, resulting in this early pregnancy symptom resembling seasickness.
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Your Vagina Can Turn Purple
As if the pregnancy wasnt already weird enough! Due to the increased pressure on your nether regions, you can suddenly enjoy a blue or purple vagina. Varicose veins can also pop up seemingly out of nowhere down there.
Thankfully, this doesnt last. If youre feeling self-conscious about the appearance, try laying down more to relive some of the pressure to the area.
This can help balance the weight in your body a little bit so that it is not all bearing down on your private area.
The 30 Earliest Pregnancy Symptoms
Are you wondering if you might be pregnant? Do you feel stuck in the dreaded uncertainty of post-ovulation limbo, analyzing your body for unusual early pregnancy signs? Lucky for you, there are quite a few early pregnancy symptoms to keep tabs on during the guessing game!
Many pregnancy symptoms mirror PMS , but there SEVERAL very early pregnancy signs on this list that arent generally associated with being premenstrual and can be a good indicator of a possible pregnancy.
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How Can You Tell If You Are Pregnant
The best way to tell if you are pregnant is to take an at-home pregnancy test.When used correctly, theyre 99% accuratethats just as accurate as a urine test at the doctor.
Once you get a positive pregnancy test, call your healthcare provider. Theyll want to set up an appointment to confirm your pregnancy with a blood test.
Tender Tingly Darker More Sticky Out Nipples
Your nipples may also change significantly during the early weeks of pregnancy. Your nipples may begin to ache, tingle or protrude more than usual, says midwife Ellie. The areoles the dark circle around your nipple may also become even darker and larger.
Tender nipples were the first sign for Tamarabell on our forum. I started to get a feeling I was pregnant about 1.5 weeks before I was due on, so pretty early, she says. I had really tender nipples and sort of butterflies in my tummy for a few days. My test came up positive the week before I was due. The doctor didnt believe it and made me do another one. I just sort of knew that something was different!
Whod have thought wed ever get excited about sore/dark nipples! adds lynz_81, whos been pregnant before. Be warned: they will only get bigger and darker now!
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Excessive Sweating And Feeling Hot
Even though its more common to notice temperature changes later in pregnancy, its possible to start having hot flashes soon after conception.
And it makes sense. Well, sort of Following ovulation, your basal body temperature can be slightly higher than normal and will remain that way if you are pregnant. Plus, surging hormones increase blood flow to your skin, making you feel warmer .
What To Expect Before You Miss Your Period
Missing your period may or may not mean you are pregnant. There are many reasons for this including medications, hormonal imbalance, weight loss or gain, illness, stress or even thyroid disorder.
Missing menstruation for women who are sexually active and not on birth control is usually suspected to be caused by pregnancy. If you are not sure, we have discussed below the very early signs that may indicate you conceived.
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Vaginal Thrush Is One Of The Worst Odd Pregnancy Symptoms
When your hormones go crazy, it can easily affect the pH balance. Once that is out of wack, you can develop thrush. For most women, this is relatively short-lived.
However, there are the unlucky ones that experience this off and on throughout their pregnancy. Talking to your doctor about preventative measures can help.
More Hungry Or More Thirsty
While some mums-to-be suddenly cant 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.
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Watch How Pets Act Around You
Are they acting weird around you and YOU only? You could be pregnant!
The same goes for kids. Small children may get more emotional and clingy, and rub, kiss, or point to your stomach. Older, verbal kids might catch you off guard with odd comments about your appearance or a new baby. If you dont have any kids of your own but spend time with some, it is very possible that they wont want to leave your side now. If youre pregnant, that is
When Can I Take A Home Pregnancy Test
Although you may start to feel early pregnancy symptoms before your period, most women have to wait for an average of two weeks from the time they ovulate for a positive home pregnancy test result. Home pregnancy tests measure levels of human chorionic gonadotropin in your urine.
This placenta-produced hormone makes its way into your urine almost immediately after an embryo begins implanting in your uterus, between six to 12 days after fertilization. You can start using most home pregnancy tests as soon as hCG can be detected in your urine and hCG levels usually arent high enough to be picked up by a home pregnancy test until your periods expected.
Cant wait until then? Some HPTs promise 60 to 75 percent accuracy four to five days before you expect your period. Wait until your period and the rate jumps to 90 percent wait another week and the results are 99 percent accurate.
Know that false negatives are much more common than false positives, so if the time for your period comes and goes without your monthly flow, check in with your health care provider. Either way, youll want to get a blood test to confirm your pregnancy status.
No matter what symptoms you’re having, the only way to know for sure that you’re pregnant is to make an appointment with your OB/GYN.
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Weird Pregnancy Symptom #: Whats That Smell
A common anecdotal pregnancy symptom is reports of a hyperactive sense of smell during pregnancy. Pregnant women seem to be able to smell anything coffee, perfume, pets- and find it pleasant or putrid. This olfactory hypersensitivity is also known as hyperosmia, and some believe its linked to headaches, nausea and dry retching that can happen during the first trimester.
The hypothesis is that sensitivity to smells might have a protective function for the embryo, by limiting what the mother eats during early pregnancy when the baby is at its most vulnerable. However, the scientific evidence for this is limited, according to this paper, which also says theres limited research to prove that increased smell during pregnancy actually happens.
Bleeding Gums + Nosebleeds
If, out of nowhere, your teeth and gums get very sensitive around the time of your missed period or in the days leading up to your expected period, it could be another early sign of pregnancy. Your gums may even start bleeding.
Likewise, you may not have had a nosebleed in years, but you might see one if youre pregnant, starting soon after conception.
The blood volume increases in pregnancy which puts more pressure on the blood vessels, which in turn causes them to rupture more easily. The blood vessels around the nose are especially fragile, so go ahead and throw a pack of tissues in your purse just in case.
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Weird Pregnancy Symptoms Before A Missed Period
A missed period is an obvious sign of pregnancy. However, it is not the only sign of pregnancy. In fact, there are other uncommon signs of pregnancy that you may experience before a missed period.
Although a pregnancy test is the most effective way to confirm a pregnancy, a number of other uncommon signs can also be used to detect pregnancy. Nevertheless, most mums-to-be fail to recognize these signs.
What are these uncommon signs of pregnancy? How can you identify them?
Read on to find out!
The Uncommon Pregnancy Symptoms
Changes In Your Skin Complexion
When your hormones are changing, so is your skin. Makes sense, right? There is a chance youll start glowing on DAY 1 when you are pregnant, but you can also break out with massive flipping zits, like, overnight.
Unfortunately, at this point its impossible to predict whether any changes in your skin are some of the earliest signs of pregnancy or just an impending period. This pregnancy symptom isnt very reliable unless youre seeing some totally bizarre changes.
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Be Sure Youre Taking Your Vitamins
Ideally, youve already been taking a daily multivitamin, even before conception. However, make sure your vitamin of choice has folic acid. If it doesnt, start taking a folic acid supplement. A prenatal vitamin or multivitamin with folate can help prevent birth defects of the brain, spine or spinal cord.
A Heightened Sense Of Smell
My husband joked that I could become a canine detective. I could literally smell EVERYTHING. And since my nausea was so easily triggered, the heightened sense of smell often triggered nausea or retching. Fun. This one came on pretty early and lasted the entire time. Many women say its their first pregnancy symptom.
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What Does My Baby Look Like
Your baby, or embryo, is around 2mm long . The face is starting to take shape, with a tiny, weeny nose and little eyes which will stay shut until around 28 weeks. The baby’s brain and spinal cord are forming rapidly inside you.
The baby-to-be already has some of its own blood vessels and a string of them will make up the umbilical cord. This cord will deliver the growing bundle of cells with everything it needs from the placenta. The placenta, which is being created now, will give your baby nutrients and oxygen, while removing waste products. It’s basically like a store-cupboard and toilet, rolled into one!
Change In Cervical Mucus
Some of our forum mums find their cervical mucus changes and they seem to have more mucus than usual.
In very early pregnancy, your mucus may seem to be thinnish and slippery for longer than usual and it will then thicken due to the increase in progesterone.
For forum mum Blue_Gecko, this thickened mucus was one of the clearest early signs she was pregnant. The cervical mucus was creamy and quite heavy, she recalls. It felt quite moist down there.
Cervical mucus is usually a pale white/yellow colour but dont worry if you see a brownish discharge: this is also common. Its usually harmless, but if youre worried, have a chat with your GP.
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So Ive Got Some Of These Symptoms Am I Definitely Pregnant
Frustratingly, as weve already explained, many of the signs and symptoms of early pregnancy weve details above are the same as, or can be easily confused with, the signs and symptoms of PMS or the signs and symptoms that your periods on its way.
Some of the signs nausea, breast tenderness, mood swings, and a frequent need to wee are, anecdotally, more common signs of pregnancy than others. But you could be pregnant without experiencing any of them. And you may not be pregnant even if you experience them all.
We will all experience the first signs of pregnancy in completely different ways, says Dr Amin Gorgy. There is no specific way that you should feel. We are all individuals.
As wise forum mum gazsgirl says, Everyone is different and most symptoms are so like period ones, its always hard to know until you see the line.
Time to take a test if you havent already
Feeling Sick During Pregnancy
You may feel sick or be sick. This is commonly known as morning sickness, but it can happen at any time of the day or night.
Morning sickness symptoms usually start when youre around 4-6 weeks pregnant
If you’re being sick all the time and cannot keep anything down, see a GP.
You may have hyperemesis gravidarum, a serious condition in pregnancy that causes severe vomiting and needs treatment.
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