Trying to put a baby in your belly is an exciting part of your life. You may find yourself trying countless methods to get pregnant like tracking your ovulation period, cutting caffeine out of your diet, and hitting the gym more frequently. Many people recognize a missed period as the first sign of a pregnancy, but there are many signs of pregnancy that occur prior to that.
Ovulation can be tracked by monitoring changes in your luteinizing hormone (LH). Ovulation can start as soon as one day after your LH levels surge. Fertility hormones like LH can be tracked using the Mira Fertility Tracker to find your specific fertility hormone concentration levels.
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Do your breasts feel sore and tender? Are you going to the bathroom more frequently than usual? These are some of the early symptoms of pregnancy that can occur before your first missed period. Surprisingly, certain symptoms are noticeable before an at home pregnancy test can detect your pregnancy in some cases. When it comes to fertility, science has taught us that the body is an instrument that communicates with us in interesting ways.
1. Frequent Urination
If you notice yourself needing to urinate more often, that’s a good sign. There are several reasons for urinating more frequently after conceiving. The main cause of this is an increased blood flow to the kidneys. Your kidneys can produce as much as 25% more urine right after conceiving. The amount of urine your body produces usually peaks from the end of your first trimester to the first few weeks of your second trimester. Fortunately, frequent urination tends to settle down after the first month of pregnancy.
Another reason for urinating frequently is related to your uterus. After conception your uterus, also known as the womb, will expand in order to hold a developing fetus. As your womb grows larger, it applies pressure on your bladder, which causes you to urinate more frequently.
2. Breasts Feel Tender, Sore and Heavy
There are many symptoms of pregnancy that lay in the breast area. You may find that your breasts become extremely sensitive before your period. Some women’s breasts may be irritated by clothing fabrics. Also, Your breasts may increase in size and also feel heavier as well. Walking and running may feel uncomfortable because of the increase in breast weight.
Nipples and areolas may begin to darken, and nipples can harden. Your nipples can feel itchy, tingly or prickly at this stage as well. All these discomforting symptoms should be embraced, since they happen when your breasts are preparing themselves to produce milk to nurse your newborn.
3. Feeling Tired and Sleepy
Feeling tired throughout the day, even after getting a decent amount of sleep is an early symptom of pregnancy. Just getting out of bed in the morning and putting on a decent outfit can seem like a chore. Changes in hormone levels during pregnancy are to blame. The hormone progesterone increases when you get pregnant. This increases a women’s tendency to sleep throughout the day.
In addition, your body will need to use extra energy to produce more blood for a developing fetus, which can make you even more exhausted. Simultaneously, changes in blood pressure, or blood sugar can contribute to the feeling of fatigue. Tiredness due to pregnancy can be countered with a diet rich in vitamins, minerals and fluids.
4. Nausea and Vomiting
Feeling nauseous is a common pregnancy symptom, also known as morning sickness, and is a well known sign of being pregnant. Nausea usually sets in about 4-6 weeks after conceiving. The exact cause of morning sickness is not exactly known, but it is said that hormones play a role. In particular, as the pregnancy hormone, hCG rises, women experience more symptoms related to nausea. According to American Pregnancy Organization, about four out of five women will experience pregnancy related nausea during the first few weeks of pregnancy, before a missed period.
Tips for Combating morning sickness:
- Snack often: Eating multiple meals in smaller portions are better for nausea, compared to filling your stomach with three full-course meals per day.
- Avoid nausea triggers: You may realize that certain smell or food aversions can be so strong that they can trigger vomiting. Common nausea triggers include spicy foods, caffeine, perfume.
- Rinse your mouth after vomiting: The acidic bile of vomiting can damage the enamel in your teeth, and cause other oral hygiene issues. After vomiting, rinse your mouth using water, and then use a fluoride based mouthwash.
5. Cramping and Light Bleeding
Menstrual cramping and light bleeding can be one of the early signs of pregnancy, also known as implantation bleeding, which usually occurs days before and expected period. Implantation is the result of your fertilized egg attaching itself to the wall of your uterus. Women with a consistent menstrual cycle usually experience implantation bleeding about a week or so before their missed period. These symptoms may last from a few hours to several days. Implantation bleeding results in trace amounts of blood coming from the vagina. Watch out for heavier bleeding, as this could be a sign of your period, or an early miscarriage.
6. Weird Food Cravings
Do you suddenly have a strong urge to eat a chunky gooey chocolate bar at 1:00 am in the morning? Weird food cravings are a common symptom that start from the early stages of pregnancy. Similar to other early signs of pregnancy, food cravings are the result of a change in hormone levels that remain elevated after conception. In the US some of the most common cravings are sweet foods such as chocolates, ice creams and juices. Some of the less common cravings include salty foods like pickles and chips.
7. Bloating
The bloating from pregnancy can be described as feeling like there’s a huge water balloon in your stomach. You may also feel pinching and pulling feelings in your stomach as well. The increase in progesterone hormone levels after you get pregnant causes bloating, because progesterone causes women to retain water.. Because the increased progesterone levels slows down digestion, gas gets trapped inside the intestines. This can cause you to pass gas more frequently (farts), burps or cause constipation. Eating in smaller portions, and having a healthier diet can help to combat the discomfort.
8. Mood Swings
Everybody’s mood can be affected by the daily stresses and positives of daily life; However, mood swings before a missed period is another sign of pregnancy. Mood swings usually peak around 6-10 weeks after conception.
You may find yourself getting extremely irritated by the smallest issues. The hormonal changes resulting from pregnancy affects your brain’s ability to regulate your emotions. Mood swings result in many different kinds of emotions, ranging from sudden angry outbursts, brief sadness, or upbeat moods.
9. Cervical Mucus Changes
A change in vaginal discharge also known as cervical mucus, is one of the earliest signs of pregnancy. When your fertilized egg is implanted in your uterus, changes occur to your vaginal discharge. After implantation, your vaginal discharge becomes thick and creamy, yet clear in color. This occurs as early as one week after conceiving.
Pregnancy Tests, How soon is too soon?
Trying to conceive is such an exciting process, it’s normal to be so eager that you want to take a pregnancy test right after doing the deed. Although, testing too soon will result in a false-negative, which means you’re actually pregnant but the pregnancy test couldn’t detect it yet. If you get a false-negative its still best to put the cigarettes and wine away, until your period comes.
False-negatives can be inaccurate, but false-positives are rare. This means that once you get a positive pregnancy test, there’s no need to test again. Not all pregnancy tests are built the same, but a pregnancy test at a local drug store may say that your pregnancy can be detected as soon as six days before a missed period.
Can you Miss a Period and Not be Pregnant?
A missed period doesn’t always point to pregnancy. Hormonal changes, stress and birth control are all reasons people can miss or delay their periods. This is because women can ovulate on different days throughout a menstrual cycle. Without a pregnancy test confirming your conception, a missed period can not be an assumed indicator of being pregnant.
