Morning Sickness and Other Early Signs of Pregnancy

Posted on Apr 26, 2012 | Blog Posts, Pregnancy Symptoms Category | | Print This Article

photo credit: Esparta

It can be frustrating for a couple who is trying to conceive to wait until they have had a positive pregnancy test to know for certain that they are pregnant.  They wait expectantly, hoping for some early pregnancy symptoms and signs.  On the other hand, a woman who has not necessarily been trying to get pregnant may not, initially, recognize those early pregnancy symptoms & signs when they start to occur.  Knowing what the early pregnancy symptoms & signs are can help you to know whether it is possible that you are pregnant.

• One of the earliest pregnancy symptoms and signs can be implantation bleeding.  Implantation bleeding occurs when the fertilized egg implants itself intot he wall of the uterus.  Some women may experience a small amount of bleeding and even cramping at this time, which can occasionally be mistaken for a period.
• Another early pregnancy symptom and sign is breast tenderness.  It is thought that breast tenderness or swelling can occur as early as a couple of weeks after conception.  Of course, swollen or tender breasts can be caused by any number of other factors, including premenstrual syndrome.
• Fatigue is another possible early pregnancy symptom and sign.  Some women report feeling fatigued as early as a week or so after conception.  Caused by hormonal changes, fatigue due to pregnancy will typically pass before the end of the first trimester.  Here again, there are other causes of fatigue, such as stress or illness.
• Morning sickness is a relatively common early pregnancy symptom and sign.  It is estimated that more than 70% of women will experience some degree or another of morning sickness, mostly within the first trimester.
• Other things like food cravings, headache, backache, and frequent urination can often be early signs of pregnancy.

Having said all of this, the most reliable early sign of pregnancy is a missed period.  In addition, almost any of these symptoms can have another cause.  Still, watching for a combination of these early pregnancy symptoms, such as morning sickness and breast tenderness together, might be a relatively reliable way for a woman to know that, at least, it is time to take a pregnancy test.

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