Whilst the most common way of finding out you are pregnant is by using a home pregnancy test, many of us will only take a test because we’ve experienced certain symptoms that have made us wonder. However, sometimes the signs are there before you’ve even missed a period – so if you are planning a pregnancy keep an eye out for some of the symptoms below:
Tiredness
Growing a baby is exhausting work and it starts early. Often the first sign that you may be pregnant is feeling so tired that you start falling asleep anywhere! It’s very common to feel exceptionally tired in early pregnancy because the pregnant body is working overtime to maintain the pregnancy. At conception, progesterone levels begin to rise rapidly and will continue to do so throughout your first trimester. Progesterone is the hormonal sustenance of pregnancy, preventing uterine contractions and inhibiting early immune responses. However, the sudden surge in progesterone during early pregnancy can leave you utterly exhausted
Some pregnant women notice this fatigue even as early as one week after conception, making this one of the first noticeable signs of pregnancy.
Perky Breasts
Your breasts may become larger and feel tender, just as they might do before your period. They may also tingle. Soon after conception your body starts to develop milk-producing glands in the breasts, which may make your breasts feel full, veins may be more visible and your nipples darken and stand out. For a lot of women sore breasts and the visible changes are a clue that they may be pregnant.
Sensitive taste and smell
Some mums say that when they first became pregnant they got a funny taste of metal in their mouth. Other women develop an unexpected dislike for something every day and familiar, like tea or coffee.
Smell sensitivity is a symptom of early pregnancy that is mostly self-reported. There’s little scientific evidence about smell sensitivity during the first trimester. But it may be important, as smell sensitivity may trigger nausea and vomiting. It may also cause a strong distaste for certain foods.
Pain in C-Section Scar
This is for the ones who’ve already had a child. The c-section might start to be a nuisance and a pressure could be felt there. A new life, even if it is really small, can be felt if the mother had experienced giving birth through a c-section. Don’t worry, it isn’t something to be worried about. In case it happens, it could only be a small feeling in your c-section area.
Frequent need to pee
If you find yourself getting up more often at night for trips to the bathroom, it could be an early sign that a fertilized egg has begun implantation in the uterine wall.
The pregnancy hormone— hCG, often triggers frequent urges to pee even while the embryo is still very tiny and there is no real pressure on your bladder from a growing baby.
Baby brain
This can be defined as forgetfulness during pregnancy, although it isn’t a usual pregnancy symptom for most. Putting wrong things in the wrong places (where is your phone or keys?!), forgetting people’s names and just general forgetful stuff might happen to newly pregnant mothers.
Snotty nose
Quite early in pregnancy, some women start feeling the need to constantly blow their noses, especially first thing in the morning. The symptoms are not like the common cold, which is accompanied by fever and body ache but only a runny nose. This is called non-allergic rhinitis and your hormonal imbalance early on in the pregnancy is to blame.
Whilst not everyone experiences some or any of the symptoms listed above, if you have been trying for a baby, they may be an early indication of pregnancy.
It’s important to pay attention to what your body is telling you and if you think you may be pregnant, take a pregnancy test and contact your GP.