Pregnancy Symptoms

It's been a couple weeks since you did the deed, and now you're dying to know: am I pregnant? You'll need a home pregnancy test or a blood test at your OB's office to know for sure, but until you can take one, Look through these early signs of pregnancy and see if any of them feel familiar.

Food Aversions

If you're newly pregnant, it's not uncommon to feel repelled by the smell of a bologna sandwich or a cup of coffee, and for certain aromas to trigger your gag reflex. Though no one knows for sure, this may be a side effect of rapidly increasing amounts of estrogen in your system.

You may also find that certain foods you used to enjoy are suddenly completely repulsive to you.

Mood Swings

It's common to have mood swings during pregnancy, partly because of hormonal changes that affect neurotransmitters (chemical messengers in the brain). Everyone responds differently to these changes. Some moms-to-be experience heightened emotions, both good and bad, while others feel more depressed or anxious.

Abdominal Bloating

Hormonal changes in early pregnancy may leave you feeling bloated, similar to the feeling some women have just before their period. That's why your clothes may feel more snug than usual at the waistline, even early on when your uterus is still quite small.

Frequent Urination

Shortly after you become pregnant, hormonal changes prompt a chain of events that raise the rate of blood flow through your kidneys. This causes your bladder to fill more quickly, so you need to pee more often.

Frequent urination will continue or intensify as your pregnancy progresses. Your blood volume rises dramatically during pregnancy, which leads to extra fluid being processed and ending up in your bladder. The problem is compounded as your growing baby exerts more pressure on your bladder.

Fatigue

Feeling tired all of a sudden? No one knows for sure what causes early pregnancy fatigue, but it's possible that rapidly increasing levels of the hormone progesterone are contributing to your sleepiness. Of course, morning sickness and having to urinate frequently during the night can add to your sluggishness, too.

You should start to feel more energetic once you hit your second trimester, although fatigue usually returns late in pregnancy when you're carrying a lot more weight and some of the common discomforts of pregnancy make it more difficult to get a good night's sleep.

Sore Breasts

One common pregnancy symptom is sensitive, swollen breasts caused by rising levels of hormones. The soreness and swelling may feel like an exaggerated version of how your breasts feel before your period. Your discomfort should diminish significantly after the first trimester, as your body adjusts to the hormonal changes.

Light Bleeding or Spotting

If you're trying to get pregnant, the last thing you want to see is any spotting or vaginal bleeding. But if you notice just light spotting around the time your period is due, it could be implantation bleeding. No one knows for sure why it happens, but it might be caused by the fertilized egg settling into the lining of your uterus.

About 1 in 4 women experience spotting or light bleeding during the first trimester. It's often nothing, but sometimes it's a sign of miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy. If your bleeding is severe or accompanied by pain or lightheadedness, or if you're at all concerned, call your doctor or midwife.

Nausea

For some women, morning sickness doesn't hit until about a month or two after conception, though for others it may start as early as two weeks. And not just in the morning, either: Pregnancy-related nausea (with or without vomiting) can be a problem morning, noon, or night.

Most pregnant women with nausea feel complete relief by the beginning of the second trimester. For most others, it takes another month or so for the queasiness to ease up. A lucky few escape it altogether.

A Missed Period

If you're usually pretty regular and your period doesn't arrive on time, you may decide to do a pregnancy test before you notice any of the above symptoms. But if you're not regular or you're not keeping track of your cycle, nausea and breast tenderness and extra trips to the bathroom may signal pregnancy before you realize you didn't get your period.

High Basal Body Temperature

If you've been charting your basal body temperature and you see that your temperature has stayed elevated for more than two weeks, you're probably pregnant.

Positive Home Pregnancy Test

You won't know for sure whether you're a mama-to-be until you do the pee-stick test. If you get a negative result and you still don't get your period, it just might just be too early for the test to detect. In the meantime, look a few of these weird pregnancy symptoms that can appear upon conception. Wait a few days and try the test again. And if it's positive congratulations!

Shortness Of Breath

Do you get winded going up the stairs all of a sudden? It might be because you’re pregnant. The growing fetus needs oxygen, leaving you a little short. Sorry to say, this one may continue throughout your pregnancy, especially as your growing baby starts to put pressure on your lungs and diaphragm.

Cramping

Is it PMS or pregnancy? It's hard to tell, but if you're feeling crampy, it might be your uterus stretching to get ready for a baby.

Backaches

Is your lower back a little sore? If you don't normally have back pain, it could mean your ligaments are loosening. Sorry, this one might continue through your pregnancy as your weight gain and shifting center of gravity throw your posture out of whack.

Super Smell

Your garbage can now make you gagguess you're off trash duty! If you're repulsed by certain smells or have an increased sensitivity to odors, it may mean you've got a bun in the oven.

Dizziness or Fainting

This is the go-to symptom they use to signify pregnancy in movies, but it's based in reality. Low blood sugar or blood pressure can cause a woozy episode. Make sure you eat enough and stay well-hydrated.

Headaches

More early signs of pregnancy include an aching head, a result of changes in hormones. Just in case you are indeed pregnant, take pg-safe acetaminophen instead of ibuprofen to deal with the pain.