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Are you pregnant? Here are some early signs
Are you pregnant? Here are some early signs..
Your gut instinct may be telling you that you are pregnant, and another life is taking shape inside you. However, some of the external signs and symptoms may not have yet given you any sense of certainty. Your next period date seems far away, and you might get anxious and excited to find out if your gut instinct is indeed true as soon as possible.
Well, there are some early signs of pregnancy that could be called ‘tell-tale’ symptoms, even though everyone might not experience these or experience them differently. Here is a short but non-exhaustive list of signals of pregnancy that you might want to look out for.
Missed period
A missed period is perhaps the most common sign of a pregnancy. If your cycles are regular and your period is delayed by four to five days, you can try a pregnancy test. Of course, if you have a history of irregular periods, you can’t rely on a missed period as a predictor of pregnancy.
Breast tenderness
Breast tenderness is another of the earliest signs of pregnancy, though sometimes it might start only around the time when you would generally get your period or miss it. The tenderness (breasts may feel sore) often lasts until the end of the first trimester1 of pregnancy. The discomfort associated with it usually decreases as the pregnancy progresses.
The following symptoms happen around four to six weeks of pregnancy and often are similar to the symptoms experienced by women around the time when their menstrual cycle begins:
Spotting
Light spotting (small drops of blood or brownish discharge) can happen around the time when you get your period, typically in the fourth week of pregnancy. It happens when an embryo implants itself in the lining of the uterus, typically less than two weeks after conception. Such bleeding is noticeable in the form of tiny blood droplets or brownish vaginal discharge.
Mild cramps
You might experience some cramping between weeks four and six. These are similar to menstrual cramps, albeit milder.
Morning sickness or nausea
Contrary to its name, morning sickness or nausea does not necessarily happen only in the mornings, it can happen any time of the day. It sometimes starts even after two weeks of pregnancy. Not every pregnant woman experiences it though. Some women do not have morning sickness at all, some have it only for a certain time during their pregnancy while a few find it difficult to ‘keep food in’ for a major part of their pregnancy. Vomiting may or may not happen along with nausea
Fatigue
Unsurprisingly, pregnancy is often accompanied with increased fatigue due to hormonal changes and the changes in blood pressure and blood sugar levels. If you experience fatigue, listen to your body, get adequate rest and eat healthy including a protein and iron-rich diet2.
Frequent urination
Your body’s blood supply increases during pregnancy3. This results in more visits to the washroom as the kidneys continue to filter your blood and remove the extra waste in the form of urine.
Symptoms that you may experience at the early stages of pregnancy (during the first trimester) and even later include:
Heartburn
This can occur at any time during pregnancy.
Mood swings
Blame it on the hormones but you might suddenly feel too emotional, anxious and even feel like crying at times. This may occur during the first trimester and again towards the end of the third trimester.
Food cravings and aversions
You might tend to crave for certain foods while you would not be able to stand some foods as your sense of taste changes4.
Constipation
Hormonal changes might make some women feel constipated.
While these are the early signs of pregnancy, they also could be an indication of some other health issue if you aren’t pregnant. However, if you miss your period and experience some of the above symptoms, take a home pregnancy test and meet your doctor for pregnancy confirmation if the test is positive.
Despite the inconveniences caused by many of the above-mentioned symptoms, do try and enjoy this wonderful phase of your life and listen to your body.
References & Resources
1 Breast changes during pregnancy
3 Symptoms of pregnancy: What happens first
More Pregnancy & Maternity Tips
Questions you must ask when buying maternity insurance in Singapore
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