If you're starting to wonder, am I pregnant? the best way to get that answer is by taking a pregnancy test. If you haven't been able to get your hands on one (or maybe it's too early) your body will give you early signs that there may be a bun in the oven.
1. A Missed Period
For most women a missed period is often the first sign they may be pregnant. If a week or more has passed since your last period you may be pregnant. Another sign is that it will constantly feel like you're about to start your period but never do.
2. Extreme Fatigue
Progesterone levels rise once you become pregnant, which often leads to sleepiness and increased fatigue. This isn't your normal type of fatigue. It's more like exhaustion. You may find yourself dozing off, sleeping longer or more often than you normally would.
As early as a week after you conceive, you may find yourself getting extremely tired. Chalk that up to hormones as well as the support system the body starts setting up right away to house, feed, and grow a baby.
3.Craving or Avoiding Certain Foods
You may start to crave things you never craved before like pickles, or maybe spicy food when you've never liked spicy before.
Cravings typically start in the first trimester. In one study the reviewers cited, three-quarters of women reported craving at least one food item by the thirteenth week of pregnancy.
What do women most want in early pregnancy? Mostly sweets, including fruits, juices, dairy, desserts, and, frequently, chocolate. But a small number of women prefer savory or salty
It’s not clear why these cravings happen. Some speculate it’s due to fluctuating hormones, which can change the sense of taste or smell, but others say it fills specific nutritional needs of the fetus or are brought on by cultural norms or other factors.
4. Nasal Congestion
Increasing hormone levels and blood production can cause the mucous membranes in your nose to swell, dry out and bleed easily. This might cause you to have a stuffy or runny nose.
5. Light Spotting
Also known as implantation bleeding, happens when the fertilized egg attaches to the lining of the uterus — about 10 to 14 days after conception. Implantation bleeding occurs around the time you would expect to have a menstrual period. However, not all women have it.
6. Nausea with or without vomiting (Morning Sickness)
Morning sickness, can occur at any time of the day or night. It often begins one to two months after you become pregnant. However, some women feel nausea earlier and some never experience it. While the cause of nausea during pregnancy isn't clear, pregnancy hormones likely play a role.
7. Low Back Pain, Abdominal Cramping
Mild cramping in the pelvis, lower back, or abdomen commonly occurs early in pregnancy, as the embryo attaches itself to the uterus. It may feel like a constant dull ache or constant pressure.
These cramps should feel more like discomfort than pain. If you experience severe cramping or pain mostly on one side of the body it could indicate an ectopic pregnancy or other complication. Contact your healthcare provider immediately if you experience cramps like this.
8. Tender Boobs, Sensitive Breasts
Breast tenderness if one of the earliest and most common signs of pregnancy. It occurs as a result of hormonal changes which start the process of getting your milk ducts ready to feed the baby.
Your boobs may feel as sore as they sometimes feel before your period. But other changes may come along with this soreness: Nipples may darken and enlarge. And some women start busting out of their bra because the hormones enlarge breast tissue.