When you’re trying to get pregnant or when you’re really afraid you might be pregnant, the days between when you have sex and when you’re supposed to get your period can be filled with anxiety. You might be paying extra attention to your body, watching for signs of pregnancy. So what are the early signs of pregnancy? What clues does your body give even before you miss a period?

Many women experience some of the following symptoms beginning as early as conception (approximately 2 weeks after the last period). Because pregnancy symptoms are so different from woman to woman, you may have some of these symptoms or none of these symptoms.

• Cramping – Cramping in early pregnancy can come from a surge of blood to the uterus. Some mildly uncomfortable, generalized cramping is normal in early pregnancy. If you have cramping that makes you double over in pain or that’s concentrated in one place, you should call your doctor right away.

• Spotting – When the newly-conceived baby attaches to the uterine wall, there can be some implantation bleeding. This bleeding is usually light pink or brown and isn’t as heavy as a normal period. Because of the timing – 6 to 12 days after conception – it easily can be confused with a light period. So if you have this symptom along with other symptoms, you might want to take a pregnancy test.

• Bloating – As your hormones change, you might feel bloated similar to that bloated feeling you get during your period. These same hormones can slow down your digestive system, so you might be constipated along with the bloating.

• Sore Breasts – Sore breasts and nipples are often one of the first signs of pregnancy. As your levels of estrogen and progesterone spike, blood flow to your breasts increases. This can make your breasts feel sore or tingly or extra sensitive. Many women experience this same thing during the monthly cycle. But as the hormone levels dip back down during the regular cycle, the breast tenderness goes away. During pregnancy, your hormone levels stay elevated, so the tenderness doesn’t go away like it does during your monthly cycle.

• Fatigue – As soon as you get pregnant, your body starts making a placenta and producing more blood to carry nutrients to your baby. Add to that all the extra hormones, which can cause sleepiness, and it’s no wonder you’re exhausted! Extreme fatigue during the first trimester is very common.

• Peeing More Often – As soon as the newly-conceived baby implants in the wall of your uterus, your body starts making a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin, which is more widely known as hCG. This is the hormone that shows up in your urine and causes the pregnancy test to be positive. It’s this same hormone that can make you feel like you have to pee every five minutes.

• Nausea – Some people call this morning sickness, but that’s really a deceptive name because you can feel sick at any or all times of the day or night, not just in the morning. Some women vomit; others feel nauseous but never vomit. More rarely, some women experience extreme vomiting, leading to dehydration and other problems. If your morning sickness seems especially severe, talk with your doctor and she can offer solutions.

• Mood swings – You know all those hormones we keep talking about? Well, they can cause your moods to shift like sand on a windy day. You might feel perfectly fine one moment and burst into tears the next. And maybe you don’t even know why you feel so sad or so happy or so irritated. The good news — this isn’t permanent. Pregnancy doesn’t last forever, and your moods will eventually even back out again.

• Food cravings (or food aversions) – You know all those stories about pregnant women wanting pickles and ice cream? That’s not just a myth or old wives’ tale. You might not want pickles and ice cream exactly, but food cravings are a real thing. Some people believe it’s your body’s way of telling you what nutrients you need, though there isn’t much science or data to back that up. Similar to cravings, some women experience intense food aversions — you can’t even stand the smell of certain foods or you become nauseous. What should you do about the cravings? Most doctors agree that giving in to cravings in moderation is OK, but be careful about eating too many empty calories. Your growing baby needs nutrients.
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If you suspect you’re pregnant, call us and schedule a time to meet with one of our staff members. We can offer a pregnancy test at no cost to you and possibly an ultrasound to confirm the pregnancy. Whether you’ve been trying to get pregnant or whether this is the biggest surprise of your life, we’ll do our best to help you navigate this next step – You don’t have to do this alone.