Many women know very little about their anatomy. They just witness their periods every month but are not aware of the facts behind their menstrual cycles. Although they know that menses are related to the childbearing ability of a woman, many do not even recognize pregnancy in the first couple of months if they have an irregular cycle. Nature has equipped the human body in a way that it informs us about the bodily changes through symptoms and so is the same with conception. Body conveys certain information through the symptoms when a woman gets pregnant. The key lies in understanding those symptoms and relating them to the health condition. Recognizing the symptoms requires observation and this observation should actually be a continuous process to understand the communication our body does with our minds.
However, certain symptoms such as breast tenderness and stomach cramping are common in both the pregnancy and pre-menstrual phases. This could be the reason for the confusion between pregnancy and pre-menstrual syndrome. If you persistently experience cramps without your periods, it can be suspected of pregnancy as per the experts. But missed periods are the first sign of pregnancy that many women observe. Most of the symptoms may not be exclusive to pregnancy. Let us clearly understand what the general signs of early pregnancy are.
Sore Breasts
Tenderness in breasts may also be experienced prior to your periods. However, you may feel a difference in both of them. Secretion of pregnancy hormones after conception leads to sensitive breasts. Heaviness and fullness are also its signs.
Abdominal Cramps
Some pregnant women may experience mild cramps in their uterus in the early pregnancy days which can also be a common experience before the menstrual cycle begins.
Nausea
It is a universally known fact that pregnant women have nausea but it is not imperative that you will experience it from day one of your pregnancy. Hormones can be blamed for this and these hormones start releasing once conception starts. This may continue for weeks, months, and for some, nausea can irritate till the last trimester. Usually, it lasts till the second trimester.
Fatigue
Morning sickness and tiredness persist in some pregnant women till the last day of their gestation period and can start to appear from the early pregnancy weeks. Progesterone can be blamed for its inconsistent levels crucial in making you feel tired in the early safety of pregnancy.
Food Aversions
It is not an exaggeration to say that women experience aversion to certain foods right from day one of their pregnancy. Garlic, boiling porridge, seafood are the few irritants you commonly come across. Similarly, you may have cravings for some typical foods of your choice or surprisingly those foods that you may have hated earlier.
Minimal Bleeding
When the fertilized egg implants in your uterus, you may experience slight bleeding but not every pregnant woman finds this in her early weeks of pregnancy. If you notice bleeding a little excessive than spotting, you may have to bring this to the notice of your doctor.
Mood Swings
All the above facts along with the sensitively inconsistent hormones may play a crucial role in affecting a pregnant woman’s mood. However, this may disappear after the first trimester. Very few women have long-lasting effects related to moods.
Although, it is interesting to notice the signs of early pregnancy your body tries to communicate with you, a pregnancy test will get you the sure shot results and so are the majority of women rely on these tests without having to wait for a period of time to understand the good news.
Sources:
http://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/cramps-but-no-period#headaches6
http://www.healthline.com/health/womens-health/pms-symptoms-vs-pregnancy-symptoms#mood-changes4
https://wehavekids.com/having-baby/am-i-pregnant-early