Early Signs of Pregnancy: 15 Common Pregnancy Symptoms

Sometimes it’s difficult to interpret the signs your body is sending, however if you think there are signs of pregnancy, you probably want to confirm it.

There can be many symptoms of pregnancy which may differ from one woman to another. If you are pregnant, you may notice these symptoms. Don’t worry, it is highly unlikely that you get all of them at once. Similarly, there is nothing to worry about if you don’t experience any of these pregnancy symptoms. Whether you get all these symptoms or none, the only way to be sure about your pregnancy is through a pregnancy test.

Below are some of the common pregnancy signs.

1. Missed period: Missed period is often the earliest sign of pregnancy. Usually this is what causes women to search out details about other pregnancy symptoms. Bear in mind that you can have spotting or light bleeding during the time of your periods even when you are pregnant. To rule out pregnancy, do a home pregnancy test.
2. Change in your breasts: Your breasts might become larger and feel tender or become highly sensitive during pregnancy. The veins on breasts can become more noticeable and the nipples may become darker and stand out.
3. Morning sickness: This is one of the early signs of pregnancy, but don’t be fooled by its name as it can happen anytime of the day or night. Usually it begins one month after you are pregnant. However, the symptoms may vary from one woman to another. Some may experience nausea, and some may never experience it.
4. Frequent urination: If you’re pregnant, you may find yourself urinating more often than usual. This happens because the amount of blood increases in the body which causes kidneys to process extra fluid which ends up in the bladder.
5. Cramping and bloating: Don’t despair if you feel cramping and bloating when you are expecting a positive pregnancy result. Without your periods arriving, implantation of egg on uterine wall can cause premenstrual symptoms.
6. Headache: Most women have menstrual migraines during an early stage of their pregnancy, which are related to hormones.
7. Fatigue: Many women feel tired when pregnant, starting as early as first week of their pregnancy. This tiredness is related to hormonal changes (rise in progesterone hormone) along with other factors like low blood pressure and decreased levels of sugar in blood.
8. Constipation: About 50% women complain of constipation during early in their pregnancy. This happens because of progesterone hormone, which causes food to pass slowly through the intestines.
9. Mood swings: Mood swings are extremely common during pregnancy. You may find yourself feeling happy to be bursting in tears within few minutes. Usually it occurs early on in pregnancy and is related to various hormonal changes occurring in your body. Make sure that your partner knows about this and you are not to be blamed.
10. Unusual hunger or cravings: During pregnancy, your body works hard to grow the baby and need about 300 extra calories a day. While some women may feel hungry all day long, other may find themselves craving for food they wouldn’t normally dream of eating.
11. Smell sensitivity: Many women experience a heightened sense of smell early on during their pregnancy. Some researchers believe that it might be to keep women away from consuming soiled or tainted foods, thereby protecting baby from harmful toxins.
12. Increased basal body temperature: Basal body temperature is the oral temperature when you get up in the morning. It increases marginally after ovulation and remains same till you get your next period. If you have been monitoring your basal body temperature to determine when to ovulate, its constant elevation for more than 15 days may mean that you are expecting.
13. Metallic taste in mouth: Some women experience metallic taste in their mouth during the early stages of pregnancy. While there is no scientific explanation to backup this pregnancy symptom, in some cases it can last throughout their pregnancy.
14. Backache: Lower backache is one of the common symptoms of pregnancy. While this symptom can occur with the inset of pregnancy, it is usually experienced during the second trimester of pregnancy.
15. Dry mouth or bleeding gums: Some women may experience excess saliva while other may experience a complete opposite pregnancy symptom, a dry mouth. Drinking often and combat the dry mouth can be one of the ways to notice this symptom. Some women also notice bleeding gums as early sign of pregnancy. This happens due to hormonal changes which make their gums more sensitive than usual.