It's been several weeks since you did the deed, and now you're eager to know if you've got a baby on board? You'll need a home pregnancy test to know for sure, but before that, some early pregnancy symptoms also tell you that you're a mama-to-be.
1. Sore Breasts
Swollen and sore breasts is a very common pregnancy symptom. After the egg is fertilized, progesterone and hCG start flooding, which increases your blood volume, and then makes your breasts swell and feel heavier than usual. When your body adjusts to the hormonal changes after the first trimester, your discomfort should disappear.
2. Fatigue
If all you can think about at work is taking a nap or if you're too tired to keep up with everyday activities, then it may be an early sign of pregnancy. Your baby starts to use up your calories even within two weeks of conception, which can wipe out your energy stores pretty quickly. This tiredness should ebb in the second trimester.
3. Nausea
Most preggos start to get the queasiness about 6 weeks after conception, but some can experience morning sickness, which unfortunately doesn't just occur in the morning. It will most likely relieve up by the beginning of the second trimester. During this time, try to eat light foods that will settle your stomach.
4. Frequent Urination
If you find yourself unable to sleep through the night without a trip to the loo, it might be a sign. Shortly after your conception, hormonal changes produce extra fluids which cause your bladder to work overtime, so you need to take more pee breaks. The problem becomes worse as your growing baby exerts more pressure on your bladder.
5. Headaches
In the first few weeks of pregnancy, the rising blood volume caused by hormonal changes may trigger frequent but mild tension headaches. This sign should subside as your body adjusts to elevated hormone levels.
6. Cramps
This pregnancy sign is actually triggered by implantation. When the fertilized egg attaches to the uterine wall, your uterus should stretch a little to prepare for its massive expansion during the next 9 months, so you may feel crampy like you have or are about to have your period.
7. Food Aversions
If you find that certain foods such as egg, fish, and coffee turn your stomach, and you suddenly cannot get enough citrus, it could be your body telling you you're pregnant. Craving or food aversions may be a side effect of rapidly increasing amounts of estrogen in your body, though no one knows for sure.
8. Bloating
If you're feeling bloated, similar to the feeling during PMS, it may be a pregnancy sign caused by the ramped-up levels of progesterone which slows down your digestive system and makes your feel puffier than usual at the waistline, even early on when your uterus is still quite small.
9. Constipation
If you find yourself suddenly have potty problems, it may also be a sign triggered by the same hormones responsible for bloating. Due to the extra progesterone in pregnancy, your digestive system slows down, and as a result, food may not pass through as quickly. Sadly, this symptom will likely ramp up even more as your pregnancy progresses.
10. Mood Swings
If you're feeling a little moodier, it might be that your body is adjusting to hormones changes. Preggos respond differently to these changes, but assure your husband that the roller coaster emotions will pass.
11. Elevated Basal Body Temperature
Measuring BBT is usually used to pinpoint ovulation. Generally, your BBT is elevated from ovulation until you get your period. So, if you're charting BBT and notice it stayed elevated beyond two weeks, it may mean you've got a baby on the way.
12. Spotting
Many women mistake some light bleeding for a period, but about 1 in 4 women will experience spotting during the first trimester. It might be caused by the fertilized egg attaching to the uterine wall. So, if you notice that your "period" seems way shorter or different from usual, it may be a sign of pregnancy.
13. Nipple Darkening
Are the boobs looking a little different these days? If it's darkening, it may tell you that you've got a baby on board. Pregnancy hormones affect the activity of melanocytes or cells in the nipples responsible for their color.
14. Late Period
If your cycle is pretty regular, and you're late, you should head to a pregnancy test. But if you're not regular, nausea, breast tenderness, and frequent urination may signal pregnancy before you realize you missed your period.
15. Positive Pregnancy Test
Many pee-stick tests are not sensitive enough to reliably detect pregnancy. If you get a negative result and you still don't get your period, just try again a few days later. In the meantime, check out these pregnancy symptoms that occur upon conception. When you try the test again, and it's positive, congrats, mama-to-be!
