What are the tell-tale early symptoms and signs of pregnancy before missed period?
Are there any early symptoms and signs of pregnancy before missed period?
Mira has just come to know that she is 3 months pregnant. She did not realize until recently that she could be expecting. Her friend Sunita says she knew she was pregnant even before taking pregnancy test. Mira is wondering if there were any early pregnancy signs and symptoms that could have helped her to figure out if she was pregnant or not.
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The only sure-shot way of figuring out that you are pregnant early on is to take a home pregnancy test. However, there are many signs and symptoms of pregnancy which a woman can experience once she conceives, even before missing her period. Some women may experience many of these symptoms while others may not experience that many. However, paying close attention to your body and experiencing the early signs may tell you if it is time to get tested to confirm a pregnancy.
Tender BreastsÂ
Tender breasts can be one of the earliest signs of pregnancy before missed period. You may experience tenderness and increased swelling in breasts very early on during early pregnancy.
Bigger Areola
Another early sign of pregnancy is the change in size of nipple and areola. The nipple and areola becomes bigger and darker in anticipation of feeding the baby who has just been conceived. Both will keep getting bigger as the time for delivery approaches. These changes are due to the release of pregnancy hormones.
SpottingÂ
Spotting can be early pregnancy sign/ symptom. Some but not all woman may experience spotting when the embryo gets implanted in the uterus. You may experience an untimely or unusual (shorter than usual) menstrual period. This could be spotting and could mean you might be pregnant.
Cramps
Cramping can also be one of the first signs of pregnancy. These cramps may feel a bit like your menstrual cramps. These cramps usually occur at the time of implantation of embryo into the uterus wall.
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Frequent Urination
If you realize that you have started spending a lot more time than usual in the toilet and you feel like you always have to pee, you could be pregnant. This sign of pregnancy appears quite early after conception.
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Fatigue
You could be pregnant if you suddenly feel exhausted all the time. This symptoms may appear soon after conception and before missed period. You may feel complete lack of energy. Doing small chores will also become difficult. All this is due to high level of hormone progesterone. This is quite different from feeling tired and sleepy at the end of a hard day’s work.In this case, you will feel exhausted as soon as you are out of bed. If you experience such fatigue, head to get a home pregnancy test to confirm your pregnancy.
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Constipation
Many women experience constipation early on during pregnancy. However, it is often overlooked but it could be another early sign of pregnancy could be constipation.  Increased hormones in your body relaxes the muscles of intestine and stomach which causes slow digestion and constipation.
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Nausea and Vomiting
Nausea and vomiting is well-known and often over-rated early pregnancy symptom. Also known as Morning-sickness, not all pregnant women experience this. However, morning-sickness may not be limited to morning. You can experience a bout of vomiting any time during the day. Again, some women may experience this more than others and for some there could be none at all. This is usually due to high levels of progesterone hormone.
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Bloating
Another one of early pregnancy signs can be bloating. Â You may feel constantly bloated similar to bloating before your period. This inflated or bloated feeling can be quite uncomfortable as well as embarrassing, but it could signal that you might be pregnant much before missed period.
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Sensitive Nose
Some women may realize they have suddenly become sensitive to all kinds of smell. This could be an early pregnancy symptom if you suddenly have a heightened sense of smell and start noticing smells which you never noticed before.
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Food Cravings
Some women may find they have strange cravings for food suddenly. Remember those Hindi movies, where a married woman having pickle is termed pregnant, however cravings are not limited to spicy or sour foods.
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Late Period
Finally, if your periods are otherwise regular and you miss a date, you should probably get a home pregnancy test and test for pregnancy. If the home pregnancy test shows positive, you should go ahead and book an appointment with your gynaecologist.
None of these symptoms are sure-shot signs and at best can indicate pregnancy. If you feel you could be, you should get tested at home or at a clinic to find out for sure and then meet a gynaecologist for a pre-natal checkup.
What to expect in first pre-natal checkup
How many of these early signs and symptoms of pregnancy did you encounter? Were your anxieties correct or it was a false alarm?
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