10 Early Pregnancy Symptoms

Published June 12, 2023 by Perfectly Female

Most people will tell you the first early pregnancy symptom is missing a period. That is absolutely true, but there are dozens more to watch out for. Let’s take a quick look at 10 early pregnancy symptoms.

Hormones Gone Wild

Most early pregnancy symptoms stem from changing hormones, and in fact, hormones will continue to rule your life for the next 9 months. Many of these early symptoms will pop up even before you think you’re pregnant, so pay close attention.

Frequent Trips To The Bathroom

Even before you have missed a period, you will be urinating like there’s “no tomorrow”. In the early days of pregnancy, more blood is pumping through your body and your blood supply increases. The more blood in your body, the more you will urinate.

Fatigue

That over-the-top tiredness is due to higher levels of the hormone progesterone. The fatigue will diminish by the second trimester, but can come back later.

Morning Sickness

This so-called morning sickness can occur at any time of the day. It can begin as early as 2 weeks into a pregnancy. One half of pregnant women also have vomiting and nausea. Be careful this doesn’t develop into dehydration, so continue to consume water.

Sore Breasts

About 1 to 2 weeks into pregnancy a woman may find her breasts are not only sore, but also getting bigger and tender to the touch. Nipples may become darkened and enlarged.

Spotting

Light bleeding can be a sign that your embryo has implanted into the uterus. This usually takes place several days after conception. It may look like drops of blood or a brown discharge. It can involve cramping, and it’s possible to think you have only had a light period and are not pregnant.

Food Craziness

If you suddenly crave certain foods and are always ravenous, you could be pregnant. While at the same time you may develop a distaste for other foods you normally love. Even the smell of certain foods can be off-putting as you have smell aversions. It is believed estrogen is the culprit here.

Dysgeusia

There’s one you probably never heard of before. Estrogen again is the issue. This hormone controls your sense of taste, and when estrogen surges, it can leave a sour or metallic taste in your mouth. It is also believed that prenatal vitamins can contribute to this metallic taste as well.

Insomnia And Intense Vivid Dreams

This can be good news or bad news. Since you are urinating more during the night, you sleep less and your dreams become more vivid. Hormones again can be the cause of this.

Constipation

We can hear you groaning now.

Rising progesterone levels allow your uterine lining to grow. While that’s beneficial for your growing baby, it can cause the muscles of the intestine wall and stomach to relax. This slows down digestion and increases blood volume. Unless you drink sufficient water to compensate for the increased blood, you will naturally become dehydrated, and… constipation quickly follows. You may not want to drink much more water due to urinating so much, but unless you do, constipation is the result.

Categories: Obstetrics, Pregnancy