Dec 9, 2010 Emily Sutherlin

Could you be pregnant? – MorguefileThe most common and experienced pregnancy symptoms during the first trimester.

There are certain symptoms that can indicate you might be pregnant. If you know you are pregnant, you may notice some of these symptoms more than if you aren’t sure yet. These are the most common and more noticeable symptoms of pregnancy, but every woman experiences pregnancy symptoms differently, and not all women experience the same symptoms.

Missed Period – The biggest indication that you could be pregnant is that your period hasn’t come yet, especially if your periods have a history of being regular. If your period hasn’t come in a few days, take an at home pregnancy test.

If you don’t have a regular period, but your period hasn’t come at all, take a test. You may also experience some other symptoms common among the first trimester.

Feeling Nauseated – Morning sickness, which isn’t only limited to mornings, is another sign of pregnancy. This symptom generally occurs between 2 and 8 weeks of pregnancy, but women have reported feeling nauseated as early as the first week and as late as the second trimester. Nausea comes from the onset of so many new hormones being secreted by the body to get ready for the newly growing baby. Have no fear: This symptom is generally temporary, though there are a few unlucky –but rare—women who experience nausea and vomiting for much of their pregnancy.

Sensitivity to smells – One more thing to add to nausea is the sensitivity to certain odors. If you notice you can smell things better than usual, especially odors that make you feel nauseated or overwhelmed, you can add this to your “Am I pregnant?” checklist. in order to keep from being nauseated at every smell, stay away from strong scents especially ones that you make you feel sick.

Tender or Swollen (or both) Breasts – This symptom can come as early as one to two weeks pregnant in some women. You may find your breasts are sore when moved around or touched. You may also notice that your “twins” are outgrowing your bra. You may also see more veins in your breasts and your nipples may become darker.

Feeling exhausted – During the first few weeks of pregnancy, you may feel super tired and lethargic. A hormone called progesterone is rising in levels at this time and may make you feel tired. If this is hindering your work or daily function, call the doctor, he may suggest an iron supplement or suggest adding some exercise into your daily routine to help give you energy.

A change in appetite – If you feel cravings for certain foods you’ve never really enjoyed enough to crave, or you feel like you want to bite into some powdered laundry detergent, chalk or clay, this is another indication that you may be pregnant. Pregnant women can crave certain foods, both healthy and unhealthy.

Frequent Urination – Around 6 to 8 weeks after conception, you may find yourself making a few extra trips to the bathroom, not only for nausea and vomiting. During this time, more blood is being produced in your body, which leads to increased fluid being processed through the kidneys, which in turn ends up in your bladder. This may subside after the first 14 weeks, but unfortunately you may experience it the entire pregnancy, or again later on due to your growing uterus weighing down on the bladder.

Your gut instinct – Sometimes, you may just “feel” pregnant, for whatever reason. You may not be feeling all of these symptoms to a noticeable degree, but your mood and attitude may be different, and if you have a pretty good sense of your body and notice a physical difference in an array of areas, don’t be so quick to throw out your intuition. If you think you are pregnant, take a home pregnancy test. This isn’t uncommon among pregnant women, especially women who have been pregnant before.

Positive Pregnancy Test – Finally, after you’ve experienced one or more (or all) of these symptoms (and maybe even more!) it’s time to self-administer a home pregnancy test. Depending on how far along you are, the “positive” line may or may not be visible. If you get a negative or a very faint positive that you aren’t sure what to decipher from it and still think you are pregnant, wait a week and test again. If you aren’t very far along and you don’t have enough HGC (human chorionic gonadotropin), a hormone made by cells from the placenta, a home pregnancy (especially a cheap one), may not be able to detect the hormone from your urine yet. Some pregnancy tests claim that they can give you a first response up to 6 days before your missed period, but the chance of a false result is very high, as labeled on all boxes of pregnancy tests.

If you do get a positive result, the next step is to call your prospective doctor – an obstetrician, midwife, family doctor or doula. they will schedule for an ultrasound appointment around nine weeks, when seeing the baby and hearing the heartbeat can be seen and heard on a sonogram.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be used for diagnosis or to guide treatment without the opinion of a health professional. Any reader who is concerned about his or her health should contact a doctor for advice.

• Could you be pregnant? – Morguefile