Can It Be?

The Most Common First Clue

Many women seem to have an innate sense of their bodies and when these women get pregnant, they just know they're pregnant. Everything that comes after is merely confirming their inner knowledge.  And, there are women who have a feeling they might be pregnant but can't know for sure, so the symptoms and signs are a very real way to confirm their hopes or feelings.

Commonly, a missed period is the first sign of pregnancy.  It is possible for a woman to be pregnant and still have some bleeding or spotting at the time her period would normally come.  Often, the cause of the bleeding is the fertilized egg attaching to the uterine wall.  When the egg attaches, is causes a small amount of bleeding called implantation bleeding.  Typically, if there is any bleeding during a pregnancy, it is lighter than a normal menstrual period.  A woman who has irregular periods may notice some of the other early symptoms of pregnancy before she actually notices she's missed a period.

Other Changes

Changes in the breasts are another early sign of pregnancy.  In some women, these changes happen as early as one or two weeks after conception.  The breasts become heavy, swollen and tender.  A woman may notice a darkening of the areola of the nipple and a dark line may appear on the belly. The line disappears after the baby is born. Also appearing around the second week of pregnancy is what is traditionally referred to as "morning sickness".  Nausea and vomiting usually develop within the first month after conception and may be due to elevated estrogen levels which slow the emptying of the stomach.  Accompanying morning sickness can be cravings for specific foods, or conversely, aversions to foods.  It is quite common for a pregnant woman to change her diet during pregnancy, eating foods she would never have touched and leaving her favorites on the plate.

Gotta Love Those Hormones

Another early sign of pregnancy, also possibly linked to rising levels of hormones, is fatigue and tiredness.  Suddenly all energy has ebbed away and a woman wants nothing but rest.  Abdominal bloating and cramping are also often present in the early stages of pregnancy.  However, actual weight gain in the early months is usually only about one pound per month.  The abdominal pressure is often accompanied by frequent urination which is thought to be related to the production of the hormone hCG, human chorionic gonadotrphin.  Of course, as the baby grows, the pressure of the uterus on the bladder is another contributor to frequent urination.

When You're Hot, You're Hot, and When You're Not - You're Moody

The feeling of being very warm is due to elevated basal body termperature which begins shortly after ovulation and, once conception takes place, continues on.  And finally, one of the most challenging signs is mood swings.   The roller coaster of hormonally induced emotions, especially in the early stages, can leave everyone a bit tired.  Understanding, patience and of course time, will bring everything back into focus.