Early Symptoms of Pregnancy
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While many women are quite familiar with some of the most well known early symptoms of pregnancy, these symptoms can oftentimes be misleading. Some of the most well known early symptoms of pregnancy include a missed period, nausea, cravings, increased urination, lower backache, increased lethargy, swollen or tender breasts, headaches, food cravings, darkening of the areolas.
Missed or Delayed Period - There can actually be many reasons for a missed or delayed period other than pregnancy. If a woman has been sick or under a lot of stress, a change in menstruation patterns is possible. Hormonal problems and excessive weight gain or loss can also interfere with menstruation. It should also be noted that in some cases a woman may actually be pregnant and not seem to miss a period at all.
Nausea or Morning Sickness - This is another well known early symptom of pregnancy that can be attributed to other factors as well, such as stress or food poisoning. A simple upset stomach or virus might also lead to nausea.
Food Cravings - In some cases if the body is lacking in a certain nutrient it will attempt to rectify that matter by telling you that you need to eat certain foods, resulting in food cravings. Stress and impending menstruation can also result in food cravings as well.
Increased Urination - If you have suddenly increased the amount of fluids that you are drinking this can certainly lead to this problem. Other possible causes of increased urination include diabetes as well as a urinary tract infection.
Lower Backache - Mental and physical stress and strain, impending menstruation and other issues related to the spine itself can result in a lower backache.
Increased Lethargy - There are many reasons why you might feel increased lethargy besides pregnancy. If you are sick, have not been sleeping well lately or you are under a great deal of stress this can certainly lead to increased tiredness.
Swollen or Tender Breasts - Most women experience tenderness in the breasts in the days leading up to their periods. When the cause is actually pregnancy, the tenderness is sometimes described as being slightly different and sometimes even more intense. Other causes of tenderness in the breasts include a hormonal imbalance or taking birth control pills.
Headaches - There can be many reasons which would lead to an increase in headaches, including eye strain, sinus problems, caffeine withdrawal, dehydration and impending menstruation.
Darkening of the Areolas - A hormonal imbalance that is completely unrelated to pregnancy could lead to this phenomenon.
It should be noted that any of the symptoms listed above could be a possible sign of pregnancy, but alone they are not a positive indication of pregnancy. If this is a first pregnancy it can be extremely easy to think that you might be pregnant based on one or two of the symptoms listed above. If you have been pregnant previously, you may notice a recurrence of some of the same symptoms.
It should also be noted that every woman is different and experiences pregnancy symptoms differently. Some women never experience any of the symptoms listed above at all while other women experience the full gamut of symptoms. Also, one pregnancy can vary greatly from another pregnancy. If you think that you might be pregnant the best action is to take a home pregnancy test. Be sure to wait about seven days after you expect your period to start to take the test, as this will provide you with the most accurate results possible. If the test is negative but you still think that you might be pregnant, schedule an appointment with your physician.
