You probably are wondering if you are pregnant. Maybe you missed your period, and you want to know if you are pregnant before it is too late so that you can start preparing for when the baby arrives. Despite a pregnancy test being the only sure way, there are some tell-tale signs and symptoms of pregnancy. They include:
A Missed Period
Despite being the most known tell-tale sign, a missed period doesn’t implicitly mean you are pregnant. It can be due to other reasons such as being under a lot of stress, hormonal imbalance, polycystic ovarian syndrome, excessive exercising, or change of diet and climate. However, if you have missed your period, you should get a pregnancy test to be sure whether you are pregnant or not. Your period is your way of telling you that you are not pregnant because every month, an ovum is released into the fallopian tube, ready to be fertilized.
Additionally, the uterus walls thicken, getting prepared for the implantation of the baby. Therefore if fertilization does not happen, the body gets rid of the ovum as the thickened walls as your period, signifying you are not pregnant. If you miss your periods, consider taking a pregnancy test to confirm if you are pregnant or not.
Morning Sickness
Morning sickness generally involves nausea or vomiting and might happen at any time of the day, not just in the morning, as the name suggests. It starts any time from two weeks after conception.
Breast Tenderness And Swelling
In pregnancy, your body has to make significant changes to accommodate the baby. Some changes would result from an increase in the production of estrogen and progesterone, which nurture and are in charge of the implantation. Other modifications caused by these hormones include breast tenderness and breast swelling, which are more noticeable soon after you miss your period.
Fatigue
Extreme fatigue sets in early on at around one week after you conceive the baby. Therefore, it is noticeable chiefly before you realize you are pregnant. The fatigue is usually because the body has not yet adjusted to host another human.
Swollen Limbs
Swollen limbs are a symptom in some pregnant women caused by increased blood and fluid in the body. The growing baby plays a role in the swelling as they pressure the veins slowing the flow of blood back into the heart. The swelling primarily affects the legs, hands, feet, and ankles. However, you can reduce the swelling by wearing private label compression socks.
Frequent Urination
Is there any chance that you are making way more trips to the washrooms than you usually would? If so, especially around the time you expect your next period, you could be pregnant. Frequent urination is generally a result of increased blood in your body, which means that the kidney would have more work to do and more waste to remove from the blood.
Sensitivity to smell
When you are pregnant, your sense of smell is heightened. This symptom can last throughout the first three months. Furthermore, it contributes to food cravings, nausea, and vomiting.
Conclusion
If you have experienced some or all of these symptoms, chances are you could be pregnant. Therefore, to be sure, consider doing a pregnancy test. You can do it at home on your own or have it done at your nearby health facility.
