Earliest Possible Signs of Pregnancy

A missed menstrual period is most often the first sign of pregnancy. Sometimes a woman who is pregnant may still experience some bleeding or spotting around the time of the expected period. This small amount of bleeding that occurs at the time of the expected menstrual period happens when the fertilized egg attaches to the uterine wall and is referred to as implantation bleeding.

Any bleeding during pregnancy is typically lighter than that observed during the regular menstrual period. However, if a woman does not have regular menstrual cycles, she may actually notice some of the other symptoms of early pregnancy before it is apparent that the menstrual period has been missed. A missed menstrual period also does not confirm that a woman is pregnant even if she has regular cycles, since both emotional and physical conditions may cause absent or delayed periods.

This is very important question one that pregnant women should find an answer to. After woman becomes pregnant, her body goes through a variety of physiological and endocrinological changes after baby inside her womb starts development. Because of these changes, the pregnant mother might suffer from cases of misalignment in her spine or joint that results in any one or a combination of the following:

Read the rest of this article at: Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy

Could you be pregnant? Most likely you won't notice any symptoms until about the time you've missed a period - or a week or two later.

If you're not keeping track of your menstrual cycle or if it varies widely from one month to the next, you may not be sure when to expect your period.

But if you start to experience some of the symptoms below - not all women get them all - and you haven't had a period for a while, you may very well be pregnant. Take a home pregnancy test to find out for sure!

1. TENDER and SWOLLEN BREASTS:
One of the early signs of pregnancy is sensitive, sore breasts caused by increasing levels of hormones.

2. FATIGUE:
Feeling tired all of a sudden? No, make that exhausted. No one knows for sure what causes early pregnancy fatigue, but it's possible that rapidly increasing levels of the hormone progesterone are contributing to your sleepiness.

3. IMPLANTATION BLEEDING:
Some women have a small amount of vaginal bleeding around 11 or 12 days after conception (close to the time you might notice a missed period). The bleeding may be caused by the fertilized egg burrowing into the blood-rich lining of your uterus.

4. NAUSEA OR VOMITING:
If you're like most women, morning sickness won't hit until about a month after conception. (A lucky few escape it altogether.) But some women do start to feel queasy a bit earlier. And not just in the morning, either - pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting can be a problem morning, noon, or night.

5. INCREASED SENSITIVITY TO ODORS:
If you're newly pregnant, it's not uncommon to feel repelled by the smell of a bologna sandwich or cup of coffee and for certain aromas to trigger your gag reflex. Though no one knows for sure, this may be a side effect of rapidly increasing amounts of estrogen in your system. You may also find that certain foods you used to enjoy are suddenly completely repulsive to you.

6. ABDOMINAL BLOATING:
Hormonal changes in early pregnancy may leave you feeling bloated, similar to the feeling some women have just before their period arrives. That's why your clothes may feel snugger than usual at the waistline, even early on when your uterus is still quite small.

7. FREQUENT URINATION:
Shortly after you become pregnant, you may find yourself hurrying to the bathroom all the time. Why? Mostly because during pregnancy the amount of blood and other fluids in your body increases, which leads to extra fluid being processed by your kidneys and ending up in your bladder.

8. A MISSED PERIOD:
If you're usually pretty regular and your period doesn't arrive on time, you'll probably take a pregnancy test long before you notice any of the above symptoms.

9. YOUR BASAL BODY TEMPERATURE STAYS HIGH:
If you've been charting your basal body temperature and you see that your temperature has stayed elevated for 18 days in a row, you Are probably pregnant.
And finally...

10. THE PROOF: A POSITIVE HOME PREGNANCY TEST:

ClearBlue Easy- Fertility Sticks and Monitor Package, 1ct

In spite of what you might read on the box, many home pregnancy tests are not sensitive enough to detect most pregnancies until about a week after a missed period. So if you decide to take one earlier than that and get a negative result, try again in a few days.

Early pregnancy signs vary, depending on whom you ask. In a traditional 28-day cycle, ovulation, the phase during the menstrual cycle in which an egg is released from the ovary in hopes of fertilization by a willing sperm, takes place approximately midway, or 14 days, before the next cycle begins.

If conception, in fact, occurs, some women begin feeling the signs of pregnancy soon after implantation has taken place, which is anywhere from 5 to 10 days after fertilization.

For some, this means that the body begins to feel pregnant several days before the next expected menstrual cycle begins. For others, pregnancy symptoms remain incognito for several weeks.

Unfortunately, many early pregnancy signs can nearly mirror those that are commonly related to the premenstrual phase of the cycle, both of which are caused by the body's increased production of progesterone.

Some common early pregnancy signs reported by mothers-to-be include:

* Sore or tender nipples or breasts - some women describe the sensitivity as that which targets the nipple area only, while others describe tenderness throughout the entire breasts. Many have reported this pregnancy symptom as early as a week after ovulation.

* A pattern of visible, bluish veins throughout the external area of the breasts.

* Small, white "bumps" around the areola (the dark area surrounding the nipples) known as "Montgomery Glands," from which special oils are secreted during pregnancy and breastfeeding to protect the nipples.

* Increased sensitivity to smell - many women report that certain smells, many of which they once were partial to, are enough to send them into a nausea-induced bed rest sentence.

* Nausea - Commonly known as "Morning Sickness," pregnancy-induced nausea can strike at any time of the day (or night!). Some have reported feeling the effects of this reviled pregnancy symptom as early as 5 to 7 days past ovulation.

* Skin changes - Some women liken this early pregnancy symptom to a flashback in high school. Acne often invades the susceptible (face, chest, arms, back) facial and body areas during early pregnancy in response to the influx of hormones coursing through the newly gestating body. Others have experienced more subtle signs such as severely chapped/dry lips and a variety of mild skin rashes.

* Fatigue - One of the most common early pregnancy symptoms. Many women report the inability to get out of bed or remain awake for any length of time in those early weeks.

* Mild or dull abdominal cramping or pain - Many women experience a cramping or "twinge" sensation on one side of the abdomen that they compare to those which occur during, or just before, the menstrual cycle begins. Several women report a feeling that their periods are "right around the corner," although they never appear. In early pregnancy, this can be attributed to implantation pain or early ligament stretching.

* A "metallic" taste in the mouth - As strange as it may sound, many women report a nagging "metallic" taste in the mouth during early pregnancy that, despite efforts to dispose of, remains present.

* Excessive hunger

* Excessive amount of saliva production

* Heartburn

* Increased vaginal discharge and/or swelling of the external vaginal area, caused by an increased blood flow to the vaginal area during pregnancy.

* Aversion to foods - Although some pregnant woman may have adored a good bowl of Fettuccini Alfredo at one time, early pregnancy can sometimes trick the mind into believing this once-loved concoction is the source of all evil on earth!

* Increased emotional sensitivity/weepiness

Whether the gift conception is a carefully orchestrated event or a welcomed surprise for most couples, in addition to the technology available for women to discover their pregnancies early on, Mother Nature has a way of sending gentle gestures to our bodies that signal an impending new life. If you experience unusual symptoms or think you may be pregnant, schedule an appointment with a medical practitioner or midwife to begin sensible prenatal care as soon as possible.

Some women feel certain they're pregnant at the moment of conception. Others don't believe the news until they have a positive pregnancy test-or two.

For most women, a missed period is an early sign of pregnancy. Here are some other pregnancy symptoms:

Breast changes. Tenderness and enlargement can occur as early as one week after conception. You also may notice the areolas, or rings around your nipples, darken and veins become more visible.

Nausea and vomiting. Morning sickness can occur anytime, day or night, and may begin one or two weeks after conception.

Fatigue. Although this is common in the first weeks, it often continues into your first trimester and may last throughout your pregnancy.

Slight spotting or cramping. About eight to 10 days following ovulation, when the embryo attaches to the uterus lining, you may experience a light pink spotting. It usually comes earlier than your expected period and is not as red or heavy.

Frequent urination. About six to eight weeks after conception, your uterus starts to exert pressure on your bladder. This means you may feel the need to use the bathroom more often.

Other signs. Other early signs of pregnancy include: constipation, elevated body temperature, headaches, dizziness, backaches, lower abdominal cramps, excessive salivation, heartburn, and food cravings.

If you're experiencing some strange symptoms, and thought you were pregnant, and then had heavy bleeding. You should see your health care provider and see what is happening. There could be a variety of causes, an infection, hormonal imbalance, or even a possible miscarriage. Find out for sure by seeing your doctor.

Do you feel fatigued suddenly? No, make that exhausted. Nobody knows for certain what causes this early pregnancy fatigue, but it is conceivable that your rapidly increasing levels of the hormone progesterone is the reason for your drowsiness.

You should begin to feeling more energetic at the time you hit your 2nd trimester, although tiredness normally comes back later in pregnancy when you are carrying around a great deal more weight and a lot of the general discomforts of pregnancy make it harder to get a good night's sleep.