Many times a woman does not have to wait long to know if she is pregnant…

The missed period is the very tell-tale sign that something is going on inside. Even before a missed period however, many women can sense a difference in their overall feeling or condition. For some, it just slips by as something from another condition. Women who are in tune with their bodies however, will notice the difference by their intuitiveness.  Your readiness for the moment and what could be depends on how badly you want to have a baby, for nothing will miss you. There are certain signs that are an indication that you are pregnant, even before a missed period.

Bleeding and Cramping

One of the first signs you will notice is bleeding. As the egg becomes fertilized it moves down into the uterus and attaches itself to the wall. While this happens the uterus makes some adjustments to accommodate this new life and some eruption will happen. As this takes place, bleeding will occur and the woman experiences spotting. This is called “implantation bleeding” which usually occurs 5 – 10 days after the egg is fertilized.  As implantation takes place, many women start experiencing cramping sensations and since the body is looking forward to the next menstrual period, you may very well be thinking it is near that time of the month. This time cramping may very well be the tell-tale sign that you are pregnant. You can differentiate the bleeding as it is usually lighter in color and of a light pink or brownish hue. In addition the amount of blood that occurs is so slight, it only appears as spots.

Swollen and Tender Breasts

As soon as conception takes place, the levels of pregnancy hormones begin to rise in the body.  Progesterone and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) hormone levels will cause a great deal of change to take place preparing the body to accommodate and support a healthy baby. One of the first signs that you may notice is that your breasts become swollen and are tender to the touch. This can be felt right after you conceived. You probably used to experience this just before the period. However, if your breasts feel somewhat more sensitive to touch and they are fuller and swollen, you may very well be pregnant. This tenderness is more pronounced than what occurs during the period and the breasts are sore and itchy.

Fatigue and Tiredness

This is the stage where you start to feel extremely exhausted and sleepy all the time, so much so that friends and family begin to suspect that something is not normal with you. Again you may attribute this feeling of fatigue to the period which is due anytime soon. However, from the moment conception takes place, progesterone hormone levels begin to rise and your body starts to produce more blood to support the baby. This along with other adjustments will be the cause for your feeling of tiredness.

Fatigue is a natural occurrence at the start of pregnancy. Unfortunately, many women may not realize what is taking place and continue to push themselves hard having many things to get done. This is a time when you really need the rest and nothing is wrong with taking a nap or rest when needed. Start your bedtime earlier, and have some extra sleep and rest on weekends. Tiredness and fatigue will continue to about 12 – 14 weeks into pregnancy and will decrease significantly as you progress and your body adjusts to the changes.

Rise in Body Temperature

A rise in basal body temperature (BBT) is one indication that the state in your body has changed. A woman’s normal body temperature ranges between 96 and 99 degrees. After ovulation takes place the temperature rises to about half a degree or more. Your body temperature will remain higher until before menstruation when it will return to normal.  If fertilization takes place however, the temperature remains at this increased level. The change in body temperature is so slight that many women will not notice it. If you are one of those persons who track body temperature for changes, you will have your first indicator that you may be pregnant.

Nausea

Nausea is a common sign of pregnancy in the first trimester. Between 50% and 90% of women will have this experience when they get pregnant. Many women however report feeling sick in the stomach from as early as two weeks into their pregnancy. You may miss this early indicator and blame your feeling of queasiness on heartburn or on an upset stomach from some food you ate. Nausea will however develop on a greater scale at about six weeks into pregnancy and continue to about 12 weeks or further before subsiding. The condition is often accompanied by vomiting.

Aversion to Food and Odors

Very early around the time of conception some women may tell you that they started having a dislike for some food that they loved. The very smell or sight of the food would get them nauseous and sick. It is said that 85% of pregnant women tend to develop food aversion in the first trimester. This feeling will diminish or totally go away after birth. In other situations, it is odors that affect the just pregnant woman. Pleasant smelling flowers, perfumes and other cosmetics that once were loved are now loathsome and disgusting to smell or be near. Luckily, these conditions do not stick around.

Frequent Urination

The urge to take frequent trips to the bathroom is a classic and imminent sign that a baby is in the making. Even before a missed period, the production of the hCG and more progesterone hormones causes more blood flow to the kidney and therefore the secretion of more urine into the bladder. As the uterus grows bigger with something more than the usual, it pushes against the bladder also, reducing the amount of space to hold water and therefore the need to urinate more frequently even without drinking more water. This is a normal condition of pregnancy and nothing to worry about. As a matter of fact, as the pregnancy gets older rushing to the bathroom will intensify.

Mood Swing

Of course, you may find that you easily get upset and your friends and relatives are wondering what has gone wrong. The many hormone changes that are going on in your body are having an effect on the neurotransmitters in your brain and changing the way they operate. You may have a roller coaster effect; this time you are positively happy and the next minute you are weepy and crying.

At the very beginning, pregnancy will demonstrate itself in several ways. Women who are more in tune with their bodies will notice what is happening to them and are able to say they are having a baby from the get go. For some women, it is only later that they realize what is happening to them. Well, if you experience any of these signs, just go get a test kit and see. You more than likely are pregnant.