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The 16 Secret Early Pregnancy Symptoms That Could Mean This Is It!

The 16 Secret Early Pregnancy Symptoms That Could Mean This Is It

The two(ish) weeks between ovulation and a missed period can be some of the most torturous for women who think they could be pregnant. Whether you’re trying to start a family, or just have a feeling in your waters that there could be, well… something in your waters. It’s as tough as tough gets to have to wait until your period doesn’t show up to know for sure. Because just like there’s things they don’t tell you about giving birth, there’s plenty they don’t tell you about early pregnancy symptoms. Here’s how you might get your answer sooner…

What happens as soon as I fall pregnant?

As soon the fertilised egg implants into the lining of your uterus, implantation occurs. This is what’s considered the moment pregnancy officially begins. Then, hormones to prevent the lining of the uterus from shedding are released. These hormones are oestrogen and progesterone. As well as increasing blood supply to the uterus to relax it to make room for the growing baby, their numbers increase each day. This results in a plethora of pregnancy symptoms.

How early can pregnancy symptoms start to show?

As your pregnancy is considered to begin on the first day of your last menstrual period you actually aren’t pregnant in the first two (official) weeks of your pregnancy. For this reason, the earliest you would begin to feel any kind of pregnancy system is between two to four weeks into your pregnancy (two weeks after ovulation and four weeks after the first day of your last period.)

Does every woman experience certain symptoms?

No. While some women experience nausea and vomiting others have reported only tender breasts and food aversions. Some women even report feeling no symptoms at all! And while these symptoms can occur at any point and any volume in the pregnancy, the majority are reported to occur in the first and third trimesters. As this is when the surge of hormones are at their highest.

Early pregnancy symptom #1: Implantation bleed

As the implantation of the fertilised egg is considered the official ‘start’ of pregnancy, it can also be responsible for producing the first early symptom. Experiencing a slight bleed that can be likened to ‘spotting’ a few weeks after your period could be an implantation bleed. This slight bleed can occur as the fertilised egg implants into the uterus wall.

Early pregnancy symptom #2: Really tender boobs

Many women have shared reports of breasts so tender in the first few weeks of pregnancy, that it hurt to even pull a T-shirt down over them, let alone pack them into a bra! (Could be time to check out a few comfy maternity bras eh?) Of course, the severity of the tenderness will differ from woman to woman, but if your normally normal boobs suddenly have you itching to ditch tight clothes, it could be because of a double dose of estrogen and progesterone, which can give breasts a dull ache that makes them heavy and swollen – with no signs of slowing once the milk comes in – apologies!

Early pregnancy symptom #3: Dizziness

If you feel as though you could lose your balance or begin to ‘see stars’ for no apparent reason, it could be a symptom of pregnancy that’s due to a change in your blood pressure. Fluctuating hormones and change in circulation can be the biggest precursor for low blood pressure. However unless your blood pressure is very low, these changes are considered a normal pregnancy symptom in the first – and all the way through to the third trimester.

Early pregnancy symptom #4: Big food aversion

Rather stick a fork in your eye than eat that piece of salmon? That could be a big tell-tale sign that you’re in your first few weeks of pregnancy. The reason our mind is saying ‘hell no!’ to that food we normally love is due to a big increase in – you guessed it – hormones! You can expect to see symptoms like this exacerbate over the next few days too, as the amount of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG, aka the stuff that creates a positive pregnancy test) actually doubles every few days in the first trimester.

Early pregnancy symptom #5: Nausea

While definitely one of the most common early pregnancy symptoms, nausea is actually one of the most difficult to tie to early pregnancy, as there are so many reasons you could be feeling sick. Many pregnant women think they just have a stomach bug, because so many of the symptoms overlap, such as nausea, vomiting and fatigue. If the nausea is made worse by certain foods, or even just the thought of certain foods, it could certainly mean you’ve got a sweet little bun in the oven. You may also feel sick periodically throughout the day for several days, which is an extra reason to whip out the pregnancy test as soon as early detection is possible.

Early pregnancy symptom #6: Intense fatigue

Like nausea, fatigue is often hard to tie to pregnancy, but can be one of the earliest signs that you could be pregnant. For instance, if you’ve been trying to fall pregnant, haven’t changed your diet or routine and begin to feel tired come 3pm each day, it could be because your body is creating more blood. The blood is sent to the foetus, and your progesterone levels have increased – which can make you increasingly sleepy!

Early pregnancy symptom #7: Headaches

Just as an increase in the volume of blood in your body can make you feel tired, it can also provoke headaches in pregnant women. Other causes for the onset of headaches in pregnancy are not getting enough sleep – and even the withdrawal effect of stopping your caffeine intake.

Early pregnancy symptom #8: Different discharge

During a woman’s menstrual cycle, the consistency of discharge is constantly changing. This is also the case during pregnancy, as the volume of discharge is likely to increase throughout the pregnancy as a natural solution to fighting infection. Take THAT!

Early pregnancy symptom #9: Mood swings

Estrogen levels are likely to increase more than 100 times during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, spelling havoc for our bodies (and sorry to tell you, the emotional rollercoaster just gets worse after the birth!) These hormones can heighten our emotions, make us feel forgetful and even take physical effects, such as making our skin break out.

Early pregnancy symptom #10: Pregnancy acne

The dreaded pregnancy acne is most common in the first and second trimester and is due to – you guessed it! – a surge in hormones. These hormones, known as androgens, increase the production of sebum, which can clog pores and lead to breakouts.

Early pregnancy symptom #11: Constipation

Another one where hormones are the culprit! Constipation occurs during pregnancy due to higher levels of the hormone progesterone in your system. Progesterone works to slow down the muscle contractions that normally move through your intestines, effectively slowing the rate in which you can empty your bowels – and blocking you up.

Early pregnancy symptom #12: Overheating

That pesky surge of new hormones in your body may have you sweating more than you’re used to – especially at night!

Early pregnancy symptom #13: Frequent urination

Despite what you might have thought, the constant feeling you need to pee is not just something that happens in the third trimester when the baby is literally stepping on your bladder. In fact, in early pregnancy the extra blood flow means kidneys produce up to 25 per cent more urine – and this peaks by about 9 to 16 weeks.

Early pregnancy symptom #14: Nasal congestion

The increased blood flow we’ve described also affects areas of the body called mucous membranes. Yep – like the ones in your nose! The extra blood flow can cause swelling, which will leave you feeling blocked up – just like when you have a cold.

Early pregnancy symptom #15: Heartburn

Progesterone really is a pain in the a**, isn’t it? Just like how it can cause constipation by slowing down the intestine’s muscle contractions, it can also relax the ring of muscle in your lower esophagus. This normally keeps foods and acids down in your stomach, causing acid reflux – aka heartburn.

Early pregnancy symptom #16: Feeling just a little ‘off’

In the first few weeks of pregnancy, a few of these symptoms can begin to surface slowly at all once without fully setting in. Understandably, this can leave you feeling a bit off, or unlike yourself, sort of like you could be getting sick. Don’t discount this feeling – it could be the news you’ve been waiting for.

So if it does turn out that this is the real day, firstly we want to say CONGRATULATIONS! This is the start of a very exciting adventure and we wish you all the best for it.

Want to see the best baby products in Australia up close? Come to our next Sydney baby expo or Melbourne baby expo by visiting our Sydney baby expo page here or our Melbourne baby expo page here.

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