Symptoms of pregnancy: the first signs to know if you are pregnant
Symptoms of pregnancy are physical or psychological manifestations common to many women. At the base there are hormonal changes, among the very first signs to understand that you are pregnant. Whether you are in the first week to the first month here's what you need to pay attention to. If you've recently had intercourse and are in your fertile period, you may be feeling something different.
Watch the video below before continuing: the calculation of fertile days.
Symptoms of pregnancy of the first week
As the obstetrician doctor Rita Breschi writes, "every woman has a different perception of her body and knows its variations in the course of her life. An attentive woman, for example, will be able to recognize the small changes that occur every month during the fertile age. , and it will be this confidence with one's own body that will allow one to perceive and welcome the very first symptoms that indicate the arrival of a pregnancy ". Already during the first week of pregnancy, even if you do not know it, various symptoms can arise that do not always suggest an interesting state.Usually, hormonal changes are quite important in the first few days, and have various consequences. The first symptoms of pregnancy, the earliest ones, are:
- blood stains: can occur from 6 to 12 days after fertilization and are due to the "nesting" of the fertilized egg in the uterine part.
- cramps: these also occur in the first week above all, and are due to the attachment of the fertilized egg to the wall of the uterus
- severe headaches: hormonal changes can cause big headaches
- mood swings: hormones affect many sensations, including sudden mood swings, irritability and strong emotions, right from the first days
- backache
- stomach acid: caused by a hyper-sensitivity to certain foods
- whitish vaginal discharge: the thickening of the vaginal walls causes even abundant losses of a whitish liquid
- spots on the skin
- accentuated or inconstant appetite: hormonal changes in the first days and weeks cause sudden appetites or sudden dislikes for certain dishes
- suddenly developed sense of smell: hormones also affect the reaction to odors, which can be exaggerated, with apparently harmless odors that are very annoying.
See also
Symptoms of pregnancy: those of the first month and the months to come
Then there are the symptoms of pregnancy that manifest themselves more slowly, over the first month. Often they are added to those of the first days, which certainly do not stop at the end of the first week. Here are the main signs that begin to show up over time, and usually last for the first three months:
1) Delayed or missed menstruation: this is the first and most concrete symptom.
2) Breast pain: already during the first months of conception, the breasts become swollen and painful to the touch and the areolas of the nipples become larger and darker. These changes are essential to prepare your body for breastfeeding your baby. However, PMS and hormonal imbalances have this same symptom.
3) Nausea and Vomiting: Typical nausea usually occurs 2 to 8 weeks after conception. It is commonly known as "morning sickness" because for most moms-to-be it occurs mostly in the morning. For the less fortunate, however, it can be presented at any time of day or night and accompany them throughout the pregnancy. However, nausea and vomiting could also be a symptom of stress, food poisoning, or other intestinal problems.
4) Tiredness, fatigue and sleepiness: feeling tired, or more tired than usual, is a symptom that occurs especially in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy and is attributable to the excess of hormones. However, fatigue can have many others origins, such as stress, a common cold, the flu or depression.
5) Frequent urination: About 6-8 weeks after conception you feel the need to pee much more frequently, both during the day and during the night. However, the frequent urge to pee could also be caused by a urinary tract infection, diabetes, increased fluid intake, or excessive diuretic intake.
Pregnant or not: how to be sure?
If you are experiencing one or more of these symptoms it is possible that you are pregnant.
But you can't be 100% sure. In fact, all these symptoms (nausea, drowsiness, swollen breasts, heartburn, heavy losses) are due to hormonal changes typical of pregnancy but also of the period preceding the arrival of the period. Also, you may be pregnant without having any of these symptoms, which may appear later.
The absence of a period is an objective sign of pregnancy, but it is not always possible to interpret it as such. In fact, many women have irregular cycles, or there may be periods of amenorrhea (spontaneous absence of the cycle) due to stress, excessive weight loss, hormonal imbalance. In such situations, the absence of a period is an unreliable symptom, especially at the beginning of pregnancy.
To know for sure if you are pregnant you should take a pregnancy test (buy it on Amazon for € 11.96).
The urine pregnancy test is the cheapest and most used one: you can buy it at the pharmacy and it allows you to detect the presence of the Beta HCG hormone (the pregnancy hormone) in the urine. This type of test is reliable from the first day of your cycle delay. There are also early urinary tests, which can be done a few days before the expected date of menstruation.
Urinary tests give safe results. The cases of false negative (you are pregnant but the test is negative) can be found if the urine is too diluted (because you have drunk too much) or the test was performed too soon (compared to the date of conception). The amount of Beta HCG hormone in the urine is still too low to be detected by the test Cases of false positive are extremely rare.
To confirm the pregnancy test result and be 100% sure you are pregnant, you should do a blood pregnancy test: it is a simple blood test that determines the exact amount of Beta HCG hormone in the blood, while allowing , an estimate of the date of conception.
Pregnancy-themed books: the best to deepen this magical moment
For more information on this magical period, check out our selection of the best books on pregnancy:
- Your pregnancy week by week. From conception to birth by Lesley Regan - Buy on Amazon on special offer
- The great Italian pregnancy book by Laura De Laurentiis - You can find it on Amazon at a special price
- Your pregnancy day by day by M. Blott - Available on Amazon in special offer
+ Show Sources - Hide Sources For more useful information on pregnancy symptoms, you can read the article on the Mater Dei Nursing Home website <
