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| Home > Reproductive Anatomy > The Signs and Symptoms of Pregnancy
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| | The Signs and Symptoms of Pregnancy
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If you`re like everyone else you`re trying to figure out what the signs of pregnancy are and how likely they are to mean that you are pregnant. You can ask other people, you can worry in silence, but the best thing is to read through the categories and add up the signs. The more you have the more likely you are to be pregnant.
Missed period
Missed period is the absence of your normal menstruation. This can indicate a pregnancy or it may be related to an illness or stress. It is considered one of the major possible signs of pregnancy. However some women may experience implantation bleeding about the time of their period, it is usually lighter and/or shorter than their normal period. A few rare cases occur where a woman may have extremely light period throughout her pregnancy. These are the reasons why you are asked for the first day of your last normal period.
If you happen to miss your period on the expected date, you should take a pregnancy test to measure the levels of hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) in your urine. hCG is produced during pregnancy. It is made by cells that form the placenta, which nourishes the egg after it has been fertilized and becomes attached to the uterine wall. hCG can first be detected by a normal blood test about 11 days after conception and about 12 - 14 days by a urine test. In general the hCG level will double every 72 hours. The levels will reach their peak in the 8 - 11 weeks of pregnancy (the third month) and then will decline and level off for the remainder of the pregnancy. The amount of hormone each woman secret may also vary, but not as widely. hCG is measured in milli-international units per milliliter (mIU/ml). An hCG level of less than 5mIU/ml is considered negative for pregnancy, and anything above 25mIU/ml is considered positive for pregnancy. The better tests on the market will measure 25-50 mIUs of hCG, which is usually the amount found in urine between the 4th and 5th weeks of pregnancy. You can help better your chances of having enough hCG in your urine by waiting four hours after you last urinated to take the test. This will allow hCG to build up in your urine. First morning urine will always contain the highest concentration of hCG. However, most tests do not require that you use first morning urine.
These tests rarely mislead. A negative answer in a case where the woman is actually pregnant means that the test had been performed too early. A positive result that later turns out that later turns out to be negative is usually a very early miscarriage. Please take your physician`s advice to decide when, where and what tests you should go through.
The levels of hCG in your blood will be more than in urine. Blood tests are hence most accurate and can be performed 7-11 days after conception.
Morning Sickness
 Morning sickness is the nausea and vomiting experienced during pregnancy, particularly in the first trimester. Although it is called morning sickness, it can and usually does occur at any time of the day or night and comes and goes with its own pattern. One out of every two pregnant women will be affected by morning sickness. The extent of the sickness will also vary from woman to woman. At the minimum level it will only be a feeling of queasiness. In the extreme cases, it is called hyperemesis gravidarum. This can lead to dehydration and other problems. In the majority of women, morning sickness symptoms subside toward the end of the first trimester (at 12-14 weeks). However, some women continue to experience nausea well into the second trimester, and some mothers of multiples (twins, triplets, etc.) may have morning sickness throughout their pregnancy.
One of the possible cause of morning sickness is the presence in high level of hCG in the bloodstream in the first trimester of pregnancy which may trigger activity in the nausea and vomiting center of the brain. Other possible causes may be relaxation of the muscles in the digestive tract thus slowing down the digestive process, heightened sense of smell, excessive salivation, postnasal drip triggered by high level of estrogens in the blood stream etc.
Breast Soreness
 Almost as soon as you get pregnant, you`ll notice changes in your breasts. They are getting ready to feed your baby. These changes include Tingling, swelling, sensitivity to touch, or tenderness, Increased breast size, Itchiness and stretch marks, larger veins, darker nipples, enlarged and darker areolas, leaking. The soreness in the form of tingling, tenderness goes away usually during the second trimester or it may be experienced as a heighten sensitivity.
 Headaches
The changes in hormones brought about by pregnancy may cause headaches. However, it is not necessarily a pregnancy sign. As you know, other things like stress can cause headaches.
Bloating
You may be embarrassed about it, but the fact remains that people have gas. People pass gas 14 times a day on an average through a belch or flatulence. You may experience even more gas than usual during pregnancy. This will cause bloating. The primary reason for more gas is that during pregnancy the higher levels of progesterone, a hormone that relaxes muscle tissue throughout your body, including your gastrointestinal tract. This relaxation slows down your digestive processes, which can lead to gas, bloating, burping, and flatulence and generally create miserable sensations in your gut, especially after a big meal. In later pregnancy, your growing uterus crowds your abdominal cavity, further slowing digestion, and pushes on your stomach, making you feel even more bloated after eating.
Some women do begin to bloat nearly immediately. Again, this is a symptom of pregnancy, but not necessarily a sign. There are also women who will have bloating prior to a period.
Vaginal Discharge
A slight Increase in vaginal discharge is a sign of pregnancy if it does not smell, burn or itch. If it accompanied with burning, itching or smelling, it is rather a sign of infection and should be treated at the earliest.
There are many remedies available to ease these symptoms of early pregnancy. Get to know them from your physician. In any case, most of these irritants will disappear in the beginning of the second trimester. However, you should be worried if there is a sudden disappearance of these symptoms before the 10th week of pregnancy. It may indicate a problem with the pregnancy.
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