2010-03-05T07:19:00.000-08:00

EARLY PREGNANCY SYMPTOMS

Although a lot of women experience pregnancy symptoms, and find signs of being pregnant, other's don't "feel" pregnant. Certain signs and symptoms of being pregnant can be confused with other illnesses. The following list are some telltale symptoms of pregnancy. Morning sickness is one of the most common signs of being pregnant, but you also might be one of the lucky ones who never experience this pregnancy symptom. Missing a period is another sign and symptom of being pregnant. We'll go into greater detail below, and you can read below.

MISSING A PERIOD

One of the most common signs and symptoms of being pregnant, missing a period can also be caused by other reasons. Although missing a period is one of the most common of the pregnancy symptoms, stress, illness, weight fluctuations or coming off the oral contraceptive pill can also be the cause of this. Irregular periods are a common symptom of polycystic ovary syndrome, a condition in which periods can occur several months apart. If you still feel like you are experiencing other pregnancy symptoms, continue reading the other signs of being pregnant.

TENDERNESS OF THE BREAST

Another sign and symptom of pregnancy is the changing of size and feel of your breast. As early as a few days after conception, this pregnancy symptom may occur. Your breast is beginning to enlarge, as it gets ready for breastfeeding. Many women claim that their breasts are very sensitive and that they experience a very sharp, tingling sensation as well. Being one of the signs and symptoms of being pregnant, the tenderness of the breast often disappears a few weeks later.

NAUSEA AND VOMITING

Considered another one of the classic sign and symptoms of being pregnant, nausea and vomiting, (aka morning sickness) has become one of the most feared of all pregnancy symptoms. Feeling sick is a common complaint and is experienced by most women from weeks 5 to 6 of their pregnancy. However, morning sickness can also be felt as early as two weeks after conception. Morning sickness can occur at any time of the day, and can vary from an occasional faint sensation to overwhelming vomiting and nausea. By and large, morning sickness is one of the pregnancy symptoms that tends to disappear towards the end of the first trimester.

TIREDNESS

Many women experience fatigue as one of their pregnancy symptoms. Although this might be a sign of being pregnant, it can also indicate other things as well.

DARKENING OF THE AREOLA

Being one of the first physical symptoms of pregnancy, the darkening of the areola can occur throughout your entire pregnancy. If you notice the darkening of the areola, this could be considered one of the signs and symptoms of being pregnant.

FREQUENT URINATION

If you experience that you are urinating more frequently, this might be another of the pregnancy symptoms that confirm that you are pregnant. As early as two weeks after conception, you might find yourself experience this pregnancy symptom. The pressure of the literally reducing size of your bladder is the cause of this. Your uterus beings to rise up into the abdomen, and this annoying pregnancy symptom is the result. Rising levels of the pregnancy hormone progesterone stimulate the bladder muscles, so that it feels full, even though you might not need to urinate. Of all of the pregnancy symptoms, and signs of being pregnant, women sometimes find this to be the most annoying.

CHANGES IN TASTE AND SMELL

Don't be surprised if you experience this pregnancy sign and symptom. Many women claim that certain foods make them feel queasy - while others experience a craving for other foods. Another sign of this pregnancy symptom, is a strange metallic taste.

CONSTIPATION

Another of the annoying signs and symptoms of being pregnant, constipation occurs.

CONFIRMING YOUR PREGNANCY

Two weeks after conception, your baby is no bigger than a pinhead, comprised of a few balls of cells. As it begins to develop in the lining of the uterus, the placenta begins to form and produce necessary pregnancy hormones. Below are some ways to confirm that the pregnancy symptoms and signs of being pregnant that you have noticed are accurate, and that you will be having a baby.

HOME PREGNANCY TESTS

Being very accurate, these tests can be purchased at a local drugstore, and can confirm pregnancy by detecting the level of HCG in your urine. Your health care provider may rely on this test, and may only repeating testing if complications arise. If you receive a positive result, you may want to make an appointment with your doctor so that they can confirm you are pregnant and begin follow-up.

OFFICE URINE TEST

Similar to that of a home pregnancy test, and office urine test confirms pregnancy by also detecting the level of HCG in your urine. Being nearly 100% accurate, this test does not require you to urinate first thing in the morning. This type of test also can determine that the signs and symptoms of being pregnant hold true, and that your pregnancy symptoms are right.

PREGNANCY BLOOD TEST

In order to assist dating your pregnancy, your healthcare provider may also perform a pregnancy blood test. This particular pregnancy test can give you a positive or negative result, and once again detects the level of HCG. This time, it detects that level in your blood, and depending on your pregnancy symptoms, helps them determine what kind of care to give you. Pregnancy blood tests are useful if there are any concerns about miscarriage, or if there are indications that an unusual pregnancy is occurring.

INTERNAL EXAM

Four to six weeks after conception, your doctor can receive indefinite proof by examining you internally. Certain signs like the thickening of vaginal tissues and the softening of your uterus will confirm that the pregnancy symptoms are right on!

About The Author

Brian Gardner is the Founder of PregnancyEtc.com - An Online Pregnancy Resource For 9 Months & Beyond. Having recently experienced pregnancy firsthand with his wife Shelly, Brian has dedicated his efforts towards pregnancy research. The development of http://www.pregnancyetc.com was to ensure that expecting parents had a place to find information on pregnancy and babies.

info@pregnancyetc.com

Pregnancy Symptom

2007-12-15T08:40:00.000-08:00

Pregnancy Symptom
Gestational diabetes is a disease that affects a large number of women in the United States and around the world. One of the biggest problems associated with gestational diabetes is the fact that there are very few symptoms associated with the disease and the few that do tend to show up can be confused with other ailments that may show up during the time of pregnancy. So, how do you tell whether you are experiencing gestational diabetes symptoms or just normal pregnancy side effects?

Maybe the biggest tell tale sign of the presence of gestational diabetes is a larger than normal amount of weight gain. This can be highly deceptive, though, considering all women gain weight during pregnancy, especially if it is first pregnancy as some women do not know how much weight gain is normal during pregnancy, so this may not be a useful marker for the presence of gestational diabetes.

A second well known symptom associated with gestational diabetes is uncontrollable appetite or a larger than normal amount of thirst. Again, for any woman who has never been pregnant before, this symptom can be misunderstood or even completely ignored since she wouldn t know what was abnormal about it because of the pregnancy.
Some women with gestational diabetes have reported more frequent urination and vaginal infections as symptoms, but as with the previous symptoms listed, pregnant women in general report a higher incident of these ailments, especially the need to urinate more frequently as the pregnancy progresses.
Continue reading to discover additional symptoms associated with gestational diabetes and to sign up for the free newsletter that offers natural methods for overcoming gestational diabetes.

An increase in vaginal infections, such as yeast infections is also more common during pregnancy than during any other part of a woman s life. With the rapidly changing and fluctuating hormone levels in the body during pregnancy, it is common for infections to the vaginal area to come and go, so having this as a symptom for gestational diabetes is deceptive and can be completely missed by many women and their doctors.
Some other symptoms that have been reported over time include increased fatigue, nausea and vomiting as well as blurred vision. Unfortunately, the same rules apply to those symptoms as the ones explained above. Gestational diabetes, for the thousands of women that suffer from it, in most every case, has no symptoms at all, or merely a slight magnification of symptoms that already exist during pregnancy, such as nausea which is common with morning sickness, or fatigue, which any pregnant woman will tell you is common.
The best advice to any woman who thinks she might be displaying gestational diabetes symptoms would be to go seek the advice of a doctor and get the proper check ups needed to test for gestational diabetes during pregnancy.