How Can I Feel If I M Pregnant

A Small Amount Of Bleeding Which Could Be Implantation Bleeding

Can I tell if I’m pregnant by feeling my belly?

You may think that if youre slightly bleeding or spotting its a sign your period is on its way, but this can actually indicate a fertilized egg implanting into your uterus or other normal effects of early pregnancy. A quarter of pregnant women experience this spotting, researchers published in the American Family Physician.

According to the National Institutes of Health , spotting generally starts about 6 to 12 days after you conceive.

This spotting may last a few days or can continue for several weeks, or even through the first trimester. Experts at the Cleveland Clinic note that this implantation bleeding might look like a brownish discharge or it may contain small drops of redder blood.

What Should I Do If I Think I’m Pregnant

If you think you may be pregnant, you can check using a home pregnancy test. Home pregnancy tests are easy to use and you can get them at most supermarkets and pharmacies.

If your home pregnancy test is positive, you should see your doctor to confirm your pregnancy with a blood test, and get information and advice about what comes next.

If your home pregnancy test is negative, but you still think you may be pregnant, you can see your doctor for a blood test to check whether you are pregnant.

To find a GP clinic near you that is open now, use the Service Finder tool.

While you are waiting to confirm whether you are pregnant, its a good idea to behave as you would if you were pregnant. This means you should avoid alcohol and cigarette smoke, and ensure you eat a healthy diet, including a folic acid supplement.

Learn more about the most common signs of early pregnancy.

Fluttering In The Pit Of Your Stomach

Long before you may even experience a missed period, you may feel flutters. That is the way this symptom has been described for years all across the world. It feels like butterflies in the pit of your stomach. It is just faint movements in your stomach where the fetus is in the early stages of development. Often, this is the way that mothers know that they are pregnant before they have a positive pregnancy test. It doesnt hurt, but can be bothersome depending on how often it happens. For some, it is constant. Some mothers even say that it makes them nauseous.

There is not much that you can do about this symptom. It usually disappears after the first trimester. It is replaced with bigger movements from the baby. Those movements are reportedly less worrisome than the early flutters that are felt by moms.

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When Should You See A Doctor About A New Pregnancy

If youve taken a pregnancy test and its positive, go ahead and make your first prenatal visit right away. This is also a great time to start looking into educational resources like the myHealthyPregnancy app.

At the first prenatal visit, youll get a physical exam and other tests to make sure everything is looking healthy, and youll learn about the rest of your prenatal appointment schedule. Youll also get to talk through any expectations and questions you have, such as which foods to eat and avoid while pregnant.

Questions or concerns about your symptoms? Our 24/7 nurse line is free for our members and patients.

Positive pregnancy test? Schedule a visit.

Mini Rant: Bump Is Too Small

14 Early Signs of Pregnancy and How Your Stomach Feels

I am so annoyed. I have had so many people saying my bump is too small for being nearly 7 months pregnant. I am FTM to be and its not like I have a reference to compare. Im already struggling HARD with body dysmorphia and having random people say oh honey you cant be 7 months youre too small. I feel like a freaking elephant so hearing things like that are messing with my head making me me think that I should be bigger or something. I prefer wearing oversized tops so it conceals my stomach quite a bit but still, why do people think they have right to pass judgement like this just because they can? Ughhh

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How Soon Can You Find Out If Youre Pregnant

The symptoms of pregnancy explained above are the most common ones but often the signs and symptoms experienced are very mild and easily attributed to other reasons.

If you frequently experience headaches and can confidently chalk your mood swings up to, say, a social media article that just set you off, looking for stronger indicators like morning sickness and changes in discharge would be a good start.

If you do notice a cluster of symptoms, following up with a home pregnancy test is your best next move.

Your Partners Pregnancy And Your Emotions

When you first hear about your partners pregnancy, you might have many and even mixed emotions.

Joy and excitement You might not be able to stop smiling. If you havent told others the news, people around you might be wondering whats making you so happy.

Surprised, unsure or something else? The pregnancy might have come as a surprise if you werent planning to have a baby or your partner got pregnant more quickly than you expected.

If youre feeling numb, shocked, confused or overwhelmed, the pregnancy might take a while to feel real. It might not even feel real until the baby is born, and you can get more hands on with your babys care.

When its complicated If the pregnancy is unplanned, perhaps youre not feeling good or sure about the pregnancy, or you dont want the pregnancy at all. This is a very difficult situation, and its OK to have strong emotions.

Sometimes a baby is conceived but the relationship has broken down, or theres no relationship at all. This is a complicated path to parenthood, but its still possible to be an involved, loving and responsible parent.

If you conceived with the help of fertility treatments or IVF, you might feel relief and joy about the pregnancy, but also worried that things wont go well.

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Nausea And Vomiting Symptoms

Whoever coined the term morning sickness obviously never had it, because nausea and vomiting can actually happen any time of the day.

This sensation generally starts from two to eight weeks after conception, the NIH says, and it may continue throughout pregnancy, although most women improve after the first trimester.

Adjusting mealtimes and eliminating foods that especially make you nauseous are some ways to deal with morning sickness, advises the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists .

More severe cases, when women feel sick for several hours a day and vomit frequently, are known as the medical condition hyperemesis gravidarum. Fortunately, this affects only 3 percent of pregnancies, ACOG says. Women with this condition sometimes need to be hospitalized to restore crucial body fluids that are being lost.

Most Symptoms Don’t Show Up Until After You Miss A Period

How do I know if I’m pregnant or if my period is just late?

While some pregnancy symptoms start very early, most of the time, you won’t notice anything right away. Anything that happens immediately after having sex, like spotting, increased discharge, or feeling tired or nauseated, is usually unrelated to pregnancy.

Other than a missed period, pregnancy symptoms tend to really kick in around week five or six of pregnancy. One 2018 study of 458 pregnant people found that 72% detected their pregnancy by the sixth week after their last menstrual period.

Symptoms, such as breast tenderness and morning sickness, tend to develop abruptly. Typically this happens about two weeks from when you missed your last period . Occasionally you will hear of someone who has symptoms right around their first missed period, but this timing is less common.

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Early Pregnancy Symptoms Vs Pms: Whats The Difference

Most early pregnancy symptoms before your period are strikingly similar to the side effects of PMS. However, youll only notice changes in your areolas if youre pregnant. A consistently elevated BBT and creamy vaginal discharge post-ovulation are also both relatively reliable signs of conception, but theyre certainly not foolproof.

Otherwise, the only way to know if other early pregnancy symptoms are due to a baby or PMS is to hold out until you can take a pregnancy test.

Video: How To Confirm Pregnancy Without Taking A Test

While pregnancy tests are the sought after option, there are a few ways by which you can know with reasonable certainty that you are pregnant. In this article, we will look at how to confirm your pregnancy without a test, for the benefit of expecting parents.

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When Do Pregnancy Symptoms Start

Pregnancy symptoms are different for every woman . Some women feel the first twinges of pregnancy a week or two after conceiving, while others don’t feel any different for a few months.

In the best study on this question to date, 136 women who were trying to get pregnant kept daily records of their symptoms from the time they stopped using birth control until they were 8 weeks pregnant. The results:

The first sign of pregnancy was usually a missed period. The most common symptoms to follow were nausea and vomiting, fatigue, frequent urination, and breast tenderness and swelling.

Can You Feel Pregnant Before You Miss Your Period

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Yes, you can feel pregnant before you miss your period. Some people say theyve felt pregnancy symptoms within a week of conception .

Could I have the symptoms of early pregnancy and not be pregnant?

Many of the symptoms of early pregnancy overlap with other medical conditions, as well as your typical menstrual cycle. Premenstrual symptoms can be very similar to pregnancy symptoms. This can make it difficult to tell the difference. You can also miss a period and not be pregnant. This can happen when you lose or gain a lot of weight or are stressed. Breastfeeding can also cause your period to stop.

The best way to know youre pregnant is to take a pregnancy test. Pregnancy tests are available at your local pharmacy or grocery store without a prescription.

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How To Improve The Accuracy Of Your Home Pregnancy Test

  • Wait until your period is one week late
  • Read the instructions carefully and follow them to the letter
  • Take the urine test in the morning, with your very first urine of the day
  • Dont drink large amounts of liquids before the test
  • Pee into a clean cup and put the test stick into it for 15 minutes
  • Store your test in a cool dry place. Extreme temperatures can damage the test.
  • Check the expiration date of the test

What Other Symptoms Can Be Early Signs Of Pregnancy

Every person and every pregnancy is different. So, if you are pregnant, youll likely experience a unique combination of common, not-so-common and sometimes overlapping symptoms. And, they may show up earlier or later than expected. Here are more than a dozen possible symptoms of early pregnancy.

1. Spotting or light bleeding

Many women are surprised to learn that spotting or light bleeding can be an early sign of pregnancy, but about one-third of women experience it. This is often called implantation bleeding because doctors believe it occurs as the fertilized egg attaches itself into the uterine lining. This is different from bleeding that could occur from something like a miscarriage which is usually heavier.

When does implantation bleeding occur?

Implantation bleeding typically occurs 10 to 14 days after conception, which is just before or right around the time your period is due. So, you may think youve gotten your period.

But implantation bleeding is a light flow, which may start and stop over a couple days. And while it can take on a range of colors, its more likely to be pink, brown or light red.

Your period, on the other hand, may start off light in flow and in color but after a couple days becomes heavier, changes to a crimson red color and lasts up to a week or so.

2. Lower abdominal pain or cramping

While cramps and lower-abdominal pain can signal a coming period, they can also be a sign of egg implantation.

What do implantation cramps feel like?

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What Precautions Should You Take During Early Pregnancy

Even if you havenât spotted any signs of pregnancy very early on, youâll want to do everything you can to stay healthy and safe. In fact, itâs always wise to take some precautions as soon as you start trying to conceive or learn that youâre pregnant.Even simple adjustments can help support you as you start your pregnancy! Though youâll want to consult your healthcare provider to determine whatâs best for you, some worthwhile lifestyle changes and precautions include

When you start trying for a baby or learn that youâre pregnant, folic acid is essential, as itâs a B vitamin that helps reduce the risk of certain birth defects that affect the babyâs brain and spine. Your healthcare provider can recommend a prenatal vitamin that contains at least 400 micrograms of folic acid. Pre-pregnancy is also a great time to eliminate some less healthy habits, including

  • exposure to secondhand smoke

  • drinking alcohol.

In addition, your provider may recommend limiting your daily consumption of caffeine. Talk with your healthcare provider about the best ways to stay healthy and safe when youâre pregnant. For more general advice, download our pregnancy guide!

How Soon You Can Take A Pregnancy Test

I’m pregnant and feel nauseous and sick. What can I do?

Step back from the supermarket shelves you should wait until the first day of a missed period before you do a pregnancy test . This is usually about two weeks after you think you conceived. So get your diary out and start counting.

Too keen to wait? Some tests are more sensitive than others and can be taken earlier . This might be four or five days before your period is due .

If you can though, its most reliable to wait for the first day of your missed period. And that way you wont get any upset from an inaccurate result.

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Pain In Your Boobs Sensitive Breasts

Breast tenderness if one of the earliest and most common signs of pregnancy. It occurs as a result of hormonal changes which start the process of getting your milk ducts ready to feed the baby, Ross says.

Your boobs may feel as sore as they sometimes feel before your period, the Cleveland Clinic notes. But other changes may accompany this soreness: Nipples may darken and enlarge. And some women start busting out of their bra because the hormones enlarge breast tissue.

Your Pregnancy Tests Are Negative But You Still Think You Might Be Pregnant

While false positives are very rare, false negatives with pregnancy tests are more common. Here are some reasons you could be getting a negative pregnancy test.

If you’ve gotten negative results multiple times but are experiencing the signs of pregnancy, and especially if you’ve missed your period, then you should see a doctor who will be able to conduct additional tests and see what might be going on.

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Your First Three Weeks Of Pregnancy

Hereâs the thing: Because of the way pregnancy is usually measured, youâre not actually pregnant during the first two weeks or so of your pregnancy. Healthcare providers calculate the length of an average pregnancy as 40 weeks, starting from the first day of your last menstrual periodâthis is known as the LMP dating method. So, when youâre 1 week pregnant, youâve only just started your period. At two weeks pregnant, youâre ovulating. And since ovulation happens about 14 days after the start of your period you canât really become pregnant until week 3 at the earliest.It can be mind-bogglingâwe get it. But, for the sake of calculation, and what you and your healthcare provider will consider as 1 and 2 weeks pregnant, youâre not actually pregnant! But although at 1, 2, or 3 weeks pregnant you may not notice any of those very early signs of pregnancy, there may be a lot happening on the inside.

RELATED PREGNANCY TOOL

Pros Of Blood Testing

Why Do I Look Pregnant When I Am Not &  Its Solutions?
  • Blood tests can detect pregnancy earlier than a home pregnancy test, about 6 to 8 days after ovulation, or about 7 – 12 days after possible conception .
  • This could mean that you get a result as early as 9 days after possible conception, or 5 days earlier than a home pregnancy test would be able to detect .

For most women, it makes more sense to wait and do a pregnancy test at home because of its convenience and low cost, as well as the fact that you’d only find out a day or two earlier with a blood test .

For others, especially those with a high risk for miscarriage or other pregnancy complications, their doctor may recommend getting a blood test.

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Nausea In The Morning Noon And Night

Most mothers are aware that they may experience morning sickness. You may even know that it may be persistent sometimes throughout the day. Not many know that they will be plagued with constant nausea. Some deal with nausea and vomiting so much that they have to be hospitalized. It can get so bad that it hinders the growth of your baby. The doctor must intervene with medicine or some other methods. Vomiting can lead to dehydration and become very serious for the mother and the baby.

Nausea is just a part of pregnancy, but most mothers combat it with some simple fixes that include eating smaller meals more often. You should try never to get empty. Always keep a snack. Avoid milk and foods that may spoil on your stomach. Hard candy is a known remedy that helps with nausea for some

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