What Are The Early Signs Of Pregnancy
While you won’t be able to feel your stomach to see if you’re pregnant during the early stages of pregnancy, there are some early symptoms that it’s possible to experience in the first few days or weeks after conceiving, and before a missed period.
These can include:
Of course, the best way to know you’re pregnant for certain is to take a pregnancy test.
How Soon Can I Take A Pregnancy Test
You should wait at least one to two weeks after you have sex to take a home pregnancy test. That is the earliest the test will detect levels of human chorionic gonadotropin , a hormone produced during pregnancy.
If you take a test too early, it may not yet be able to detect hCG. If possible, you should wait and test the week after you miss your period.
After getting a positive home pregnancy test, see a doctor and let them know. They will be able to confirm the pregnancy and discuss next steps in your prenatal care.
Your Body Will Trick You
I will warn that my own body which was like clockwork before trying to conceive, came up with some pretty whacky symptoms that made me believe I was pregnant when I wasnt .
Twice my period was a week late, I had a maddening twitch under one eye for 2 weeks, and several times I had some of the below symptoms that I didnt usually get, but it turned out to be nothing.
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That’s A Hard Feeling Tell Me About It
While school drop-off is not the time to wallow in the hard feelings of not wanting to go to school, if your child brings up concerns after school or on the weekend, take some time to listen to them.
Children can very easily be swayed by our leading questions, so keep your questions very general and neutral so that your child can tell you what they’re really feeling.
How Accurate Are Urine Tests
Urine tests or home pregnancy tests are around 97% accurate when done correctly. Home pregnancy tests are great to use because they can be done at home, they are usually low in cost , private, they give a fast result, and are easy to use.
However, if done incorrectly or taken too early, the result can be inaccurate. If you get a negative result and still have symptoms of pregnancy , wait a week and take another test or contact your doctor so you can have a blood test done.
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Q: I Think I Might Be Pregnant How Soon Can I Use A Home Pregnancy Test To Find Out
A: Drugstore shelves today are packed with tests with labels like “early result” or “early response,” some of which may be able to tell you’re pregnant up to five days before you’ve even missed your period — as soon as 10 days after you’ve ovulated. That’s because these tests may be more sensitive than others at detecting levels of human chorionic gonadotropin in your urine. hCG is a hormone that your body starts producing shortly after you’ve conceived. You should always read the label information to get a true sense of how accurate it is, and when. Even “early result” tests are more precise the later you use them , since hCG levels may be tricky to detect so early into pregnancy. If you get a negative test result but still haven’t gotten your period a few days later, it’s a good idea to test again. You likely got what’s called a “false negative” the first time — where the test says you’re not pregnant, but you actually are.
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What Is An Hcg Blood Pregnancy Test
There are two types of blood tests to determine pregnancy:
- Qualitative hCG blood serum tests check to see if a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin is present in your blood. HCG is a hormone produced by the body during pregnancy. A positive result means you are pregnant and a negative result means you are not pregnant.
- Quantitative hCG blood serum tests also check to see if hCG is present in your blood, but these tests can detect even trace amounts of the hormone. Because it is more precise, this test helps to determine whether the pregnancy is normal and healthy.
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What If I Tell People Im Pregnant And Then Have A Miscarriage
The risk of a miscarriage is already low by 6 weeks into your pregnancy, and very low after 10 weeks.
When deciding when to tell people you are pregnant, you might want to consider how you would prefer to handle a miscarriage were it to happen. Many people would consider a miscarriage so devastating that they would be too distressed to discuss it with others.
On the other hand, by telling people you are pregnant, support may be available in the event of a miscarriage, bearing in mind it may be difficult to hide the associated emotion if it does happen.
When Pregnancy Is Unintentional
If you had unprotected sex or a contraceptive failure and fear you could get pregnant, emergency contraception is an option. Commonly called the “morning-after pill,” medications are available over-the-counter that can prevent pregnancy if taken within five days of having unprotected sex.
The sooner you take these medications, the more effective they are in preventing an unintended pregnancy. These medications do not cause an abortion, but rather prevent a pregnancy from being established.
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When Should You Take A Pregnancy Test
Its usually recommended that you take a pregnancy test after youve missed your period. This is because pregnancy tests measure the level of human chorionic gonadotrophin in your body, which is a hormone that starts to build up when you conceive. It can take around three to four weeks from the first day of your last period for there to be enough hCG in your body to show up on a test.
What Are Some Less Common Signs Of Early Pregnancy
There are some additional signs of early pregnancy that arent as common. Just like with the most common symptoms, these signs of pregnancy may or may not happen. Its important to remember that everyone is different and will experience unique symptoms.
Less common signs of early pregnancy can include:
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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
Things You Can Do To Increase Your Chances And Decrease Your Stress Level:
- Track your ovulation Use tests . Pin pointing the date you ovulate helps you know when you need to do the deed.
- Use an app To track symptoms, ovulation, periods, tests I used Ovia Fertility but there are a multitude of free apps out there. I was trying to conceive for 12 months and only used the app for 2 months before I succeeded.
- Remember that sperm can survive for an average 4 days and you release 1 egg on the day that you ovulate. The egg only lives 24 hours so there has to be alive sperm already in the fallopian tube. Sperm takes a day to travel to the tube. So do the deed as much as you can in the 4-5 days before ovulation and the 1-2 days after.
- Stay away from Google Once you have the basic information from this blog you will not gain any extra knowledge or peace of mind.
- Join a birth community such as BabyCenter the forums allow you to chat with women in exactly the same scenario as you and its great to have support and someone to talk with. It can also distract you during the two week wait and remind you at times that there is always someone worse off than you are.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Pregnancy Tests
If I get a positive result on a home pregnancy test, does that mean I am pregnant?
A positive result from a home pregnancy test shows the presence of the hormone hCG in your system. When an egg is implanted in a womans uterine lining, hCG hormones begin to develop and multiply. This is a sign that you have become pregnant.
If I get a negative result on a home pregnancy test, does that mean I am not pregnant?
A negative result can mean that you are not pregnant, you took the test too early, or you took the test wrong. Pregnancy tests vary in their sensitivity , and you may not have given your body enough time to produce enough hCG hormones that will show up on the test.
Also, if you let a test sit for too long , the test is invalid. It is best to follow the instructions and wait until you have missed a period before taking the test. Most pregnancy tests come with two in a box, and it is a good idea to take both.
I Love You And I Know You Can Do This
It’s best to keep your goodbye short, even if your child is crying or clinging to you, and trust that you have chosen a good place for them to be. Most children recover from hard goodbyes quickly after the parent leaves.
If your child is having a hard time saying goodbye, give one good strong hug and tell them that you love them and know they can do this. Saying something like, “It’s just school, you’ll be fine” belittles their feelings. Instead, acknowledge that this is hard, but that you’re confident they’re up to the task. This validates the anxiety they’re feeling while ending on a positive note.
After a quick reassurance, make your exit, take a deep breath and trust that they will be okay.
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How Soon Can You Get Symptoms Of Pregnancy
Early symptoms of pregnancy are usually different for every woman. Some women might experience the first symptoms a week or two after conceiving, whereas others dont feel anything for months. Many women may tell if they are pregnant within two or three weeks of conceiving, and some women know a lot sooner, even within a few days. It really depends on a womans ability to pick up on the changes occurring within the body and how sensitive they are to them. Doctors may always run a blood test, which can typically detect pregnancy as early as one week after conception.
As per the research done on 136 women who were trying to get pregnant, they kept daily records of their symptoms from the time they stopped using birth control until they were eight weeks pregnant . The results were as follows:
- 50% had some symptoms of pregnancy by the time they were five weeks pregnant.
- 70% had symptoms in six weeks.
- 90% had symptoms by eight weeks.
- The first sign of pregnancy is usually a missed period.
- The most common symptoms to follow are nausea, vomiting, fatigue, frequent urination, breast tenderness, and swelling. These symptoms can be mild or severe.
Some pregnancy symptoms can begin a just few days after conception, even before a positive pregnancy test, which may include:
How Early Can A Blood Test Detect Pregnancy Hormones
“Pregnancy blood tests are reliably able to detect pregnancy at much lower ranges of circulating pregnancy hormone in the blood and thus can catch a pregnancy in its very early stages,” says Dr. Cindy M. Duke, a physician with the Nevada Fertility Institute in Las Vegas. “Circulating levels of pregnancy hormone would have to be much higher in order for it to be detected in the urine .”
Do you think you might be pregnant, but you are not sure about the reliability of the home test you’ve taken? Or perhaps you want to know now if you’re pregnant but it’s too early to take a urine test, so you are considering a blood test.
When can you trust the home test and when do you need to take a blood test instead?
There is much to consider when deciding whether or not to get the blood test. How accurate are they? How much trouble and cost are they? How soon can you take one and when will you get the results?
Let’s explore.
Elvis Huang , via Wikimedia Commons
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How Long Do You Have To Wait For The Results Of A Blood Test
So you’ve gone to the doctor’s office, waited to be seen, and had your blood drawn. Of course, it’s not over.
Your blood has to be sent to a lab to be analyzed. How long it takes for them to give you the results varies from lab to lab. It could take an hour or several days. A couple of days is a typical waiting period for lab results.
False Positive Results Of Blood Pregnancy Test
False positive results of pregnancy blood tests are rare, but they do happen. Some conditions can lead to a result of pregnancy when the woman is, in fact, not pregnant.
Because blood tests detect the presence of the hormone hCG, any level of hCGâeven if it is there for another reasonâcould lead to a false positive test result. Some non-pregnancy reasons for hCG to be in the blood are:
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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 without being pregnant. This can happen when you exercise in extreme amounts, lose or gain a lot of weight, or even are stressed. Breastfeeding can also cause your period to stop for a while.
The best way to know youre pregnant is to take a pregnancy test. If you have missed a period and think theres a chance you could be pregnant, consider taking a test.
Metallic Taste In Mouth
The experience of constantly having a metallic taste in your mouth is a pregnancy sign that I am familiar with. It’s difficult to describe, but your mouth feels like you have been sucking on a coin.
It’s a pregnancy symptom that is very common and is unmistakable
You may also experience other strange flavors in your mouth, like saltiness, rancidness, or just a bad taste in general.8
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Youre Regularly Becoming Nauseous
We arenât talking about that nasty feeling you get after a greasy meal but chronic bloating and/or a recurring upset stomach. Nausea during pregnancy, often referred to as âmorning sickness,â usually starts around a month after you become pregnant. You may also develop intense desires for particular kinds of foods or suddenly become averse to foods youâve historically enjoyed. This nausea may or may not involve vomiting, so itâs important to note both kinds. If youâve been sick to your stomach for several days or nights and you arenât sick, pregnancy could be the reason.
What Book Do You Think Your Teacher Will Read When You Get To School This Morning
Find out what happens first in your child’s school day and help them mentally transition to that task. In a Montessori school, the children choose their own work, so you might ask about which work your child plans to do first.
If they’re in a more traditional school, find an aspect of the school morning they enjoy and talk about that.
Thinking about the whole school day can seem daunting, but helping your child focus on a specific thing that will happen can make it seem more manageable.
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When Will You Start Feeling Symptoms Of Pregnancy
Some women experience symptoms of pregnancy very early on, though many women do not. According to one study of 136 women who ended up having babies, 50% had some symptoms roughly eight days after their missed period, 70% had some symptoms roughly two weeks after their missed period, and 90% had some symptoms one month after their missed period.2
Many early pregnancy symptoms are also very similar to PMS, which can be confusing. I go into more detail about the early symptoms of pregnancy below.
The Most Common Sign Of Early Pregnancy A Missed Period
Your menstrual cycle is your bodys way of preparing for a possible pregnancy each month. Part of that is the thickening of your uterine lining, which is where a fertilized egg would implant to begin a pregnancy.
If youre not pregnant, your period is how your uterus sheds that extra lining. If you are pregnant, that lining stays put and you dont get your normal flow. This is why a missed period is often the earliest sign of pregnancy.
Of course, a delayed or missed period doesnt always mean youre pregnant. If your body is under a lot of stress or you have a hormonal imbalance, you could be experiencing an irregular menstrual cycle.
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