How To Know If You Are For Sure Pregnant

Am I Going Into Labor Should I Call The Doctor

HOW TO TELL IF YOURE PREGNANT WITHOUT A TEST! | EARLY PREGNANCY SYMPTOMS

Still feel like you wont know when to announce Its time! and get ready to meet your baby? Try not to stress about it. Youll be seeing your doctor or midwife frequently now, and she will help you spot all the important clues.

If you think you’re going into labor, your doctor has likely advised you on what to do when your due date is near and you think you’re experiencing regular contractions .

Labor contractions wont all be exactly spaced, but if they’re becoming pretty consistent, more painful and longer , its time to check in with your doctor.

If you think you might be in labor but aren’t sure, get on the phone. Your provider can explain whats going on and have you come in if there’s any uncertainty.

Dont feel embarrassed or worry about calling outside of office hours, either: Your practitioner knows it comes with the job.

You should always call your doctor or midwife if:

  • You experience any bleeding or bright red discharge .
  • Your water breaks especially if the fluid looks green or brown. This could be a sign that meconium, or your baby’s first stool, is present, which can be dangerous if your baby ingests it during birth.
  • You experience blurred or double vision, a severe headache or sudden swelling. These can all be symptoms of preeclampsia, which is characterized by pregnancy-induced high blood pressure and requires medical attention.

Calculate Using Your Last Menstrual Period

The formula for calculating how far along you are is simply the number of days since the first day of your last menstrual period divided by seven:

Days since start of LMP ÷ 7 = # of weeks pregnant

Wondering how to calculate your number of months pregnant?

Days since start of LMP ÷ 30 = # of months pregnant

Get A More Accurate Test At Your Doctors Office

Even though your trip to the bathroom has made you pretty certain youâre pregnant, getting it confirmed by a medical professional is critical.

Most doctors are able to offer patients both urine tests and blood tests to check for pregnancy. While the results of the urine test are typically available within just a few minutes, lab results may take several hours or days to get back. Unlike a simple urine test, blood tests are able to give you and your doctor a better sense of where youâre at in your pregnancy and how things are developing. Itâs possible your physician asks you to do more than one of these tests over the course of your pregnancy to determine how things are changing over time.

The Source has clinics across Texas and provides free pregnancy tests. Click the button below to schedule a 30-minute appointment with one of our doctors today.

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Ultrasound To Determine Pregnancy

If your home pregnancy test or beta-hCG blood test is positive for pregnancy, the next step will be to confirm the pregnancy with an ultrasound. An ultrasound is typically planned for 5-6 weeks past the missed period. The ultrasound will confirm where the embryo has implanted, if there is more than one, and if the heart is beating.

Learn more about when and why ultrasounds are performed during pregnancy.

High Blood Pressure And Dizziness During Early Pregnancy

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In most cases, high or normal blood pressure will drop in the early stages of pregnancy. This may also cause feelings of dizziness since your blood vessels are dilated.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, as a result of pregnancy is more difficult to determine. Almost all cases of hypertension within the first 20 weeks indicate underlying problems. It may develop during early pregnancy, but it may also be present beforehand.

A medical professional will take your blood pressure during your first doctors visit to help establish a baseline for a normal blood pressure reading.

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When To Contact A Doctor

If a pregnancy test result is positive, a person should contact a midwife or doctor. They can confirm the result with a blood test or schedule an early ultrasound.

If the person is pregnant, they should start prenatal care or discuss other options as early as possible.

If a person misses a period but is not pregnant, a healthcare professional can help diagnose any underlying cause.

What’s The Soonest You Can Find Out If You’re Pregnant

The only way to know for sure that you’re pregnant is through a positive pregnancy test. The earliest home pregnancy test is accurate up to six days before the day of your missed period for 76% of women who take the test .1

So, the soonest you might be able to find out for sure that you’re pregnant is by testing with a First Response home pregnancy test no earlier than six days before the day of your missed period.

So if you’re expecting your period on a Saturday, you would be able to test the Monday before .

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Faint Line On Pregnancy Test

Did you see two lines on the pregnancy test, but one of them was faint? Guess what? That’s a positive result. It’s possible that your levels of hCG aren’t strong enough yet to produce a stronger colored line. If you’re concerned about it, take a second test in a few days or ask for a blood test to determine pregnancy.

Key Indicators Of A Possible Pregnancy

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Many women experience one or more pregnancy symptoms during a normal menstrual cycle, so you shouldnât panic if youâre a little nauseous, tired, or experiencing cramping. If youâve noticed several of the indicators below over the last few weeks, however, itâs worth a closer look. These signs often signal a pregnancy, but only an official pregnancy test or doctorâs visit will be able to tell you for sure.

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Do You Have Pregnancy Symptoms

Most pregnancy symptoms don’t show up until about the time that you miss your periodabout two weeks after you ovulate, and about four weeks since your last period. There are a lot of symptoms of pregnancy, but the most common ones reported include fatigue, nausea and/or vomiting, and sore breasts.

Even if you do not have these symptoms , you may consider a pregnancy test if you have missed your period. Sometimes you will not experience pregnancy symptoms until your period is two weeks late, or your symptoms may be masked by something else.

Light Bleeding Or Spotting

Implantation bleeding is the light vaginal bleeding that typically occurs about 10 to 14 days after conception. It shouldnt cause anything more than mild spotting, which you may notice in your underwear. Implantation bleeding can also be accompanied by mild cramps that resemble the cramps of menstruation.

If the bleeding is heavy or if the cramping is severe, contact a health care provider for advice.

Along with light bleeding, some women notice white, milky vaginal discharge. This is completely normal and is the result of increased development in the lining of the vagina. The discharge may continue throughout pregnancy and does not usually have any other symptoms. Seek a health care providers opinion if the discharge smells bad or is accompanied by itching. You may need to be treated for a bacterial or yeast infection.

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Some Tips On Pregnancy Testing At Home

Because early pregnancy symptoms can be confused with other illnesses or conditions, I would always recommend buying yourself a test. These are very accurate from the point that your period is due, and will take the guesswork out of knowing if you are pregnant or not.

For those who have missed a period and got a negative pregnancy test result, follow the link to learn about the most common reasons behind this.

If you keep getting negative results but are experiencing pregnancy symptoms, listen to your body and make a doctor’s appointment!

Was Your Period Typical

How Soon Can You Tell If You

If the flow was normal for you, you are less likely to be pregnant. A light flow may indicate implantation bleeding, and a heavier flow may indicate a placental problem with an early pregnancy like a subchorionic hemorrhage, or a problem like an early miscarriage or blighted ovum.

If you are tracking your menstrual cycles, this will be easier to figure out. A short period may be more likely to be implantation bleeding, whereas prolonged bleeding may be a sign of a miscarriage.

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Pregnancy Tests That Your Doctor May Do

Your GP will probably do a urine pregnancy test to detect whether you are pregnant.

It is always a good idea to bring a sample of urine to the GP surgery with you if you think you may be pregnant. This will mean your appointment is not delayed.

It will also avoid the ‘stage fright’ that can occur when you are trying to pee and you know someone is waiting on you.

The pregnancy testing kit that your GP will use is like the kits that you can buy over the counter.

Your doctor may perform a blood test to check the level of hCG in your blood. This test is done if you have had some bleeding from your vagina or if you have severe pains in your tummy. Your GP may also carry out a blood test if you have severe morning sickness.

Were You Using Birth Control

Birth control is the best way to prevent unintended pregnancy. Contraception is available in many forms, including birth control pills, condoms, diaphragms, Depo shots, IUDs, etc. Each has its own effectiveness rate, but all are more effective than doing nothing. That said, birth control is not 100% foolproof.

For example, were you using it correctly? This means, for example, taking a pill every day at the same time, or using a condom every time you had sex. If you weren’t using birth control correctly, it greatly increases the likelihood that you could be pregnant. If you were, there is still a chance that you could be pregnant, because nothing is 100% effective against pregnancy .

Additionally, there are many things that can potentially interfere with birth control. Some medications taken can diminish the efficacy of the pill. If you have a condom slip or break, you have a greater likelihood of pregnancy.

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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.

You Might Be Pregnant Heres How To Tell For Sure

How to Know If You’re Pregnant

Your last period shouldâve started a week ago, and youâre starting to get worried. Are you just a little late, or is it possible a baby is on the way?

Having a child of your own is a big responsibility, and being overwhelmed at the thought of parenthood is common. In fact, more than a few women enter into denial and intentionally avoid taking a test to confirm their pregnancy. But knowing youâre pregnant for sure is the first step before seeking out the information, resources, and relationships youâll need to thrive during this next season of life. So before you start narrowing down baby names, what are the signs you might be pregnant?

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Youve Missed Your Period

If youâre in your childbearing years, sexually active, and more than a week has passed since the day your period was expected to start, itâs very possible youâre pregnant. If you have an irregular menstrual cycle, have recently experienced significant weight loss or weight gain, or stopped taking your birth control pills, a missed period may not be a reason to worry. However, missed periods are perhaps the most tell-tale sign of a potential pregnancy, so be sure to take a pregnancy test if youâre in this situation. Many pregnant women experience some bleeding around two weeks after fertilization and mistake it for a light period, but a missed period on their next cycle will indicate a pregnancy. â

Smell Sensitivity And Food Aversions During Early Pregnancy

Smell sensitivity is a symptom of early pregnancy thats mostly self-reported. Theres little scientific evidence about smell sensitivity during the first trimester. However, it might be important, since smell sensitivity may trigger nausea and vomiting. It may also cause strong distaste for certain foods.

You may experience either a heightened or lessened sense of smell during pregnancy, according to 2017 research. This is especially common during the first and third trimesters. Heightened smell is more common than lessened smell. Some smells that never bothered you before may become less pleasing or even trigger nausea.

The good news is that your sense of smell usually returns to normal after delivery, or within 6 to 12 weeks postpartum.

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What Are The Early Signs Of Pregnancy

The most obvious sign of pregnancy is a missed period. But even before your period is due, its possible that you might notice some pregnancy symptoms. One of the earliest signs is a tingling or prickling sensation in your breasts, particularly around your nipples. Some women get this feeling when they have been pregnant for just one week.

Other signs and symptoms of pregnancy to watch out for include:

I’m Pregnant Now What

11 Early Pregnancy Signs before You Miss Your Period

If you get a positive result on the test, you’re pregnant! Your next step is to contact your healthcare provider and set up your first prenatal appointment. It’s so important to make sure that you and your baby get the best possible care during this pregnancy.

It’s also important that you start taking prenatal vitamins to ensure that you and the baby will get the proper nutrients needed to sustain a healthy pregnancy. The most important vitamin to have right now is called folic acid, which is a B vitamin that helps to prevent neural tubal defects in the early development of the baby.

Having a healthy diet during pregnancy will help you gain the right amount of weight and help with ailments like pregnancy fatigue and pregnancy constipation.

For most normal-weight pregnant women, the right amount of calories is about 1,800 calories per day during the first trimester, about 2,200 calories per day during the second trimester, and about 2,400 calories per day during the third trimester.

Make sure those extra calories are from healthy sources or you could gain too much weight during pregnancy.

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Changes In Food Patterns

This can go both ways you might feel cravings towards a particular type of food and aversions towards others. This occurs due to rise in the levels of estrogen in the blood and can happen any time throughout the pregnancy. Food cravings can be satisfied, provided that the items are safe and that you do not overeat.

A Personal Note: What My Pregnancy Symptoms Were Like

Some of these pregnancy symptoms are hard to quantify, especially when it’s something like “feeling different.” But, you may well feel different somehow even though you can’t explain how you feel different.

In my first pregnancy, the earliest signs for me were the enlarged nipples and breasts and breast tenderness as well as feeling dizzy, sick and extremely tired. And yesâI did feel different!

During my second pregnancy, the most noticeable early symptoms were a metallic taste in my mouth, an aversion to drinking tea and a heightened sense of smell. This last symptom got worse and worse throughout my pregnancy and it became difficult to manage all of the smells that made me either feel sick or actually be sick. Smells I couldn’t handle were anything soapy such as body wash and deodorant, perfume, aftershave and alcohol. There were a lot more, but these were the main ones.

For my third pregnancy, me, my husband and our daughter were away traveling around Europe in our motorhome. We’d stopped to work on a farm for a few weeks, when I started to feel incredibly tired.

I couldn’t work out why I felt that way after a good night’s sleep and I had no other symptoms of illness, so I tried drinking extra coffee to keep me awake . Then a few days later I started feeling really unwell to the point I spent around four days laying down resting, but no real symptoms as suchâI might describe them like the flu without the sore throat and cough.

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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.

How Often Do You Test Hcg Levels In Pregnancy

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HCG levels are typically not checked more than once or twice during pregnancy. Healthcare providers check hCG levels in the first trimester but usually dont need to check again. If initial hCG levels are lower than average, your provider will test hCG levels again in a few days. Assessing hCG levels is done sequentially, testing several days apart and comparing levels. Some prenatal genetic tests use hCG levels to check for the possibility of a fetus having a congenital disorder.

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