Blood And Urine Tests
check for the presence of the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin . A person might take an over-the-counter test at home, or they might visit a clinic and provide a urine or blood sample for testing.
The body produces hCG after implantation. Some rare conditions and diseases can also raise levels of this hormone. It is a good idea for anyone who has received a positive test result to have this confirmed by a healthcare professional.
Do All Women Experience Early Signs And Symptoms Of Pregnancy
Each mom-to-be and each pregnancy is unique, so you may only notice some of these early signs of pregnancy. For example, the first signs and symptoms of pregnancy could occur before a missed period alternatively, missing a period may be your first clue that youâre pregnant. Whatâs more, the symptoms you notice in a second pregnancy may be different from what you experienced the first time around.
Feeling Sick During Pregnancy
You may feel sick or be sick. This is commonly known as morning sickness, but it can happen at any time of the day or night.
Morning sickness symptoms usually start when youre around 4-6 weeks pregnant
If you’re being sick all the time and cannot keep anything down, see a GP.
You may have hyperemesis gravidarum, a serious condition in pregnancy that causes severe vomiting and needs treatment.
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Early Pregnancy Symptoms: Are You Pregnant
Missing your periods is not the only indication that you are pregnant. In fact, you can miss your periods a thousand times and still not be pregnant. But at the same time, you can be pregnant and still shows signs of bleeding. So without wasting any more time, lets find out the top 15 early pregnancy symptoms!
Scroll down and find out all that you have to know in this context.
The Odds Of Getting Pregnant
It’s a common question: What are the odds that I’ll get pregnant this month? For most couples trying to conceive, the odds that a woman will become pregnant are 15% to 25% in any particular month.
But there are some things that can affect your chance of getting pregnant:
- Age. After you reach age 30, your chances of conceiving in any given month fall, and they decrease as you age, dropping steeply in your 40s.
- Irregular menstrual cycles. Having an irregular cycle makes it tricky to calculate when you’re ovulating, thus making it difficult to know the ideal time to have sex.
- Frequency of sex. The less often you have sex, the less likely you are to get pregnant.
- Amount of time you’ve been trying to conceive. If you haven’t gotten pregnant after one year of trying to conceive, your chances of becoming pregnant may be lower. Talk to your doctor about tests for female and male infertility.
- Illnesses or medical conditions can affect pregnancy.
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Other Early Symptoms Of Pregnancy
Pregnancy brings changes in your hormonal balance. And that can cause other symptoms that include:
- Frequent urination. For many women, this starts around the sixth or eighth week after conception. Although this could be caused by a urinary tract infection, diabetes, or using diuretics, if you’re pregnant, it’s most likely due to hormonal levels.
- Constipation. During pregnancy, higher levels of the hormone progesterone can make you constipated. Progesterone causes food to pass more slowly through your intestines. To ease the problem, drink plenty of water, exercise, and eat plenty of high-fiber foods.
- Mood swings. These are common, especially during the first trimester. These are also related to changes in hormones.
- Headaches and back pain. Many pregnant women report frequent mild headaches, and others experience back pain.
- Dizziness and fainting. These may be related to dilating blood vessels, lower blood pressure, and lower blood sugar.
A pregnant woman could have all of these symptoms, or maybe have only one or two. If any of these symptoms become bothersome, talk with your doctor about them so you can make a plan to offset them.
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Food Aversions And Sensitivity To Smell
Sensitivity to certain smells is a common symptom for pregnant women. You may also find that your tastes have changed for certain types of food.
Any of the above signs can mean youre pregnant, but there are women who conceive and experience none of them. Likewise, you can experience all ten and not be pregnant. The best way to confirm pregnancy is to schedule an appointment with a provider, preferably your gynecologist.
If you notice a few of the early pregnancy symptoms above and think you may be pregnant, wait one or two days after your missed period and take a pregnancy test. If the test is negative, wait a few more days and take another, just in case the first was a false negative. If the test is positive, schedule an appointment with your OB/GYN.
At Baptist Health, were committed to helping women through every stage of their health journeys. If youre trying to conceive or thinking about getting pregnant, read through our preconception to-do list, or if you have an upcoming OB/GYN appointment, learn how you can get the most out of your visit.
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What Are Five Common Signs Of Pregnancy
There are several signs of early pregnancy that you could experience. Not everyone will have all of these symptoms, and some women may not feel any of these things. Pregnancy symptoms throughout the entire pregnancy can vary dramatically between women. Its important not to compare your pregnancy to someone elses.
Common early pregnancy symptoms can include:
Urine Analysis: Better Wait A Week
When the fertilised egg implants into the uterus, its cells begin to make a substance called human chorionic gonadotropin . This substance is important for a smooth pregnancy. During the first few obstetrics visits, your obstetrician will test the levels of this hormone in your body, which will gradually rise. It can be detected in blood and urine, but it is more convenient to test the urine than to draw blood. This substance is the same as that detected by pregnancy tests, which have been available over-the-counter in pharmacies for two decades:
- They are able to detect hCG after a few days of missed period, although it is better to wait at least a week.
- The test is simple: you deposit about eight drops of urine on a stick, where a sign will appear indicating whether or not there is hCG, i.e., whether you are pregnant or not.
- The test can be inaccurate and confirm a non-existent pregnancy, or vice versa. You must go to your doctor if the test confirms the pregnancy, but also if you continue to have symptoms.
Blood test to confirm the pregnancy
The hormones that appear days after the egg is implanted in the wall of the uterus can also be found in the blood. A simple blood test can find high hCG levels that indicate a woman is pregnant. In order to carry out this test, a blood sample is taken by a health care provider. This is usually done on the first visit to the gynaecologist to confirm the pregnancy, but normally the pregnant woman has already taken a urine test.
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When Do Pregnancy Symptoms Start
how soon do you get symptoms of pregnancy?
It takes about 2 to 3 weeks after sex for pregnancy to happen. Some people notice pregnancy symptoms as early as a week after pregnancy begins when a fertilized egg attaches to the wall of your uterus. Other people dont notice symptoms until a few months into their pregnancy. Usually the first sign of pregnancy is a missed period.
Common symptoms of pregnancy include nausea or vomiting, and feeling tired. Other signs are sore or swollen breasts, headaches, and peeing more often than usual.
Taking a pregnancy test is the only way to know for sure if youre pregnant. You can take a home pregnancy test , visit your nurse or doctor, or contact your local Planned Parenthood health center for testing.
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Planned Parenthood delivers vital reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of people worldwide. Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. is a registered 501 nonprofit under EIN 13-1644147. Donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable under the law.
How Do You Know Youre Pregnant
You may be asking yourself âHow do I know if Iâm pregnant?â If you think you may be pregnant, a home pregnancy test will confirm it. Thereâs no way to know that you are pregnant without taking a test.If youâre experiencing any of the symptoms of pregnancy and take a home pregnancy test but the test comes out negative, thereâs still a chance you may be pregnant. Wait until your period is a week late , and then take the test again.If the test comes out positive, make an appointment with your healthcare provider to confirm the pregnancy.Once your pregnancy is confirmed, check out our go-to pregnancy guide, which includes lots of pertinent information and tools you’ll need to navigate your pregnancy, including infographics, checklists, trackers, and more!If you like, use our due date calculator to find out how far along you are in your pregnancy:
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What Is Folic Acid
Folic acid is a man-made form of a B vitamin called folate. Folate plays an important role in the production of red blood cells and helps your baby’s neural tube develop into their brain and spinal cord. The best food sources of folic acid are fortified cereals. Folate is found naturally in dark green vegetables and citrus fruits.
Needing To Wee More Often
You may need to wee more often than usual in early pregnancy. This is because your womb is expanding and pressing on your bladder.
The hormone progesterone also makes you need to wee more, as well as sometimes causing constipation.
You may also notice more vaginal discharge than usual. This shouldnt smell unpleasant, be sore, itchy or painful. Speak to your GP or midwife if you have these symptoms as you may have an infection.
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Having Sex Getting Pregnant
Here’s another common question from couples trying to conceive: How often should we have sex? In short, the answer is often.
A lot of couples trying to conceive spend a lot of energy timing sex, with mathematical precision, to calculate when a woman is prime for ovulation. Theoretically, the approach makes sense. Recent studies have shown the window of opportunity for a sperm to fertilize an egg is pretty small: Essentially, it’s only 3-5 days leading up to ovulation and the day of ovulation itself. Your best chances are 1-2 days prior to ovulation. Doctors recommend intercourse every other day starting the week before ovulation or beginning after the end of your period.
But while timing your lovemaking exclusively to those few days makes logical sense, it also has some drawbacks — primarily because your body doesn’t always behave with clockwork regularity. Even if your cycle is regular, ovulation can occur at any time during the cycle. If you’re having sex on the day you think you’re ovulating, and you’re off by a few days, you may be out of luck.
So the expert advice is to hedge your bets: Have sex at least two to three times every week. As long as the man has a normal sperm count, having sex every other day further increases your chances of getting pregnant.
How Do I Know If Im Pregnant
You can usually tell if youre pregnant one week after missing your period. Before you miss a period, you may experience pregnancy symptoms such as nausea, exhaustion, and breast tenderness. These signs may lead you to believe youre pregnant, but theyre not proof. Only a pregnancy test or ultrasound can determine if you are pregnant or not.
But everyones body chemistry is unique. As a result, early test findings may not be completely accurate. Positive findings can appear as soon as a day after a period. In contrast, positive results for another person may not appear for another week, so its best to test a week later if other symptoms occur or continue.
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Feeling Alone And Isolated
Especially for teens who think they can’t tell their parents they’re pregnant, feeling scared, isolated, and alone can be a real problem. Without the support of family or other adults, pregnant teens are less likely to eat well, exercise, or get plenty of rest. And they are less likely to get to their regular prenatal visits. Having at least one trusted, supportive adult — someone nearby in the community, if not a family member — is invaluable in helping them get the prenatal care and emotional support they need to stay healthy during this time.
Do All Women Get Early Symptoms Of Pregnancy
Every woman is different. So are their experiences of pregnancy. Not every woman has the same symptoms or even the same symptoms from one pregnancy to the next.
Also, because the early symptoms of pregnancy often mimic the symptoms you might experience right before and during menstruation, you may not realize you’re pregnant.
What follows is a description of some of the most common early symptoms of pregnancy. You should know that these symptoms may be caused by other things besides being pregnant. So the fact that you notice some of these symptoms does not necessarily mean you are pregnant. The only way to tell for sure is with a pregnancy test.
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Fatigue During Early Pregnancy
Fatigue in pregnancy varies. While some feel only a little more tired than usual, others feel like all they want to do is sleep. Some women report feeling really run down, says Dr. Lawson.
Why it happens: If youre feeling exhausted in early pregnancy, you can blame the hormone progesterone. It rises quite a bit in the first trimester, which can make many people feel tired. Your body is also working really hard: Its developing a placenta, a fetus is starting to grow and blood volume in the body is increasing, all of which can result in fatigue.
What to do: Dr. Gordon suggests adjusting your lifestyle, making sure to eat frequently and move regularly, even if that just means going for a walk. Do your best to get enough rest at night, and if your schedule allows for it, take naps.
Avoid Caffeine Alcohol And Sugar
These stimulants and depressants can alter your natural state, making mood shifts worse or causing them in the first place. Sure, caffeine can make you feel less fatigued, but it can also exacerbate anxiety and nervousness.
Alcohol is a depressant that can worsen bad moods or make you behave irrationally. Sugary foods, while delicious, can cause swings in your blood sugar level. These fluctuations may cause shifts in mood and other symptoms. Cut back as much as you can on all three foods in order to maintain stable moods.
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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.
Sensitive Breasts And Darker Areolas
During these first two weeks, it’s normal for breasts to get more sensitive due to the increased production of hormones that stimulate breast glands, preparing them for breastfeed. There is also an increase in breast volume, because the mammary glands start to develop to support the needs of the baby after birth.
Women may also notice alteration in the areolas, which tend to get darker due to the increase in blood flow to the area.
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What Is Teenage Pregnancy
Teenage pregnancy is when a woman under 20 gets pregnant. It usually refers to teens between the ages of 15-19. But it can include girls as young as 10. It’s also called teen pregnancy or adolescent pregnancy.
In the U.S., teen birth rates and number of births to teen mothers have dropped steadily since 1990. In 2018, just under 180,000 infants were born to teens 15 to 19 years old. Teen birth rates have fallen by 70% in the past 3 decades. That trend is driven both by the fact that fewer teenagers are having sex and that more of them use birth control when they do.
Even so, a much higher share of American teens get pregnant than girls in other developed countries. And the pace of the decline in teen pregnancy in the U.S. differs by race. Non-Hispanic Black girls and Native American girls have seen much slower drops in teen pregnancy compared to Asian American girls.
Hereâs what to know about common early signs of pregnancy, how to have a healthy pregnancy at a young age, and information that will help you understand teenage pregnancy.
