Early Pregnancy Symptoms: The List Goes On And On

For those of us who have clockwork periods, one missed period is all it takes, but there are actually many different early pregnancy symptoms. The fact is that some women – especially those who have carried a child before – just know they are pregnant, whereas others won’t feel a thing even after the pregnancy test shows a very visible line.  Taken to the extreme, there have been well-documented cases of women delivering healthy babies without having the slightest clue that they have been carrying one all along, despite being well-educated and living healthy lifestyles.

Fertilized

Spotting early pregnancy symptoms is not just about being vigilant on all fronts with regards to your body – it helps if you understand the chronological order of events in a pregnancy, especially if you are planning one in the immediate future.

The gist is this: a fertilized egg gets implanted in the uterus roughly after a week’s time. The majority of eggs are deemed unsuitable by the body, which is why more than three quarters of all pregnancies are terminated at this stage.

Bodily Changes

One of the more subtle signs of implantation is a light pinkish spotting along with a little cramping now and then.  This is due to a change in the hormone levels that occurs from the onset of pregnancy and escalates throughout the next forty weeks.  For some women, this progresses to tender breasts in virtually no time at all, whereas others report very little sensation until a much later stage.  The feeling of fullness may even go away as your body becomes accustomed to the new arrangements.

All these early pregnancy symptoms may arrive before you have missed your first period.  But most of us would have noticed by now that a lot of different things could be caused at the same time.  Stress, illness, hormonal imbalance, and prescription drugs could all lead to these changes.  Your best bet is still the old-fashioned home pregnancy test, performed around a week after potential conception.