Signs and Symptoms of Pregnancy
Does this Mean I'm Pregnant?
If you think you might be pregnant, the only way to know for sure is to take a pregnancy test. Not ready for that? That's okay. Let's work through this. We can look at the most common pregnancy symptoms as well as some outliers and go from there.
Common Pregnancy Symptoms
The most common pregnancy symptom is a missed period. If you have irregular cycles, however, this one is harder to spot. Other symptoms early in pregnancy can include:
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Nausea (and sometimes vomiting) — you may feel queasy or kind of seasick
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Headaches — these are normally mild
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Tender breasts — as your breasts prepare to breastfeed, they may become sore or swollen
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Frequent urination — with more blood flow during pregnancy, your kidneys are working a lot harder, resulting in needing to pee more often
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Food aversions or cravings — seeing, smelling, or even just thinking about a particular food can turn your stomach
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Bloating — this can feel similar to when you are on your period
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Fatigue — growing a tiny human is hard work, so you may feel tired a lot
Other Pregnancy Symptoms
Some less common (but still normal) pregnancy symptoms include:
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Mood swings — kind of like PMS, you may experience a lot of ups and downs
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Light spotting — it's perfectly normal to see a small amount of bleeding
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Vaginal discharge — you may see a thick, milky substance
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Constipation — changing hormones can slow down your digestive system
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Nasal congestion — your nose can plug up and bleed due to increased hormones and blood production
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Acne — while pregnancy glow is real, sometimes your acne can get worse
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Back pain — while this typically occurs later, it can happen early on as well
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Darkening of the areolas — the area around your nipples can get darker
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Dizziness — low blood pressure and blood sugar can make you feel dizzy and even faint
How Do I Know If I’m Pregnant?
So here's the thing. Pregnancy symptoms are not unique to pregnancy. And every woman is different. You may experience many of these symptoms or very few. Symptoms can also vary in severity. So you really do have to get a test to see if you are pregnant.
The best thing to do is to call us and set up an appointment for a free pregnancy test. We can help you figure out next steps and support you as you make decisions that make sense for you.
All initial consultations are free and 100% confidential.
Pregnancy Options (877) 306-8170