Pregnancy Symptoms - What to look for
Source : Pubdate : 2011/10/11 14:37:00 Author :
Pregnancy symptoms are not the same for every woman. For some, the symptoms may start from the time a woman conceives, while for others it might take a few weeks for any pregnancy symptom to become visible. Nevertheless, some pregnancy symptoms occur in almost all women, at some point of pregnancy. What are these most common signs of being pregnant? Let's find out.
Signs of Being Pregnant Before Missed Period
Implantation Bleeding
One of the first signs of being pregnant, implantation bleeding occurs in about 20-30 percent of all pregnant women, a few days after the fertilization has taken place. What happens is that after the fertilization of the egg with the sperm, the fertilized egg travels to the uterus for implanting itself in the uterus lining. When implantation of the egg actually occurs, the endometrial lining, which is the lining of the uterus, sheds some blood which is passed out through the vagina. This slight bleeding or spotting which occurs before a missed period is known as implantation bleeding.
Cramping
Another of the signs of being pregnant is cramping which occurs in women at the time of implantation. In majority of women, implantation occurs sans bleeding and the only symptom that is present is slight cramping in the abdomen,
Other Signs of Being Pregnant
Changes in Breasts
When a woman conceives, she experiences lots of changes in her breasts. Her breasts may increase in size and also become tender to prepare for breast feeding. Another change is in the appearance of the areolas which tend to become very dark during pregnancy.
Morning Sickness
This pregnancy symptom occurs in women during the first trimester of pregnancy. Women who suffer from morning sickness experience a feeling of nausea and vomiting, any time throughout the day. This pregnancy symptom disappears by the time a woman enters her fourth month of
pregnancy.
Food Cravings/Aversions
A pregnant woman might develop a sudden liking for foods she didn't like before. Or she may suddenly start avoiding certain foods. Such food cravings and food aversions are one of the first trimester pregnancy symptoms.
Increased Urination
During the first trimester, the uterus grows in size to make room for the baby. The growing size of the uterus pressurizes the bladder and hence, frequent urination occurs in women. This continues till the fourth month, after which the uterus enters the abdominal cavity, putting a stop to it.
Tiredness and Mood Swings
During pregnancy, lots of hormonal changes take place inside the body of the woman. This may cause fatigue and mood swings in her.
Constipation
During pregnancy, the levels of the hormone progesterone increase in a woman. Progesterone relaxes the muscles in and around the uterus so that there is enough room for the baby to grow and also to aid in delivery. Progesterone, thus, relaxes the intestinal muscles too, and hence elimination of feces which occurs due to contractions of muscles in the intestines, becomes very difficult. This causes constipation in the pregnant woman.
Some of the other signs of being pregnant are edema, backache, headaches, anaemia, hypertension, varicose veins, and haemorrhoids.
I hope now you know what the signs of being pregnant are. The signs of being pregnant with twins are the same as mentioned above, the only difference being that all the symptoms such as food cravings, tiredness, mood swings are experienced in excess by the woman who is carrying twins. Some effective remedies to minimize these pregnancy symptoms are, doing pregnancy exercises, taking a healthy diet and resting adequately. If the pregnancy symptoms are getting worse by the day it is advisable to consult a doctor immediately to ensure a safe pregnancy.
By Aastha Dogra
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