Signs of pregnancy can be similar to pre-menstrual symptoms, such as abdominal cramps and breast discomfort, so many women don't realize they are in the early stages of pregnancy.
Pregnancy is one of the exciting news that many married couples have been waiting for. However, sometimes the signs of pregnancy are not realized by some women, especially women who have never been pregnant before.
Although not all of them, some women have just stopped unhealthy habits, such as eating junk food and drink soda, when she realized she was pregnant. In fact, the health of pregnant women and fetuses is better maintained and monitored from the beginning of pregnancy. Therefore, the signs of pregnancy should be recognized and checked early.
Signs of Pregnancy
In addition to being known by means of a pregnancy test or test packYou can also pay attention to pregnancy from the signs, ranging from signs that involve physical changes to moods. The following are signs of pregnancy that can occur early in pregnancy:
1. Light bleeding and cramping in the stomach
In the process of pregnancy, the fertilized egg will develop into a prospective fetus and attach to the uterine wall. This attachment process can damage some of the blood vessels in the uterine wall and cause light bleeding or spotting.
Spots signs of pregnancy usually occur between 6-12 days after the egg is fertilized. Bleeding can be seen as pink or brown blood spots, it can also look like light menstrual blood.
In addition to light bleeding, pregnant women will also usually feel cramps in the stomach. These cramps are similar to cramps just before your period, but lighter. This is why bleeding and stomach cramps are often missed as a sign of pregnancy.
2. Late menstruation
After the fetus attaches to the uterine wall, your body will begin to produce human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which is a hormone that helps the body maintain pregnancy. This hormone also serves to stop your menstruation every month during pregnancy.
Most women start not menstruating 4 weeks after conception. Therefore, being late for only one period can be a sign of pregnancy, except for women who have an irregular menstrual schedule.
3. Changes in the breast
Changes in the breasts can occur in early pregnancy. Usually, the breasts will become swollen, painful and feel heavier. The area around the nipples also usually turns darker. The symptoms are almost the same as those felt during menstruation, but this time it hurts more.
These changes occur because your body has prepared itself for breastfeeding since the beginning of pregnancy. At this time, blood flow to the breasts will increase, new fatty tissue begins to form, and the milk ducts begin to expand.
4. Fatigue
Since the beginning of pregnancy, the level of the hormone progesterone in your body will increase. This hormone can make you sleepy and tired even though you are doing the same activities as usual.
In addition, fatigue can also be caused by the amount of energy the body uses to prepare for pregnancy, for example to produce more blood cells. You can usually feel this 1 week after conception.
5. More frequent urination
The hormone hCG, which is produced during the first week of pregnancy, causes an increase in blood flow to the pelvic area. This is what causes pregnant women to tend to urinate more often than usual. However, if accompanied by pain when urinating, this can also be a sign of a urinary tract infection.
6. Nausea
Nausea or morning sickness is one of the most recognizable signs of pregnancy. As the name suggests, these symptoms usually appear in the morning, but it is possible that nausea is also felt during the day and at night.
Nausea usually starts when you are 4-6 weeks pregnant, and ends when you enter the second trimester (13th or 14th week).
7. Mood swings
During pregnancy, levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone will increase. This increase in hormones can cause more rapid mood swings and make you more emotional or sensitive than usual, for example, you may become anxious and angry easily.
In addition, there are also several other non-specific signs that pregnant women can feel, such as: cravings, headaches, vaginal discharge, backache, to constipation. In some cases, the pregnancy has just been discovered
The signs of pregnancy can be different for each woman, some feel all the signs of pregnancy above, but some only feel 1 or 2 signs. In addition, these signs can be confused with premenstrual signs or other health conditions, so you may not even realize that you are pregnant.
Therefore, if you notice one or two of the signs above, it's a good idea to take a pregnancy test with test pack to confirm whether you are pregnant or not. If the result is positive, start taking care of your health and pregnancy.
Keep trying to eat a healthy and nutritionally balanced diet, especially one rich in protein and iron, even if you may not feel like eating. You may also need more sleep to avoid fatigue and maintain a good mood.
In addition, immediately make an appointment with a gynecologist to check your pregnancy. That way, your health and that of your fetus can be monitored early on. It is also important to determine whether the signs of pregnancy appear due to a normal pregnancy or an empty pregnancy.