When do first signs of pregnancy

Many women report that sensitivity to smell was one of their first signs of pregnancy. In fact, as many as two-thirds of women become more sensitive or reactive to the smells around them during pregnancy.

And oftentimes, this heightened sense of smell can stick around through the first trimester or beyond, and contribute to other symptoms such as nausea, and food cravings or aversions. From a stressful day at work to the natural wonders of your menstrual cycle, there are a lot of things that can affect your mood. But changes in mood are very common during pregnancy — and they may be especially noticeable early on as your body gets a sudden burst of estrogen and progesterone. You may feel more sensitive or weepy.

Headaches are a part of life. They come with colds and allergies. They come with stress or fatigue, or when you cut down on caffeine to help prepare your body for pregnancy. But they can also come with pregnancy. Headaches can happen thanks to the increasing blood volume and hormonal changes that occur in early pregnancy. As blood flow increases during pregnancy, blood pressure can also decrease and lead to dizzy spells. Usually, dizziness is more common starting in the second trimester, but some women may notice it very early on, too.

A lot of people are shocked to learn that nasal congestion can be a pregnancy symptom. The mucous membranes in the nose are also affected by hormones and increased blood flow throughout your body.

This can cause blood vessels to swell, resulting in congestion and even sneezing. A pregnancy test may return a positive result as early as 10 days after a person has had sex without contraception. There are many affordable and reliable pregnancy tests available over-the-counter OTC or online. To help ensure an accurate result, the best time to take a pregnancy test is 1 week after a missed period. Results of a pregnancy test are either positive or negative.

If a woman takes the pregnancy test earlier than 1 week after a missed period, it may give a negative result, even if the person is actually pregnant. If a person believes they are pregnant despite a negative test result, they should repeat the test after 1 week.

A person can also have a blood test to determine whether they are pregnant. This test identifies the presence of hCG in the blood. The blood test can show a positive result a few days earlier than the urine test can, but it may take up to 48 hrs to get the results back from the lab.

Pregnancy symptoms are different for every woman. Some women may notice symptoms, such as spotting or a headache, during week 1 of pregnancy. Others may only experience a missed period.

Some women will have no symptoms at all. Whether a person has symptoms or not, the best way to determine if they are pregnant is to take a pregnancy test. A range of pregnancy tests is available for purchase online. While an impending pregnancy can be associated with feelings of excitement or anxiety, it is often accompanied by harmless bleeding that can cause….

Please speak to your GP or midwife if this develops. Back pain during pregnancy can affect more than one in three women. This is usually due to loosening of ligaments and change in posture due to the growing pregnancy. You can help reduce back pain during pregnancy by wearing flat heeled shoes, using chairs with good back support, avoiding lifting heavy objects, and doing gentle exercise. Exercising in water can reduce back pain in pregnancy, and physiotherapy and acupuncture may also help.

At the onset of pregnancy the hormone progesterone increases your lung capacity. This enables you to carry more oxygen to your baby and get rid of waste products such as the carbon dioxide that you both produce. At each breath you breathe more deeply and the amount of air you inhale and exhale increases significantly. This can make you feel short of breath. In addition, as pregnancy approaches term, the pressure of the enlarging uterus and baby on your diaphragm can make your breathing feel more laboured.

Contact your doctor or midwife if you experience sudden onset of breathlessness associated with any of the following:. Constipation refers to infrequent, hard bowel movements that are difficult to pass. Constipation is a common problem in pregnancy that may be caused by pregnancy hormones slowing your gastrointestinal movement, or by the pressure of your growing uterus on your rectum.

Don't take over-the-counter laxatives without first consulting your midwife or GP. If changes to your diet and lifestyle don't make a difference then your GP or midwife can prescribe a laxative that is safe to use in pregnancy. Be reassured, symptoms usually resolve on their own soon after birth. Contact your GP or midwife if you have a headache during pregnancy that is not relieved by paracetamol such as Panadol , especially in the second half of pregnancy. A persistent headache can be associated with pre-eclampsia — a condition that can affect your kidneys and thus increase blood pressure and decrease blood flow to your baby.

Indigestion is more common during pregnancy due to the pressure of the enlarging uterus on the organs of the abdomen and the action of the hormone progesterone that relaxes the muscle between the oesophagus and stomach.

If these strategies do not relieve your symptoms, please consult your GP, who may prescribe a medication that will safely reduce the secretion of acid. Widespread itching over the body is not common in pregnancy. When present, it can be very distressing, interfering with sleep and enjoyment of pregnancy. There may be no apparent cause for the itching. In rare cases it may be due to serious liver disease — a blood test can be done to check for this. Leg cramps occur due to a build-up of acids that cause involuntary contractions of the affected muscles.

They are experienced by up to half of pregnant women, usually at night. Leg cramps are more likely in the second and third trimesters. If you find cramps troublesome, discuss with your GP or midwife the option of taking magnesium lactate or citrate morning and evening. Some newly pregnant women experience mood changes such as irritability. Other pregnant women experience feelings of elation.

It is thought that the pregnancy hormones influence chemicals in the brain, causing mood changes. During pregnancy, one in 10 women experience depression. Please contact your doctor, midwife or maternal and child health nurse as soon as possible. Carpal tunnel syndrome — tingling and numbness in your hands — affects up to 60 per cent of women during pregnancy. It is caused by compression of the median nerve due to an increase in the tissue fluids during pregnancy. Carpal tunnel syndrome may be mild, intermittently painful, or severe, which may cause partial paralysis of the thumb or loss of sensation.

Symptoms usually resolve on their own soon after birth. If you are experiencing tingling and numbness in your hands, inform your doctor or midwife. Tender, swollen breasts. Early in pregnancy hormonal changes might make your breasts sensitive and sore. The discomfort will likely decrease after a few weeks as your body adjusts to hormonal changes. Nausea with or without vomiting. Morning sickness, which can strike at any time of the day or night, often begins one month after you become pregnant.

However, some women feel nausea earlier and some never experience it. Increased urination. You might find yourself urinating more often than usual. The amount of blood in your body increases during pregnancy, causing your kidneys to process extra fluid that ends up in your bladder. Fatigue also ranks high among early symptoms of pregnancy. During early pregnancy, levels of the hormone progesterone soar — which might make you feel sleepy. When Do Pregnancy Symptoms Start? Other pregnancy signs and symptoms during the first trimester may include: Mood Swings.

Expecting mothers frequently experience mood swings. This is primarily caused by the hormonal changes that affect the neurotransmitters of the brain. Some may experience elevated highs and lows, and others alternate between states of happiness and depression or anxiety. Some women prefer to go directly to a counselor or mental health professional.