Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that an estimated 4,265,555 babies are born every year. Trying to determine the best time to conceive can prove frustrating. When trying to have a baby, it is often the two-week wait between ovulation and your expected menstrual cycle that can be the hardest. However, the body can give cues that can help a woman determine whether she may be expecting while she waits to take a pregnancy test.
Swollen Breasts and Darkening Nipples
The Mayo Clinic explains that one of the earliest signs of pregnancy includes swollen and tender breasts. After conception, hormonal changes can make breasts feel fuller, heavier, tingly or sore. A darkening of the areolas around the nipples may also occur.
Fatigue
In early pregnancy, the levels of the hormone progesterone increase greatly. High doses of progesterone can leave an expectant mother feeling exhausted. Other causes of fatigue during early pregnancy can include lowered blood sugar levels, lower blood pressure and increased blood production. When these symptoms combine, it can cause extreme tiredness.
Bleeding and Cramping
This can often be the most distressing symptom of early pregnancy, because many women will mistake it for the beginning of their periods. However, a small amount of blood remains one of the first signs that the embryo has attached to the uterus. This is called implantation bleeding and occurs about ten to fourteen days after fertilization. When the embryo implants itself on the uterus, it can cause mild cramping. Stretching of the round ligaments in the pelvis can also cause minor cramping and proves completely normal.
Nausea and Heightened Sense of Smell
According to the American Pregnancy Association, nausea and vomiting can occur as early as two to eight weeks after conception. Nausea, or morning sickness, occurs because of rapidly rising estrogen levels, which can cause the stomach to empty more slowly. Pregnant women also seem to have an increased sense of smell, which can lead to food aversions and nausea when confronted with heavy scents such as cigarette smoke.
Mood Swings
Like other symptoms associated with pregnancy, mood swings can occur because of rising hormones. In early pregnancy, women may notice that they suddenly become weepy, irritable or angry. These feelings may last through the first trimester or remain for the entirety of the pregnancy.
Considerations
It remains important to note that while these symptoms are signs of early pregnancy, they may occur during a normal menstrual cycle. The waiting can seem difficult but the only way to know for sure is with a pregnancy test. Blood tests can give expectant mothers an answer as soon as implantation occurs at around twelve days, whereas urine pregnancy tests vary by sensitivity to levels of the pregnancy hormone HCG. For the most accurate results, women should test in the morning, on the first day following a missed period.
