Early signs of pregnancy are similar, regardless of whether a woman is pregnant with multiples or just one infant. But for some women, the signs may be exacerbated. Some of the earliest signs of pregnancy go unrecognized or are misattributed to an upcoming menstrual period or the flu. When the common signs of pregnancy are more extreme, a woman may suspect that she's pregnant with multiples. This is possible, but the American Pregnancy Association says that only a blood test and/or ultrasound can confirm that a woman is pregnant with more than one baby.
Intuition
A woman who has carried multiples before or has twins in the family may have a certain intuition that she is pregnant with multiples, says the American Pregnancy Association. This intuition may be correct, but only an ultrasound can confirm the thoughts.
Fatigue
Fatigue is common during early pregnancy. This is often one of the first signs that a baby has been conceived. When a woman is carrying multiples, she may have even more intense fatigue. Being tired may occur even sooner in the pregnancy if multiples are developing. The American Pregnancy Association indicates that this is often due to the mother's body attempting to provide nutrients to more than one infant.
Excessive Morning Sickness
BabyCenter.com says that human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a hormone that rises quickly during early pregnancy. It's associated with nausea and vomiting. A woman with multiple pregnancies may have higher levels of hCG, but this isn't always a sign of more than one fetus. Morning sickness affects most pregnant women. It can occur at any time during the day or night, despite being called morning sickness, and is characterized by nausea and/or vomiting. Though some women may notice an increase in severity of vomiting and nausea with multiples, there is minimal support that multiple pregnancies causes morning sickness to worsen. Women may have worsened morning sickness with higher levels of hCG.
Weight Gain
On average, a woman carrying multiples only gains 10 more pounds than women who are carrying one baby, says the American Pregnancy Association. Rapid weight gain may be a sign of multiples or poor eating habits. Gaining too much weight is unhealthy for single and multiple pregnancies.
Medical Signs
Prenatal appointments can confirm multiple pregnancies by using an ultrasound to reveal multiple embryos or fetuses. Medical professionals measure the fundal height at nearly all prenatal appointments. This is done by measuring the distance between the top of the pubic bone to the top of the uterus. This measurements helps estimate the gestational age of a baby, meaning the number of weeks since the woman's fertilized egg started dividing into multiple cells to form an embryo. The fundal height is greater than expected when a woman is pregnant with more than one baby. An alphafetoprotein (AFP) screening is performed in the second trimester to check for certain birth defects. The AFP results may appear as abnormal when a woman is pregnant with multiples.
