Top 10 signs of pregnancy

If you’re very tuned in to your body’s rhythms, you may start to suspect you’re pregnant soon after you conceive. You may notice early pregnancy sensations when the fertilized egg attaches itself to the wall of your uterus (womb). This is usually within about 10 days of conception.

Or you may be unaware of any changes for weeks, only wondering if you’re pregnant when you miss a period.

Here is a top 10 of pregnancy signs and symptoms, starting with the very first one you might notice. You may experience all, some, or none of these early signs:

1. Prickling, tingling nipples

This can be one of the very earliest signs of pregnancy, kicking in within a week or so of conception.

You may feel a tingling sensation as pregnancy hormones increase the blood supply to your breasts, particularly around the nipples. Once your body gets used to the hormone surge, the sensation will subside.

2. Spotting and cramping

It’s common to have some spotting, a slight pink or brown-coloured when you pee or on your underwear, as well as cramping. Spotting in very early pregnancy could be caused by the egg implanting in your uterus.

A little bleeding around the time you’d normally expect your period may be caused by the hormones that control your periods breaking through.

3. Feeling sick

Morning sickness is a common symptom of early pregnancy. It often starts when you’re four to six weeks pregnant. You may feel nauseated and queasy, or even vomit. Despite its name, morning sickness can affect you morning, noon or night.

4. Tender, swollen breasts

From about six weeks of pregnancy, your breasts may become increasingly tender to the touch. It’s similar to how they feel before your period, only more so.

You may notice that your breasts are larger and swollen, with blue veins visible just below the skin. Tenderness tends to be most common in the first trimester, easing as pregnancy progresses.

5. Fatigue

Feeling tired? No, make that exhausted. You may find yourself diving for your duvet as your body cranks up to support your baby right from the early stages of pregnancy.

Though fatigue is not a sure-fire symptom on its own, it’s a common pregnancy symptom. You may find tiredness wipes you out most in the first and third trimesters.

6. Needing to pee frequently

From the time you’re about six weeks pregnant, you may notice that you’re going to the bathroom more often.

This is caused by a combination of pregnancy hormones, a larger volume of blood in your system and your kidneys working extra hard. Later, pressure on your bladder can make it even worse. Watch out though, if you get pain or a burning sensation when you pee, it might be a urinary tract infection.

7. Darkening of your nipples

Skin changes are common during pregnancy. One of the first ones you may notice is the circle of skin round your nipples (your areolas) getting darker. This can happen from about eight weeks.

You may also find that the bumps around your nipples become more pronounced or your nipples are more erect. At this time your vulva and vagina may change to a deeper, purplish red too.

8. Altered sense of taste

You may go off some foods, but develop a craving for others. Some women report a metallic taste in their mouth, others that they can’t stand the taste of coffee, tea or a food they usually like.

Food cravings or aversions really can be a sign of pregnancy. If they’re accompanied by some of the other symptoms on this list, start counting the days from your last period.

9. A missed period

If you’re usually pretty regular and your period doesn’t start on time, you’ll probably take a pregnancy test before you notice any other symptoms. A missed period is one of the surest signs of pregnancy.

But if your periods are irregular or you lost track of when your next one was due, you won’t realize your period is late. In this case, tender breasts, feeling queasy and needing extra trips to the toilet may be early clues that you’re pregnant.

And finally...

10. The proof: A positive home pregnancy test

Most home tests will give you a reliable result if you wait until at least the first day of a missed period. If a blue line appears in the test window, you’re probably expecting. Make an appointment with your doctor and start looking into midwifery clinics and OB-GYNs, read our article, 50 reasons to be glad you’re pregnant.

Congratulations!

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