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Pregnancy Signs and Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of pregnancy are caused by two hormones that are produced during pregnancy: progesterone and HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin).

What are the Signs and Symptoms of Pregnancy?

🗸 The first and most reliable sign that you are pregnant is if you miss your period. You may experience an unusually light period or slight spotting. There are other reasons that this may occur, such as an increase or decrease in weight, excessive tiredness, hormonal difficulties, stress, breastfeeding or some types of birth control.

 

🗸 Morning Sickness: You may feel queasy or may be sick. The term morning sickness is misleading — feeling and being sick can be in the morning, in the evening, or all day. Some women may only feel sick, and a great deal actually are sick (hence they vomit). Other possible reasons may be food poisoning, stress or anxiety, or virus food poisoning, stress, and a variety of other stomach disorders.

 

🗸  Tiredness: You may feel tired and moody, or in some cases faint or exhausted. It is best to try and rest.

 

🗸  Appetite: You may experience loss of appetite for certain foods and drink, such as fatty food, coffee and alcohol, or cravings for other foods. Some women experience a strange metallic taste in their mouths, others go off smoking — pregnancy is a good time to quit smoking for you and your baby.

 

🗸  Tender Breasts: Your breasts may be quite tender and sensitive or tingle slightly. They may also feel heavier or bigger than usual. Other possible reasons for this may be a hormonal imbalance, certain birth control, or that you are about to begin menstruating.

 

🗸  Frequent Passing of Water: You may need to pass water more frequently. You may also experience some constipation.

 

🗸  Quickening: The sensation of the baby moving inside the uterus. This may be due to gas or bowel contractions.

 

🗸  Vaginal Discharge: Your vaginal discharge may increase at this stage. Increased vaginal discharge may also be an early sign of your pregnancy.

 

🗸  Feeling Pregnant: Some women just know when they are pregnant.

 

🗸  Ptyalism: This is when you experience excessive salivation.

 

🗸  Stretch marks: From the stretching of the skin.

 

🗸  Chadwick's sign: Bluish tinge to your vagina and cervix.

 

🗸  Colostrum: This is a discharge from your breasts.

 

🗸  Pregnancy test: Sometimes these are not always accurate — have a test with your doctor just to make sure.

 

🗸  Fatigue: There are other possible causes for this, including stress, depression, physical strain, or illness.

 

🗸  Darkening of the areola: This is the area surrounding the nipple.

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