Signs of pregnancy | Pregnancy symptoms

Early signs of pregnancy to look out for and pregnancy symptoms to keep an eye on.

‘My periods have stopped’  

The problem is some women’s periods don’t always stop in pregnancy; women have been known to have light periods up until month six, and sometimes even all the way through their pregnancies. And a missed period doesn’t always mean you are pregnant, so further investigations are a good idea.

‘My breasts are changing’

Even before your period is due you may see some changes in breasts. Most women’s breasts become tender before their period is due and the veins on them seem to protrude even more, so your breasts resemble a road map (oh-so sexy). Amazingly, even at this early stage your breasts are changing for milk production.

‘I have a little bleeding’

Often mistaken for a period, implantation bleeding, as it’s known, occurs when the fertilised egg arrives in your uterus and embeds itself in your uterine lining. You’ll find you lose a small amount of blood around this time, or just before your period. The blood tends to be reddish to begin with, but then quickly turns brownish. It only tends to last a day or two, so if it does stop quickly this could be a sign.

‘I keep weeing’

As soon as your progesterone levels rise and the embryo starts to secrete the hormone HCG, the blood supply to your pelvic area increases, which leads to pelvic congestion. This leads to your bladder becoming irritated, and in the process it tries to expel urine at frequent intervals - even in small amounts. Most women therefore experience a desire to wee more often than usual. This can happen as early as one week after conception.

‘I have a strange taste in my mouth’

The saliva in your mouth often reflects the chemical content of your blood and with rising hormone levels the taste in your mouth can change. Women have often described their mouth as having a metallic taste. This can make the taste of certain foods such as tea, coffee or your morning bowl of cereal different from before.

‘I have a strange sense of smell’

A strange sense of smell, too, can be a sign that baby is on the way. Strong smells, particularly, such as the smell of brewing coffee or frying onions – even if you loved them before - can suddenly make you feel sick. Perfume can have a similar effect and you may notice the way your perfume smells on your body also changes because of the alterations in your skin’s chemistry.

‘I’m craving certain foods’

You suddenly start to crave foods you never even thought twice about before. Many women crave tangy foods such as grapefruits, oranges and lemon juice. Other cravings are more peculiar, such as coal and chalk (this is a condition called pica – and we don’t need to tell you that eating coal is not good for you or the baby, do we?). One theory is that cravings are your body’s response to a deficiency in certain minerals and trace elements. If you crave citrus fruits, for example, you could be deficient in vitamin C – although we don’t know this for sure yet.

‘I feel so tired’

You feel completely exhausted throughout the day – like you want to sleep forever, partly due to the high levels of progesterone in your body, which has a sedative effect. During early pregnancy your metabolism speeds up in order to support your developing embryo and your vital organs, which have to cope with an enormously increased amount of work. And the tiredness is probably worse if it’s your second or third baby, when you’re less likely to have a chance to rest.

‘I feel sick!’

Not only in the morning, but sometimes all day, although nausea is often worse in the morning mainly because you have an empty stomach and your blood sugar has dropped. Pregnancy sickness has been associated with poorer diets, infrequent meals and stress associated with the pregnancy. The hormone HCG (human chorionic gonadotrophin) is probably the most likely cause of pregnancy sickness.

But at least there’s a positive side to nausea and vomiting in pregnancy - it’s a sign that hormone levels in your bloodstream are high enough to ensure that the pregnancy is well established (although don’t worry if this doesn’t apply to you – some women are lucky enough to sail through their pregnancies without feeling sick).