When a menstrual period is late or missed every sexually active woman suspect she is pregnant. Some women still bleed around the time of their period, even though they are pregnant. This bleeding or spotting is a result of the implantation of a fertilized egg into the uterus. It is called “implantation bleeding” and is less extensive than the regular menstrual bleeding.
Sometimes, during the extremely stressful period the cycle might become irregular and it that cases, it is not pregnancy, but missed or delayed cycle we’re talking about.
Early pregnancy could be predicted (to some extent) by measuring the basal temperature. If this temperature is elevated more than it is usual for the menstrual period, it could be the sign. Pregnancy is often accompanied with low levels of energy and tiredness. The exact reason is still unknown, but is believed to be the increased level of hormone progesterone.
Early pregnancy often presents itself with breast tenderness, swelling or pain, even if the pregnancy is just a couple of weeks old. Even though there is no real weight gain, some expecting moms feel bloated. The expected rate of the weight gain during pregnancy is about a pound every month. It is possible to feel some abdominal spasms, similar to one during the menstrual period.
“Morning sickness” is usual for the first trimester, but sometimes lasts until the childbirth. Nausea and vomiting are associated with sense of smell, and many pregnant women seem to feel sick by the smell of the certain food, chemicals or perfumes. Increase of hormone levels, especially estrogen, are said to be responsible for the development of this condition. Cravings for specific food and drink, at any time of the day or night, or complete changes of previous food preferences are closely connected with pregnancy.
Most pregnant women feel the need to visit the bathroom frequently, especially at night. It could be bigger uterus (that is pressing the bladder), or the hormone Chorionic gonadotropine (hCG) to be blamed for the constant need to urinate.
Sometimes, nipples could change color or a dark line could appear on the stomach. These are all normal signs and you shouldn’t be worried about them. Melasma is the term to describe possible darkening of the face skin in pregnant women, more frequent in dark skinned women. Since melasma is not typical for pregnancy only, if you’re not pregnant – visit the doctor.
Many expecting moms find the pregnancy stressful. Their emotions are running high and the mood is constantly changing, smiling in one and then crying in another moment, without some apparent reason. The experts say that the fluctuation in hormone levels is responsible for the mood swings and headaches that appear.
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