Introduction
The first signs of pregnancy can vary from woman to woman, or be of different intensity. For many women, the first sign of pregnancy is the absence of monthly menstruation. If other typical signs of pregnancy then occur, it is very likely that a pregnancy exists.
A pregnancy test, such as Clearblue®, can be carried out on the first day of the missed period at the earliest. However, the test results are not very meaningful at this time. To be able to determine a pregnancy with certainty, an examination should be carried out by your gynaecologist.
Typical signs of pregnancy
The first significant sign of pregnancy is usually the absence of menstruation. The hormonal changes in the female body can already lead to further signs at the beginning of pregnancy: When does the belly grow during pregnancy
- Morning sickness: usually occurs between the 6th and 12th week of pregnancy and in most cases disappears afterwards
- Abdominal pulling or cramps: can occur at the beginning of pregnancy when the egg is implanting.
- Changes in the breasts: often a feeling of tension in the breasts occurs, the breasts are more sensitive to touch and the region around the nipples turns darker. This should prepare the woman’s body for breastfeeding later.
Some women experience milk leakage during pregnancy.
- Tiredness
- Discharge, frequent urge to urinate
- Ravenous hunger or disgust for certain foods
- Increase in body temperature: often described by pregnant women as a pleasant feeling of warmth.
- Mood changes: Women in pregnancy are more often emotional. Irritability or mood swings can also occur for hormonal reasons, but often disappear again in the course of the pregnancy. Likewise, an increase in sexual desire can occur because the genital region of the pregnant woman is better supplied with blood.
A pulling in the breasts can already occur at the beginning of the pregnancy.
The reason for this is the hormonal changes during pregnancy, which lead to a growth of the breast, or rather to remodelling processes in the breast. The aim is to prepare the breasts for milk production and breastfeeding. The strong growth of the breasts can lead to a more or less strong pulling of the breasts, which often also causes the breasts to become very sensitive to touch.
Also an increased throbbing or tingling, especially when touched, occurs in some women. Both the pulling as well as the other complaints usually disappear again in the course of pregnancy. The hormonal changes can have effects on the whole body of the pregnant woman.
Thus a pregnancy can also affect the gastrointestinal tract. Hollow organs such as the stomach and intestines are dilated by the hormonal influence and are therefore often restricted in their function. Due to the reduced activity of the intestine, diarrhoea can occur.
However, this can also lead to the opposite and may cause constipation and flatulence. Diarrhoea in general, however, can have many causes and is not to be considered as the sole sign of pregnancy. Due to the changes in the hormone balance during pregnancy, changes in the appearance of the skin can occur, especially in the first few weeks.
On the one hand, pimples and skin impurities may appear more frequently. This can even lead to acne. However, the opposite effect can also occur and pimples can disappear in women with previously impure skin.
The time at which a woman notices that she is pregnant varies greatly and depends, among other things, on whether the pregnancy is planned or not. A woman who wants to have children pays more attention to her body, is more likely to notice small changes and associates these with a possible pregnancy. The situation is often different for women in whom pregnancy is unplanned and is due, for example, to a failure of contraceptives.
This woman will not immediately associate the initial signs of pregnancy, such as breast tenderness, with pregnancy.Some women say they notice the pregnancy as soon as the egg implants in the lining of the uterus, a few days after fertilization. In principle, the fertilised and implanted egg starts to produce the pregnancy hormone about one to two weeks after fertilisation. This corresponds to the 3rd or 4th week of pregnancy. From this point on, women can notice hormone-related changes in their bodies, such as breast growth, nausea and fatigue caused by pregnancy.
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