October 26, 2014 - Life with Gremlins

Early signs of pregnancy are a tricky beast. The problem is many of the same hormones that are present in early pregnancy are also present just before your period. So, if you’re having a particularly hormonal cycle, you could seem pretty pregnant and not actually be pregnant. Likewise, if you are trying to conceive you may notice symptoms you actually get every month more assuming they are early signs of pregnancy.

That said, why take an early pregnancy symptom quiz at all? I suppose for curiosities sake, but you’ll also find an explanation after each question as to why a symptom may be an early sign of pregnancy. Understanding what causes early signs of pregnancy can help you puzzle out whether or not your period is just late or you may actually be pregnant. Alternately, if quizzes aren’t your bag, beyond the start button to this quiz you can simply read about common early signs of pregnancy covered in the quiz.

A note about early signs of pregnancy:

While many women claim they got early pregnancy symptoms say, 2 or 3 days after they ovulated or had sex, these symptoms are not relevant to pregnancy as implantation does not occur until 6 to 12 days after fertilization with the average being 8 to 10 days. You will not have pregnancy symptoms before a missed period unless your periods are irregular. As mentioned above, those women who think they experienced early signs of pregnancy really, really early were likely just dealing with typical PMS symptoms. If they were pregnant it was coincidental or they got pregnant earlier than they thought they did.

When taking this quiz or reading the early pregnancy symptoms below, please keep this in mind. It’s a waste of time to try to find out if you are or are not pregnant until after implantation, and so pregnancy, is actually even possible to avoid the confusion and heartache of constant wondering. I know the two week wait can seem an eternity if you’ve been trying to conceive, but hang in there.

You might also find this guide to determining your chances of pregnancy or our implantation bleeding quiz helpful.

The non-quiz version of early pregnancy signs:

Early signs of pregnancy: Spotting

Implantation usually occurs 6 to 12 days after ovulation (which is typically about 14 days after the first day of your period). Occasionally, implantation will cause minor spotting which may be as light as single drop. Keep in mind not all women experience implantation bleeding and spotting before your period is not always an early sign of pregnancy. If you experience bleeding around the time of your period, this is also not necessarily proof you aren’t pregnant. You can read more about period-like bleeding while pregnant here.

Early pregnancy symptoms: Sustained Elevated Basal Body Temperatures Over 16 Days

Sustained elevated basal body temperature is one the earliest symptoms of pregnancy. After ovulation the hormone progesterone elevates body temperature slightly. When this hormone dissipates, the uterine lining is shed and your temperature will drop again slightly as your cycle begins. If you are pregnant, progesterone levels continue to rise rather than falling keeping temperatures high.

This rise can sometimes cause a second temperature shift (if you’re charting this is referred to as a tri-phasic chart). Generally, a sustained temperature rise for 16 days is considered an early pregnancy sign. You must be checking your basal body temperature to catch this early pregnancy sign, simply taking your temp and finding it to be higher than usual is insufficient.

Early Signs of Pregnancy: Yellow Discharge

Once you become pregnant, your body creates a mucus plug within your cervix to protect your new baby from infection. Your cervix is the opening between your vaginal and your uterus. Early in pregnancy as this plug is formed, many women notice an increase in vaginal discharge which is often yellow in color and thick, sort of like snot. Though some women notice this same change just before their period begins. You can read more about regular vaginal discharge here and pregnancy discharge here.

Early Pregnancy Symptoms: Breast Changes

Breast changes are often cited as one of the most common early signs of pregnancy noticeable as early as the first week after a missed period. This is yet another bi-product of rapidly rising hormone levels. You may notice pain, tingling, sensitivity, darkening of the area around your nipples, or just seem a bit bustier than usual.

Early signs of pregnancy: Fatigue

Are you feeling really tired for no good reason? Making a baby is hard work, especially during the first trimester being that a baby goes from about the size of a pin head to the size of your hand in 13 short weeks. While fatigue can be a symptom of all sorts of things, it’s also very common in early pregnancy. Again, this symptom would not appear until at least 6 to 12 days after unprotected sex, likely longer.

Early pregnancy symptoms: Vomiting, Nausea, and Food Aversion

It’s suspected hCG, or the hormone that causes a positive pregnancy test, may be one of the primary culprits of morning sickness. While vomiting, nausea, and food aversion can all be signs of say, the flu, they can also be one of the early signs of pregnancy. Particularly if no other signs of sickness like a runny nose are present. Some women also experience odd food cravings or notice their tastes change.

Early signs of pregnancy: Gas, Constipation, Bloating and Other Gastro-issues

Progesterone, the hormone that sustains pregnancy, peaks in the first trimester. Coincidentally, it also works to relax smooth muscles– which is what your intestines are made of. This can lead to an increase in pregnancy gas, constipation, and bloating. Progesterone is present prior to pregnancy though, just in a lower concentration.

Early pregnancy symptoms: Abdominal Movement? Nope.

This was a trick question included in the quiz– unless you are much further along than you think. Yahoo questions abound with folks who claim they knew they were pregnant because they felt their baby move. Shy of about 10 week though, this is pretty much impossible, and even that early is unlikely unless you are carrying twins. Feeling movement just weeks after unprotected sex is likely gas or just muscle twitches. While I wouldn’t call no movement a sign, you won’t feel any this early either.

Early signs of pregnancy: Frequent Urination

As early as 3 weeks after unprotected sex, if you are pregnant, your blood flow has already begun to increase. This increase cases your kidneys to go into overdrive which can cause more frequent urination. Of course, frequent urination can also be a sign of bladder or kidney infection or even just drinking lots of fluids.

Early pregnancy symptoms: A Late or Missed Period

Yes, I know, this seems a no brainer, but many women begin trying to find out if they are pregnant before a missed period, and honestly, that’s very difficult to do. You’ll notice nearly all of the points on this early signs of pregnancy page pertain to at least 6 to 12 days after unprotected sex with more women landing on the closer to 12 side. That’s pretty close to when your period would be due. On average pregnancy symptoms don’t appear before 1 week after a missed period. You can read more about when pregnancy symptoms start here or read our guide on when to take a pregnancy test to confirm your suspicions here.

It’s hard to see the glow of pregnancy when you’re doubled over with gas pain. In one of my previous pregnancies, I had severe side pain for several days. The first thing they asked if I was gassy. At the time, I laughed. “Gas?” I thought, “Yeah, right. This hurts far too much to be some stupid gas.” It wasn’t either, but my third pregnancy has now rightly corrected my perspective on the pain of gas during pregnancy. It can sort of feel like you’re dying. There’s this powerful pressure and stabbing pain someplace deep within your guts, and then it passes, and you’re faced with undeniable evidence of what the problem was.

What causes gas during pregnancy?

Gas during pregnancy also comes with increased flatulence and in many cases burping. In early pregnancy, the body begins to release more of a hormone called progesterone (this same hormone causes flatulence and bloating before your period), and later in your pregnancy, relaxin joins the game. Both hormones work to relax smooth muscle throughout the body, a process necessary to labor and delivery. Sadly, guess what type of muscle your intestinal tract is made of? As a result, digestion is slowed and constipation and gas are the byproduct. Depending on how big your belly fruit has grown, it’s also possible your baby is hogging space in your abdominal cavity and stomach region, leading to even slower digestion. Yep, if you’re in the early stages, bad news, gas during pregnancy can get worse.

What can you do about gas during pregnancy?

-Eat smaller, more frequent meals. Gas itself is often caused by undigested food reaching the intestinal tract. Bigger meals lead to more undigested food, smaller meals lead to less, and so, less gas.

-Wear loose clothing. Anything that bands tightly around the abdomen can restrict blood flow and slow digestion even more. You may find positions that help blood flow to your abdomen help with pregnancy gas, such as sitting with your legs elevated.

-Try a warm bath. Sitting in a warm tub actually tends to take blood away from the core, moving it to the extremities, but I know many pregnant women that swear by a warm bathe to release painful gas. Granted farting in your own bath water sounds gross, but you can always stand up and shower off afterwards.

-Get up and move. When your guts feel like they’ll explode your natural instinct may be to curl up in a ball, but movement actually aids in digestion. A painful walk often relieves gas pain slowly.

–Don’t swallow air— you’re supposed to breathe it silly. Things like straws, chewing gum, and eating quickly can lead to swallowing more air than usual. Swallowed air is a secondary cause of gas.

–Keep a food diary. Chances are you’ll find certain foods set off your gas during pregnancy. If you’re suffering frequently, keep a food diary and note the times of your pain or flatulence. Then look for common themes in your diet that are triggers. While many people assume foods like beans that are high in protein are often the culprit, it really depends on your body. Some people are set off by high protein, others diary, others processed sugars, and the list goes on. Anything can cause gas during pregnancy. It may be tricky to nail down the causes, but once you do eliminating them obviously helps.

-Medications: Most doctors feel Simethicone, an over the counter gas relief medication found in medications such as “Gas-X,” is safe to treat gas during pregnancy. It should, however, be noted that no real testing has been done. There is just no logical reason it would harm a baby.

Early Signs of Pregnancy Quiz