sign and symptoms during preganancy

1. SIGN AND SYMPTOMS
OF PREGANANCY
BY
K.BALACHANDER

2. INTRODUCTION
A MISSED PERIOD IS DEFINITELY THE MOST
OBVIOUS SIGN OF PREGNANCY. BUT IT ISN’T THE ONLY
ONE. AN EGG FERTILISES AND IMPLANTS IN THE UTERUS
WALL WELL BEFORE YOU MISS YOUR PERIOD. YOU ARE
PREGNANT THE MOMENT THE IMPLANTATION HAPPENS.
WHEN YOU HAVE CROSSED A FEW DAYS OR WEEKS INTO
PREGNANCY, THE BODY CERTAINLY BEGINS TO GIVE
INDICATIONS ABOUT PREGNANCY EVEN BEFORE THE
MENSTRUAL DATE. SYMPTOMS OF CONCEIVING
GENERALLY APPEAR DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF
CONCEPTION. HOWEVER, EXCITED AND ANXIOUS
EXPECTANT MOTHERS FAIL TO NOTICE THEM.

5. MISSED PERIOD. IF YOU'RE IN YOUR CHILDBEARING YEARS
AND A WEEK OR MORE HAS PASSED WITHOUT THE START OF
AN EXPECTED MENSTRUAL CYCLE, YOU MIGHT BE PREGNANT.
HOWEVER, THIS SYMPTOM CAN BE MISLEADING IF YOU HAVE
AN IRREGULAR MENSTRUAL CYCLE.
TENDER, SWOLLEN BREASTS. EARLY IN PREGNANCY
HORMONAL CHANGES MIGHT MAKE YOUR BREASTS
SENSITIVE AND SORE. THE DISCOMFORT WILL LIKELY
DECREASE AFTER A FEW WEEKS AS YOUR BODY ADJUSTS TO
HORMONAL CHANGES.

6. NAUSEA WITH OR WITHOUT VOMITING. MORNING SICKNESS,
WHICH CAN STRIKE AT ANY TIME OF THE DAY OR NIGHT,
OFTEN BEGINS ONE MONTH AFTER YOU BECOME PREGNANT.
HOWEVER, SOME WOMEN FEEL NAUSEA EARLIER AND SOME
NEVER EXPERIENCE IT. WHILE THE CAUSE OF NAUSEA DURING
PREGNANCY ISN'T CLEAR, PREGNANCY HORMONES LIKELY
PLAY A ROLE.
INCREASED URINATION. YOU MIGHT FIND YOURSELF
URINATING MORE OFTEN THAN USUAL. THE AMOUNT OF
BLOOD IN YOUR BODY INCREASES DURING PREGNANCY,
CAUSING YOUR KIDNEYS TO PROCESS EXTRA FLUID THAT
ENDS UP IN YOUR BLADDER.

7. FATIGUE. FATIGUE ALSO RANKS HIGH AMONG EARLY
SYMPTOMS OF PREGNANCY. DURING EARLY
PREGNANCY, LEVELS OF THE HORMONE PROGESTERONE
SOAR — WHICH MIGHT MAKE YOU FEEL SLEEPY.
MOODINESS. THE FLOOD OF HORMONES IN YOUR BODY
IN EARLY PREGNANCY CAN MAKE YOU UNUSUALLY
EMOTIONAL AND WEEPY. MOOD SWINGS ALSO ARE
COMMON.
BLOATING. HORMONAL CHANGES DURING EARLY
PREGNANCY CAN CAUSE YOU TO FEEL BLOATED,
SIMILAR TO HOW YOU MIGHT FEEL AT THE START OF A
MENSTRUAL PERIOD.

8. LIGHT SPOTTING. SOMETIMES A SMALL AMOUNT OF
LIGHT SPOTTING IS ONE OF THE FIRST SIGNS OF
PREGNANCY. KNOWN AS IMPLANTATION BLEEDING, IT
HAPPENS WHEN THE FERTILIZED EGG ATTACHES TO THE
LINING OF THE UTERUS — ABOUT 10 TO 14 DAYS
AFTER CONCEPTION. IMPLANTATION BLEEDING
OCCURS AROUND THE TIME OF A MENSTRUAL PERIOD.
HOWEVER, NOT ALL WOMEN HAVE IT.
CRAMPING. SOME WOMEN EXPERIENCE MILD UTERINE
CRAMPING EARLY IN PREGNANCY.
CONSTIPATION. HORMONAL CHANGES CAUSE YOUR
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM TO SLOW DOWN, WHICH CAN LEAD
TO CONSTIPATION

9. FOOD AVERSIONS. WHEN YOU'RE PREGNANT, YOU MIGHT
BECOME MORE SENSITIVE TO CERTAIN ODORS AND YOUR
SENSE OF TASTE MIGHT CHANGE. LIKE MOST OTHER
SYMPTOMS OF PREGNANCY, THESE FOOD PREFERENCES CAN
BE CHALKED UP TO HORMONAL CHANGES.
NASAL CONGESTION. INCREASING HORMONE LEVELS AND
BLOOD PRODUCTION CAN CAUSE THE MUCOUS MEMBRANES
IN YOUR NOSE TO SWELL, DRY OUT AND BLEED EASILY. THIS
MIGHT CAUSE YOU TO HAVE A STUFFY OR RUNNY NOSE.

10. EXCESSIVE THIRST OR RAVENOUS PECKING TENDENCIES
DON’T BE SURPRISED IF YOU SEE YOURSELF DOWNING
GALLONS OF WATER. AN INCREASE IN THE BLOOD VOLUME
COULD MAKE YOU FEEL EXCESSIVELY THIRSTY EVEN BEFORE
YOU MISS YOUR PERIOD. YOU MAY ALSO TEND TO FEEL
HUNGRY AND PECKISH ALL THE TIME WITH THE SURGE IN
HORMONES.
CERVICAL MUCUS CHANGE
AN INCREASE IN CERVICAL MUCUS, IS AN EARLY DETECTOR
OF PREGNANCY. AFTER CONCEPTION, THE CERVICAL MUCUS
WILL APPEAR THICKER AND CREAMIER AND WILL STAY THAT
WAY TILL YOU HAVE MISSED YOUR PERIOD. YOU MAY ALSO
EXPERIENCE A STINGING FEELING WHEN YOU PEE OR
ITCHINESS AND SORENESS AROUND YOUR VAGINA.

11. SHORT BREATH
SHORTNESS OF BREATH COULD BE AN EARLY SIGN OF
PREGNANCY SINCE THE BODY STARTS REQUIRING MORE
OXYGEN AND BLOOD TO BREATHE FOR TWO LIVES. THIS
CONTINUES THROUGHOUT ALL TRIMESTERS WITH THE
GROWING BABY AND THE NEED FOR MORE OXYGEN AND
NUTRITION.
SPOTS, ACNES AND BUMPS
AN OCCASIONAL OCCURRENCE OF PIMPLES AND ZITS IS
COMMON DURING THE PRE-MENSTRUAL PHASE. SUDDEN
SPROUTS COULD BE THE RESULT OF AN INCREASE IN
HORMONE LEVELS AFTER CONCEPTION. WELL, THE OPPOSITE
COULD HAPPEN TOO. PREGNANCY COULD REVERSE THE
OCCURRENCE OF ACNE BEFORE YOUR PERIOD AND IT COULD
BE A SIGN THAT A BABY IS ON THE WAY.

12. BIZARRE DREAMS
VIVID DREAMS COULD BE PREVALENT DURING THE EARLY
WEEKS OF PREGNANCY EVEN BEFORE YOU HAVE MISSED
YOUR PERIOD. A PECULIAR PREGNANCY SYMPTOM, MANY
WOMEN EXPERIENCE STRANGE FEELINGS A WEEK OR TWO
AFTER CONCEPTION. PREGNANCY HORMONES WORK IN A
BAFFLING MANNER CAUSING INEXPLICABLE DREAMS AND
ILLUSIONS IN AN EXPECTANT MOTHER
DROOLING OR SALIVATING
ALTHOUGH NOT A VERY COMMON SYMPTOM, SOME
WOMEN DO PRODUCE EXCESS SALIVA BEFORE THEY MISS
THEIR PERIOD. THIS CONDITION PRIMARILY KNOWN AS
PTYALIS GRADIDARUM IS RELATED TO MORNING
SICKNESS AND HEARTBURN. NAUSEA PANGS BUILD UP
EXTRA LIQUID IN THE MOUTH RESULTING IN DROOLING.