Are you pregnant? Common signs to expect

Suspecting that you might be pregnant can either be good news, when you are ready for it or difficult news when you aren’t quite ready for it.

Becoming a mother is no joke and therefore requires uttermost commitment from both parents. Before you start planning all the lifestyle changes that you’ll have to take up or thinking about your baby bump photoshoot, you first need to confirm that you are indeed pregnant.

There are some common signs of pregnancy. Usually, these signs and symptoms all appear over a short period of time leading you to run out for a pregnancy test.

At the same time, these same signs could be an indication of some other health issue. Thus it’s important to pay a visit to your doctor to know whether you are pregnant or not.

If you’re wondering what these signs are, here is a list of some to expect when you are pregnant.

i. Missed period

This is probably one of the first signs that indicate you’re pregnant. Once pregnancy hormones begin to be produced in the body and implantation occurs, mensuration is inhibited. During this period, pregnant women can experience light spotting and bleeding but this can’t be compared to your usual period. This is one of the very first signs that show you’re expectant.

ii. Breast changes

As pregnancy hormones begin to play their part, you will start to notice changes in your breasts. These hormones cause breasts to become sore, tingly and tender. Your breasts even become swollen and appear larger than their usual size.

Another change occurs at the nipples. These hormones cause the nipples to appear darker a few weeks after conception occurs. If you start to notice these breast changes, take a pregnancy test as soon as possible.

iii. Sensitive to smells and taste

Another common sign of pregnancy is heightened sensitivity to different smells and tastes. You may notice that certain smells are now stronger than usual and certain foods or drinks taste different. Due to the changes occurring in your body, you might hate certain smells and foods that you previously liked and crave things you didn’t necessarily love before. This is also another very common sign.

iv. Nausea

One of the common early signs is nausea. For some, this nausea is accompanied by vomiting as well. Experiencing this could be a sign of morning sickness. Due to, you guessed it, pregnancy hormones, you might find yourself running to the bathroom in the middle of your morning staff meeting after bouts of nausea. The hormones that cause this shift include Human Chorionic Gonadotropin hormone and oestrogen. There are other causes of nausea and vomiting but noticing this along with other symptoms could be a huge pregnancy sign.

v. Fatigue and exhaustion

During pregnancy, your body starts to work towards developing the baby. Your heart works twice as hard to pump blood throughout and a lot of energy goes into that. You might experience sleepiness, tiredness and lethargy that you can’t seem to understand. The usual tasks you normally do might now seem more difficult to complete. Being generally tired is okay but feeling unusually exhausted after small tasks is a dead giveaway.

vi. Mood changes

Another common sign that you could be pregnant is mood swings. The main cause of this is the hormonal changes in the body which are known to cause moodiness. In many cases women notice that they have become more emotional and sensitive than they usually are. This might cause you to get upset and offended over small issues that wouldn’t bother you in general, among other mood changes. You might even get angry and yell at your husband all of a sudden, only to regret it later. Mood changes is one of the most common signs so if you are experiencing this, you could be pregnant.