Early Signs of Pregnancy: What to Look for Before a Missed Period

The most important of the early symptoms or signs of pregnancy in women is implantation bleeding i.e. bleeding at the time of implantation which can be felt 10 to 14 days after conception. This bleeding is brown in color and looks like a spot. This bleeding can also happen 1 week or 3-4 days before the scheduled time of your periods. In such a situation, if you feel that your menstruation has come before time but it is very light and is not coming freely, then it may be implantation bleeding and you are pregnant.

(Read more: Pregnancy symptoms)

One of the early symptoms of pregnancy and the most important symptom is the change seen in the breast. If you have not missed your period yet and you feel that your breasts are hurting, the breasts have become very sensitive and they feel heavier than usual, then this can also be a sign of pregnancy. Such changes are seen in the breast when the level of progesterone increases in the body. These symptoms continue throughout the pregnancy in some women, while in some women these symptoms in the breast subside after a few weeks. 

(Read more: When do pregnancy symptoms start?)

Another early symptom of pregnancy is fatigue. It is very common to feel excessive fatigue in the first month of pregnancy. During this time, due to hormonal changes in the body and low blood sugar and blood pressure levels, one starts feeling tired even after doing small tasks and feels more sleepy. Therefore, fatigue is also considered an important part of the early symptoms of pregnancy.

(Read more: How To Take Care During Pregnancy)

Although nausea or vomiting, also known as morning sickness, starts between the fourth or sixth week of pregnancy, some women may feel nausea even in the first or second week of pregnancy. If you feel like vomiting after waking up in the morning even before missing your periods, feel nauseous, then this can also be an early symptom of pregnancy. As soon as the embryo establishes itself in the uterus, the level of beta-hCG hormone in your body starts increasing, due to which you start vomiting or feeling nauseous. Apart from this, many times you start smelling some food items and many women also lose their appetite. Therefore, this is also an early important symptom of pregnancy. 

(Read more: Breast pain in pregnancy)

Dizziness or fever is also considered one of the early symptoms of pregnancy. Due to the change in hormones in the body during pregnancy, the body temperature can increase. After resting overnight, when you check your body temperature in the morning, the basic body temperature, which is called bezel body temperature (BBT), if it continues to increase for 18 or 20 days, then this can also be an early symptom of pregnancy. This happens because the body's immune system prepares itself for pregnancy. Along with fever, dizziness is also one of the early symptoms of pregnancy. Dizziness occurs because the hormonal changes in the body during pregnancy affect blood circulation and sometimes blood pressure also becomes low.

(Read more: Diet during the first month of pregnancy)

If you feel swelling along with heaviness or stretching in the lower abdomen, then this can also be one of the early symptoms of pregnancy and it is quite normal. Now you must be wondering why there is pain in the stomach. The reason for this is that when the fetus is making its place in the uterus, the muscles around the uterus feel stretched. Many times many women feel stretching and heaviness in the stomach even before menstruation, so these women are not able to recognize this early symptom of pregnancy many times.

(Read more: Every Mother Should Know : Pregnancy Problems)

During pregnancy, the amount of progesterone hormone in the body starts increasing very fast and due to this the intestine starts tightening and the activity of the intestine slows down. Due to this, the speed of food passing through the digestive system decreases and the stool becomes hard, due to which you feel constipation. In such a situation, if you are feeling constipated even a week after not having menstruation, then you should definitely think about doing a pregnancy test.

(Read more: Ectopic Pregnancy)

If you have not menstruated, then frequent urination can also be a symptom of pregnancy and this is a symptom that is definitely seen in almost every pregnant woman. This happens because during this time your body starts pumping more blood than it normally pumps. As a result, the kidneys also start processing more fluid than normal days and the bladder starts filling with more fluid. This symptom starts appearing within 2 weeks of conception and hence frequent urination is also considered an important and early symptom of pregnancy.

(Read more: Loss of appetite during pregnancy)

In the early days of pregnancy, you may also notice a change and increase in the discharge from your vagina. During the first trimester of pregnancy i.e. 1 to 3 months, sticky, white or yellow mucus starts getting secreted and this happens because during pregnancy the hormones in the body and blood circulation in the vagina increase. In many women, the amount of cervical mucus may continue to increase throughout the pregnancy because the cervix becomes soft during pregnancy.

(Read more: Pelvic pain during pregnancy)

Although most women face mood swings during menstruation, these symptoms of mood swings increase during pregnancy. Many women feel like crying without any reason, while many women also feel irritability, restlessness and nervousness during this time. Depression can also be one of the early symptoms of pregnancy in many women. Since many women also feel such things during PMS, they often ignore this symptom.

(Read more: Benefits Of Watermelon For Pregnancy)