7 Top Pregnancy Symptoms

Pregnancy symptoms can vary between women, but these seven symptoms of pregnancy are the most common. Pregnancy symptoms are usually caused by rapid physical and hormonal changes in the woman’s body.

If there is a chance that you could be pregnant and you have one or more pregnancy symptoms, a pregnancy test is your next step.

Missed period: In many cases, a missed period is the first symptom a woman has of pregnancy. Menstruation is stopped to allow the uterus to support the growing pregnancy.

Nausea and vomiting: one of the most expected and well-known pregnancy symptoms, “morning sickness,” can occur at any time of day in pregnancy. Typically, morning sickness is worse in the first trimester of pregnancy, but some women experience it throughout their entire pregnancy.

Frequent urination: Early in pregnancy, as a woman’s body increases its blood flow, the kidneys work overtime to filter the blood. This results in more urine output. As the uterus grows with the baby further into pregnancy, it can also contribute to frequent urination by putting pressure on the bladder.

Fatigue: A woman’s body does much extra work to establish and support the pregnancy. The increased energy use and added pregnancy hormones can leave a woman feeling overly tired.

Breast Changes: Hormonal fluctuations in pregnancy can also cause physical changes to breast tissue. This sometimes results in a woman experiencing tender and swollen breasts.

Mood Swings: Hormonal shifts are also behind emotional mood swings. In early pregnancy, it is common for a woman to shift between moods quickly and to feel her emotions more intensely than usual.

Bloating: In early pregnancy, hormone changes cause digestion to slow, which can lead to feelings of dullness in the abdomen.

Pregnancy symptoms should never be used to self-diagnose pregnancy. All the symptoms listed can have other causes. For example, stress can delay a woman’s period, the flu can cause nausea, vomiting, and fatigue, and breast changes, mood swings, and bloating can all signal that a woman’s period will soon start.

Find Out for Sure

Contact Crossroads to schedule a pregnancy testing appointment. Follow up a positive result with a confirmation ultrasound, all at no cost to you.