How Soon Can You Detect If You Are Pregnant?
Are you or aren't you? When you're trying to conceive, waiting for signs of pregnancy can be agonizing. Pregnancy tests can detect pregnancy before a missed period, but listening to and carefully monitoring your body can also give you an answer.
Are you or aren't you? When you're trying to conceive, waiting for signs of pregnancy can be agonizing. Pregnancy tests can detect pregnancy before a missed period, but listening to and carefully monitoring your body can also give you an answer. However, every pregnancy is different: Some women experience symptoms of pregnancy within two or three weeks of conception, while others have no obvious symptoms until after two months. Be aware of the early signs of pregnancy and get the good news as soon as possible.
Nausea and Fatigue
As your body prepares to carry a baby, levels of estrogen and progesterone rise rapidly, causing nausea. Nausea is one of the earliest signs of pregnancy and is sometimes, but not always, accompanied by vomiting. You may experience waves of nausea very early in your pregnancy due to a dramatically sharpened sense of smell. Tiredness can also give away pregnancy. Lower blood pressure, decreased levels of blood sugar and a sudden increase in blood production can all make you feel exhausted.
Food Cravings & Aversions
The most dramatic changes in hormone levels take place during the first trimester, so you may very soon after conception find yourself craving strange combinations of foods, foods you previously did not enjoy or a large amount of the same food. You may also find within a few weeks that foods you previously loved or were indifferent to now turn your stomach.
Tender Breasts & Increased Urination
Your breasts may become extremely tender in as little as two weeks following conception. They may also feel swollen, larger and much heavier than normal, which can cause slight discomfort or produce a tingling sensation. Newly pregnant women also discover they are urinating much more often than usual, particularly in the nocturnal hours, due to a sudden increase in blood flow to the kidneys. Increased urination can start as early as six weeks after conception and will continue to increase throughout your pregnancy.
Spotting and Bloating
As early as six days after conception, you may notice light bleeding that lasts for a couple of days, then stops. This is a strong sign of pregnancy and may be due to the newly fertilized egg trying to make its way through the uterine wall. Bloating is a pregnancy symptom that is easily overlooked because it is commonly associated with monthly menstrual bleeding. Prolonged bloating, lasting more than a few days and not accompanied by a period, usually takes place very early in the first trimester.