Teenage Signs of Pregnancy
Approximately 1 million teenage women become pregnant each year, according to the American Medical Network. Any time a teenage girl engages in unprotected sexual activities, she is at risk for becoming pregnant. Pregnant teens usually experience the same signs as adult pregnant women.
Approximately 1 million teenage women become pregnant each year, according to the American Medical Network. Any time a teenage girl engages in unprotected sexual activities, she is at risk for becoming pregnant. Pregnant teens usually experience the same signs as adult pregnant women. The signs can vary from teen to teen, but a combination of signs along with a missed period may indicate that the teen is pregnant.
Missed Period
A missed period may alert a teenager that she is indeed pregnant. The Palo Alto Medical Foundation states that a teenager may miss her period for a variety of other reasons such as participation in sports, loss of weight or extreme stress, but a period that is over a month late coupled with other pregnancy signs can signal that the teen is expecting.
Nausea or Vomiting
Pregnant teenage girls often experience extreme morning sickness during the early stages of their pregnancy. Morning sickness is described as mild to extreme nausea or vomiting that can occur throughout the day. Some teens may experience morning sickness at the same time every day, while others may have random bouts of nausea or vomiting, according to the website Teen Advisors. In addition, a teenager may have sudden and intense aversions to certain foods such as meats or fried foods that can cause a queasy stomach. Nausea and vomiting typically begin a few weeks after conception due to increasing hormone levels.
Frequent Urination
Frequent urination is a common early sign of a teen pregnancy. A pregnant teen may notice that she needs to go to the bathroom several times a day. She may also have to get up two or three times a night to urinate. The website HelpingTeens.org states that teenagers may experience frequent urination when their uterus begins to swell putting pressure on their bladder. Many teenagers can have an increase in urination within a week or two after pregnancy has occurred.
Swollen and Tender Breasts
As the pregnancy progresses, a teen may notice that her breasts have become larger and more sensitive due to increasing hormones, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. A girl may feel tenderness in her breasts as her breasts prepare to produce milk for her baby. Pregnant teens usually experience mild to severe pain in one or both breasts. A teen girl can experience discomfort if something touches or brushes against her breasts. She may also notice stinging and shooting pains in her nipples.
Extreme Fatigue and Appetite Changes
During the earlier stages of pregnancy, a teen girl may experience a decrease in energy and a change in appetite, according to the website Pregnancy Centers. She may feel so tired after school that she falls asleep as soon as she gets home from school. Pregnant teens may be too tired to participate in the extracurricular activities that they used to enjoy. Some teen girls may complain that they are always hungry and they may begin to crave certain foods. These girls may appear to gain weight in their breasts, abdomen and face. Other teens may hardly eat at all due to frequent bouts of nausea and vomiting. These girls may appear to be rapidly losing weight.
Moodiness
An early sign of teenage pregnancy is unusual moodiness, according to Teen Pregnancy Statistics. Increasing hormone levels can cause pregnant teens to become uncharacteristically irritable and jumpy. Pregnant teens may have intense mood swings in which one minute they are happy and the next minute they are depressed. They may suddenly break up with a boyfriend or no longer speak to old friends. A pregnant teen may become moody because she does not understand what is happening to her. She may not realize that she is pregnant or she may be in denial about it because she does not want to deal with what is happening to her body.