What are the earliest signs of pregnancy?

The early signs of pregnancy can often be difficult to detect, and can often be confused with certain illnesses as the symptoms are rather general.

The most obvious and accurate sign of pregnancy is a missed menstrual period, but many women would like to know if they are pregnant even before this. Here are some tips for seeing early signs of pregnancy.

Swollen, tender breasts

The hormonal changes in very early pregnancy cause the breasts, and nipples, to become tender and sometimes sore. You might notice this small change in breast size very early on, and perhaps a few of veins (if they are visable) may seem more apparent.

Spotting

This might occur shortly after ovulation and once fertilization has occurred. Bleeding at this time is also known as implantation bleeding as it is when the egg begins to implant in the uterus. Some women have mistaken this for an early, light period without knowing that they are indeed pregnant.

Temperature

If you are trying to fall pregnant, you may be able to see when conception occurs due to a rise in body temperature. In order to use this as a predictor you would need to have a good idea what your normal body temperature is.

Sense of Smell

Some women notice that their sense of smell is heightened very soon after falling pregnant. They will be extra sensitive to both good and bad smells as a result.

Nausea and Dizziness

These are two signs which are common side effects of pregnancy but are not always present from conception. They are generally a result of the changing hormone levels in your bloodstream and would only become high enough to cause side effects approximately two weeks following conception.

Early Pregnancy Tests

When you are unsure of the early signs of pregnancy being correct, you can also do an early pregnancy test up to three days before your period is due.

Remember that with a pregnancy test there can be false negative results, but not a false positive. This means that if you get even the faintest line indicating a postive test, then it means you are pregnant!