Am I Pregnant? (Some signs of pregnancy)
Some women don’t realise they’re pregnant until they have missed a period, and some say they ‘just know’ the minute it happens. Watch gurgle's video Am I pregnant? to hear how other expectant mums found out they were pregnant.
There are a few classic signs that can make you suspect you’re pregnant even before you do a Home Pregnancy Test.
Breast changes
Your breasts may feel tender, sore or even lumpy to touch, your nipples become more sensitive and may deepen in colour and veins in your breasts may look more obvious. Read more on our article Tender Breasts.
Needing the loo more often
As soon as the embryo starts to produce HCG levels (the pregnancy hormone) blood supply to your pelvic area increases which can lead to pelvic congestion. The bladder deals with this by trying to expel even tiny amounts of urine. This is why you might feel like you’re running to the loo all the time, but hardly anything is coming out.
Tiredness
Your body is under a huge amount of pressure in early pregnancy, as it has to support your developing baby and all of your vital organs. It’s no surprise that you feel absolutely whacked and can think only of your bed. It can be even more frustrating if no one knows you’re pregnant at work, and you have to hide just how tired you really feel.
Hot tip – it might be worth telling one close (and discreet) colleague that you’re pregnant so that they can help you out with your work load, or make excuses for you when everyone is heading for an after work drink.
Tastes and cravings
Many women experience a slight metallic taste in their mouths as their hormone levels rise. Food may also taste strange and you might find you go off things like tea and coffee. Some women develop early food cravings, so if you suddenly find yourself dreaming of hot dogs even though you’re a vegetarian you may be pregnant. Cravings are thought to be your body’s way of making up for a deficiency in certain minerals, but this doesn’t explain why some women are drawn to inedible substances like dirt or washing powder. Try to control the stranger food cravings, or the high-calorie kind, but most cravings are perfectly fine for your body and baby. Read more about cravings on our article Pregnancy food cravings.
Smell
If you can suddenly smell your work colleagues perfumes (or worse) it may be an indication that you are pregnant. Most smells will become more acute once you are pregnant, and you may find some smells make you nauseous.
Watch gurgle's video to hear how other women's senses were affected during their pregnancies.
Morning Sickness
Some people sail through pregnancy with no sickness, but for around fifty percent of women it’s a frustrating part of early pregnancy. It’s not confined to the morning either and can happen at any time. Studies show that there is a connection between having an empty stomach and feeling nauseous, which is why it is most common when you wake up before you have had breakfast.
Go to our article 7 ways to beat morning sickness for tips on how to combat morning sickness.
Missed period
Although pregnancy is an obvious reason for missing a period, it is not the only one, so don’t assume you’re pregnant until you have taken a Home Pregnancy Test. Some women continue to have periods even though they are pregnant, and in rare cases this can occur all the way through pregnancy. You can watch how to use a home pregnancy test for gurgle's step by step guide.
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Last Modified: 29/04/2009
Related Chat 10
Hiya, I am 16 and I've been with my boyfriend three months and a bit, i amm on the pill, and two/three weekends ago while i was at my boyfriends i felt really bloated and it didn't go down the whole time i was there, its slowly has gone down, but now i amm experiencing tender nipples, i need the loo alot and sometimes i get cravings for things i don't normally eat e.g Fish, (cannot eat it)
Does this mean i am pregnant? Help?
Hi - can you remember when you had your last period? Do you know how often you usually get your period - e.g. every 4 weeks or more like every 35 days or so? Do you usually get regular periods? If you think your last period was more than 5 weeks ago then you should go and buy a pregnancy test. You don't have to spend a lot of money - there are some for a couple of pounds - try somewhere such as Wilkinsons or Savers or Home Bargains (if you have any of these type of stores near you). If you think you've had a period since Christmas then it's too early to take a pregnancy test, so I would wait and see if you get a period in the next two weeks or so. It's very unusual to get pregnant if you've been taking the pill - as long as you have remembered to take it each day that you're supposed to. Try not to worry about it too much. Let me know how you get on. X
Hiya, I am 16 and I've been with my boyfriend three months and a bit, i amm on the pill, and two/three weekends ago while i was at my boyfriends i felt really bloated and it didn't go down the whole time i was there, its slowly has gone down, but now i amm experiencing tender nipples, i need the loo alot and sometimes i get cravings for things i don't normally eat e.g Fish, (cannot eat it)
Does this mean i am pregnant? Help?
hi, i had the same symtoms as you, i got an first responce test as they say you can test 6 days before your peroid id due, i did it it was neg, then did another test three days later and was positive and to confirm did two more test both positive again so you may need to wait a few more days its to do with the HGC hormone(pregnancy hormone) in your system some times it can be quite low in early pregnancy
It's really difficult to say if you are or not, it really depends on that individual... My last period was on the 19th October 2009 and it is now Christmas day and i've still not had my period. I've never been so late like this before... i've even done 3 Clear blues, 2 first Response and all have come back Negative, i've even done a GP's pregnancy test and that still came up Negative. I was tested for this on the 11th Dec.
So, i've actually have given up testing myself. I'm just going to wait and see what happens. You maybe lucky than me. :-(
Lucyx
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