The biggest challenge for a couple planning their pregnancy is the waiting time before the pregnancy gets confirmed. Not every sign can be trusted and most of the signs are so commonly experienced by a woman, that it makes the waiting time even more difficult.
We have done our research and put together a list of a few signs that may indicate a positive pregnancy. But like we always tell you, a missed period is the most significant sign and anything before that can't be fully trusted. So here they are:
1. Spotting or bleeding
This can be an early sign of pregnancy and can be a result of implantation. When a fertilised egg attaches itself to the uterine lining, you may experience slight spotting or bleeding. It is different from miscarriage bleeding, which is more on the heavier side.
This may be confused with a period, as you may experience implantation bleeding around your period date. It will start and stop within a couple of days and may be pink, brown or red.
2. Abdominal pain
Implantation pain can be felt with or without bleeding. It ranges from mild to moderate. You may feel a tingling or pulling sensation for a few days.
3. Change in cervical mucous
If you have conceived, in the first few weeks you may see more discharge which is sticky and whiter in colour.
4. Tender breasts
Hormonal changes can lead to breast tenderness. If you experience this symptom before your period too, after conceiving the tenderness and swelling will most likely be more intense and you make also feel soreness around your nipples.
5. Metallic taste in the mouth
Here again, hormones are the culprit. Overall, you may experience a change in taste during the first trimester of pregnancy.
6. Dark areolas
The areola is the area around the nipple. Along with other symptoms, you will be able to notice this change quite early after conceiving.
7. Peeing a lot!
As the amount of blood increases in your body during pregnancy, the kidneys have to filter more fluid and get rid of more waste. This symptom can start very early in pregnancy and will last throughout the pregnancy.
Now that we have covered the most important signs, let's get to the most important question:
When is the best time to take a pregnancy test?
Doctors usually recommend taking a pregnancy test after you have missed your period. The reason behind this is, the level of human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) takes around 3-4 weeks to build up from the first day of your last period. And it's only after this time duration that the hCG level is good enough to be detected by a test.
This is our most asked question!!
I can see the signs but my test is not positive, Am I pregnant or not?
As we always recommend, for more accurate results wait till you miss your period. And why is it so? Because most of the early signs of pregnancy and period overlap, therefore, it is very difficult to differentiate between the two.
If you have got a positive on your test, congratulations!! Here's where you can ask and know more about pregnancy - STREE pregnancy chat.