Top 10 signs of pregnancy

Many women have a regular menstrual cycle. If you too have a regular menstrual cycle and happen to miss one, see your doctor immediately. Menstruation does not occur post fertilisation because the wall of the uterus that is shed during every cycle is required during pregnancy to nurture the baby.

Morning sickness is common in the second week of conception. But before jumping to conclusions, make sure that it is not due to stress, food poisoning or stomach disorders. It is the spurt of the pregnancy hormone hCG that causes one to feel nauseated.

If you feel a prickly, tingling sensation around your nipples, your breasts are preparing themselves for lactation. The pregnancy hormone can increase blood supply to the breasts even in the earliest phase of pregnancy.

If you start to feel unbearably exhausted and don’t know why that is happening, it is time to check for other signs of pregnancy, especially if there is no reason to believe that it is due to overexertion, stress, common cold, depression or any mental strain. It is the dramatic change in the level of progesterone that causes a pregnant woman to be fatigued.

Headaches are a common occurrence during pregnancy and they may start right after conception. There can be other causes of headaches too, but rise of oestrogen levels after conception may well be the reason.

If Bollywood movies are to be taken seriously, the only sign of pregnancy is the woman craving for something sour. The fact is that this craving for food post conception can be for any kind of food, such as dairy products, potato chips, pickles or any food that tempts you.

After the 6th week of pregnancy, you might need to urinate more frequently. Pregnancy hormones, increased blood supply and volume, and strenuously working kidney bring about this change. If you get a burning sensation while urinating, it might be due to a urinary tract infection.

The round, dark area around your nipples called the areola tend to get darker after pregnancy. The obvious reason being the preparation of the mamary glands to lactate. The nipples also begin to feel more erect and the bumps around the nipples become more pronounced.

If you notice a pink or brownish stain in your undergarment, it is a tell tale sign of spotting i.e. implantation of egg in the uterus. You might confuse this with your period, but it is actually the start of pregnancy.

Bloating and painful cramping is common during pregnancy because of the sluggish intestines that are a result of excessive progesteron circulating all over the body. Treating constipation could help ease the problem of bloating.

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