HOW TO KNOW If You Are Pregnant Before Missing A Period

It is probably the only time,
When you wish you are late,
To get a baby of your own,
You just can’t wait!

From ditching birth control to keeping an eye on your ovulation, and of course, the most important part which is having as much fun with your partner in bed as you can! Wink! You have done your deed and now it is time to wait, which is the most difficult part. Let’s admit it, if you are trying for a baby, you just can’t wait for your first pregnancy tests or peeing on that stick and get the greatest news of your life as early as possible. So How To Know If You Are Pregnant Before Missing A Period?

Because after doing the fun part of going through the whole baby-making process, generally, you wait for your date and when that time of the month comes but the periods does not then you know that you are probably preggers.

Early Signs and Symptoms of Pregnancy

Although you can’t be 100% sure without the confirmation from your doctor, you could still find out if you are indeed knocked up with the help of some early signs and symptoms – week 1 to 4.

Breast Tenderness – A Woman Could Be Sore

If your breasts are too tender and sensitive then chances are that you have a bun in the oven. Breast changes are generally one of the first signs of pregnancy. Your breasts would feel full or heavier and sore due to the increased progesterone levels in the body after conception. This is just the way your hormones are preparing your breasts for nursing your baby. And not just your breasts would be achy but the areolas would also get darker.

Higher Basal Temperature – You Feel Hot

Like literally! Your basal body temperature would be higher than usual. Now, the basal body temperature is actually the temperature of your body when it is fully at rest that is right when you first wake up in the morning. It is generally high prior to your ovulation and gets back to normal once your period cycle is over. But during the pregnancy, the basal body temperature tends to stay elevated. It is noticed easily if you have been tracking your BBT and if it is high even after 18-20 days post-ovulation then it is time to get checked for pregnancy.

Spotting, Cramping and Implantation Bleeding

Spotting is observed in women about a week or two after conception. So if your period is not due yet, but you are still having menstrual cramps, light spotting or bleeding then it could be an early sign of pregnancy. This is called implantation bleeding which occurs after the fertilized egg attaches itself to the uterus wall which results in implantation. Though you would feel like you are menstruating, the blood would be much less and light in color and it would stop in one to three days.

Extreme Fatigue

You are getting more than enough sleep yet you feel super lethargic for no good reason then pregnancy could be the reason. Increased progesterone in your body causes hormonal changes. Also, your blood sugar and blood pressure would decrease. All these changes in the body would make you feel tired and exhausted.

Nausea And Puking

Not the favorite part of the pregnancy but one you can’t avoid. We all know about the dreaded morning sickness but it can hit you even in the earliest weeks of pregnancy. If your stomach has not been feeling great lately and caused you to puke your guts out sometimes then congratulations are in order.

Frequent Bathroom Breaks

If you are frequently visiting the bathroom because it feels like you are peeing all the time then it could be a sign of pregnancy. After conception, your body produces extra blood and fluids which makes your kidney work extra hard. This means extra fluid filtered by the kidneys which urge you to pee. The growing uterus would also put pressure on your bladder so the peeing wouldn’t stop throughout your pregnancy.  

Bloating Begins

Women can experience bloating or constipation after conception. The increased progesterone is the one to be blamed. So if your belly feels heavy and clothes get tight then it could be because the pregnancy hormones are interfering in your digestion.

Food Cravings

There could be two things happening to you when it comes to food after you have conceived. Either you would hate it or love it. Those pregnancy hormones would make you crave food which could be anything that you love or never even tried and it would also develop a new aversion to certain types of food or smells. A ravenous hunger would also be a sign that you are eating for two.

The Head Spins

Headaches and dizziness are common signs of pregnancy. Changes in blood flow and a decrease in blood sugar levels can cause dizziness and make women feel faint. The body works overtime to make a place for the baby so the changes in hormones and blood volume cause headaches.

Mood Swings

If you can’t stop waterworks and get teary like all the time then chances are you are pregnant. The pregnancy hormones play havoc with your mind and body and your moods would change like in a jiffy. You would go crazy mad in one second and then would be sobbing all over the place in another.

Can You Rely Completely On These Symptoms?

Pregnancy symptoms can often be confused with symptoms of PMS (Pre-Menstrual Syndrome). This is the reason why many ladies often miss the early pregnancy signs. Although, in addition to these, symptoms for week 5 to 8 might give you some confirmation. Symptoms like sore breasts, cramping, bloating, fatigue or nausea are often common for both pregnancy and PMS. So relying on these signs completely would not be ideal. Better get a pregnancy home kit to check if you are really pregnant or not. Get further confirmation from the doctor because sometimes even the home kits are not always accurate.

Could you be pregnant and still have a period?

The direct answer would be a no. If you are pregnant then you can’t be having periods. But there can be vaginal bleeding during pregnancy which might lead to confusion. The eggs are released from the ovary once in a month and when they are not fertilized, the period occurs which is the blood loss that takes place to shed the unfertilized eggs through the vagina.

The reason why you can’t have a period during pregnancy is that one of the eggs is fertilized with sperm and finds a proud place in the uterus wall. But the light bleeding that you observe is because of implantation bleeding and cervical changes. You don’t need to worry about this type of bleeding because these are the early signs of pregnancy and the blood loss is very low and lasts only a day or two. But there could be other causes too, such as infections or miscarriage. So in case of heavy bleeding accompanied by severe cramps, fever or uncontrollable nausea, it is better to seek immediate medical attention.

Pregnancy brings many changes along with happy news. So keep a keen eye on the symptoms because you might miss them and learn about the good news later than sooner. And if you are now realizing that you have all these early signs then congratulation to you for successfully getting knocked up!