Pregnancy Symptoms: What To Look For in Early Pregnancy

Pregnancy signs and symptoms come in many different forms.  You could feel tired, crampy, perhaps a bit nauseous; your breasts could feel tender to the touch. Indeed, your period is a few days late. Are you just experiencing standard period symptoms, or are these the signs of pregnancy? And what are the signs and symptoms of pregnancy, anyway?

Fear not: Glow’s got your back. Below we’ve listed the most common early pregnancy symptoms in order of their frequency, according to the thousands of women in the Glow Community on the Glow app. Check ‘em out.

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Pregnancy Symptom 1: Bloating

The most surefire and yet annoyingly subjective way to sense whether or not you are pregnant is to ask yourself: “Do I feel bloated?” In the early weeks of a pregnancy, many women feel bloated due to increased levels of the hormone progesterone. According to a Glow survey of over 2000 pregnant women, 89.9% of them experienced bloating as an early pregnancy symptom. So pay attention to whatever floats your bloat.

Pregnancy Symptom 2: Achy Breasts

For some ladies, the breasts start feeling tender, sensitive, or sore as early as a few days after conception. The sensations are often most noticeable down the sides of the breasts, the pain a result of the increased production of the estrogen and progesterone hormones. Breasts are often especially achy during a woman’s first pregnancy. 86.9% of over 2000 pregnant women who responded to a Glow survey reported experiencing tender and achy breasts as an early pregnancy symptom. Boo for pain!

Pregnancy Symptom 3: Nausea

It’s the quintessential pregnancy symptom we see in every movie. Girlfriend thinks she has food poisoning; turns out she has a baby growing inside. The biological reason for nausea during early pregnancy is not completely clear. One theory suggests that nausea is linked to the production of the human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) hormone. 78.1% of  over 2000 pregnant women surveyed in Glow experienced nausea as an early pregnancy symptom. However, only 44.6% of them actually went as far as vomiting.

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Pregnancy Symptom 4: Mood Swings

Crying during random commercials. Raging against a faulty vending machine. Laughing hysterically for no reason.  All of these could be signs of an early pregnancy-related mood swing. Mood changes during pregnancy can be caused by physical stresses, fatigue, changes in metabolism, or by the hormones estrogen and progesterone. 72.1% of 2000 pregnant women surveyed in Glow experienced mood swings as an early pregnancy symptom. That’s a whole lot of swinging moods.

Pregnancy Symptom 5: Cramping

For many women, one of the most overlooked signs of early pregnancy is cramping. Makes sense, since the cramps feel just like the ones you would normally get alongside your period. Cramping typically occurs when the uterus expands, causing its supporting ligaments and muscles to stretch. For most pregnant women, cramping is completely normal. 70.8% of 2000 pregnant women surveyed on Glow experienced cramping as an early pregnancy symptom.

However if the cramps appear to be one-sided and truly hurt, don’t delay in talking to a doc–it could be a sign of an ectopic pregnancy (a fertilized egg implanting outside of the uterus). Get that checked out.

Pregnancy Symptom 6: Frequent Urination

Peeing constantly? In addition to the hormonal changes during early pregnancy that increase urine production, the uterus expands and presses on the bladder–and makes you #1 in line at your nearest restroom. According to a Glow survey of over 2000 pregnant women, 78.4% of them had to urinate more frequently than normal in the first few weeks of their pregnancy.

Pregnancy Symptom 7: Positive Pregnancy Test

A positive pregnancy test is a pretty definite way to determine if you are pregnant. Of the 1000 women surveyed on Glow, less than 5% of them ever had a false-positive pregnancy test result. False positive tests are tests that say you are pregnant when you really are not. They can occur if blood or protein is present in your urine. And certain drugs, such as tranquilizers, anti-convulsants, or hypnotics, may also cause false-positive results. Again, these puppies are quite rare. If a pregnancy test indicates you are pregnant, it is most likely spot on.

We could keep going. Seriously.  If you want to know more or talk about your experience with other women going through this, the Glow Community is the place. It’s in the Glow app and mirrored on the web. See ya there.

5 notes

  1. littleprincesspace-blog reblogged this from glowhq
  2. pieconspiracy said: Positive pregnancy test is a symptom of pregnancy? Holy shit, this is brand new information.
  3. glowhq posted this