There’s really nothing worse than 2-week wait – the time between ovulation and when you can test for pregnancy. It’s pretty much torture when you’re trying to get pregnant. Try not to obsess over it, but you can keep an eye out for signs that you may have conceived.
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. Check ‘em out!
Clue #1: Bloating
In the early weeks of pregnancy, lots of ladies feel bloated due to increased levels of the hormone progesterone. Sometimes feeling like you’ve put on a little extra weight is indicative of the fact that you’re about to put on a bunch more for a really good reason. Bloated fingers crossed?
Clue #2: Achy Breasts
Did someone wearing soccer cleats kick you in the chest? No? 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.
Clue #3: Nausea
This is the quintessential pregnancy symptom we see in basically every movie. The biological reason for nausea during early pregnancy is not completely clear, but one theory suggests that nausea is linked to the production of the human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) hormone.
Clue #4: Mood Swings
“I’M NOT HAVING MOOD SWINGS, YOU’RE HAVING MOOD SWINGS!”
Crying during mildly sentimental Tampax 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 (and/or signs that you’re turning into a Batman villain!) Mood changes during pregnancy can be caused by physical stresses, fatigue, changes in metabolism, or by the hormones estrogen and progesterone.
Clue #5: Cramping
Hi, are any of these early pregnancy signs going to be fun? We’re so sorry. No. We totally wish one of the early pregnancy symptoms were “euphoria!” or “becoming amazing at ice skating” but that is not how the world works. Next on the list is 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. So another terrible clue that sometime wonderful may have happened.
(Side note: if the cramps appear to be one-sided and seriously hurt, talk to your doc ASAP because it could be a sign of an ectopic pregnancy (a fertilized egg implanting outside of the uterus).
Clue #6: Frequent Urination
Urinating as often as your 70-year-old parents? There’s a chance it means you’re about to become a parent yourself. Not only do the hormonal changes during early pregnancy increase urine production, but your uterus also expands and presses on your bladder. So getting up all the time to pee may eventually transition to “getting up all the time to go check on the sleeping baby in the next room.” We have our fingers crossed for you. And with all this pressure on the bladder, we’ll keep our legs crossed too.
We could seriously go on forever. So if you want to know more or talk about your experience with other women going through this, jump onto the Glow Community. We’ll see ya there!
