10 Signs Of Pregnancy

Highlights

10. Tender, swollen breasts

9. Fatigue

8. Implantation bleeding

7. Nausea or vomiting

6. Increased sensitivity to odors

5. Abdominal bloating

4. Frequent urination

3. A missed period

2. Your basal body temperature stays high

1. The proof: A positive home pregnancy test

Could you be pregnant? Most likely you won't notice any symptoms until about the time you've missed a period Ð'-- or a week or two later.

If you're not keeping track of your menstrual cycle or if it varies widely from one month to the next, you may not be sure when to expect your period. But if you start to experience some of the symptoms below Ð'-- not all women get them all Ð'-- and you haven't had a period for a while, you may very well be pregnant. Take a home pregnancy test to find out for sure!

10. Tender, swollen breasts

One of the early signs of pregnancy is sensitive, sore breasts caused by increasing levels of hormones. The soreness may feel like an exaggerated version of how your breasts feel before your period. Your discomfort should diminish significantly after the first trimester, as your body adjusts to the hormonal changes.

9. Fatigue

Feeling tired all of a sudden? No, make that exhausted. No one knows for sure what causes early pregnancy fatigue, but it's possible that rapidly increasing levels of the hormone progesterone are contributing to your sleepiness.

You should start to feel more energetic once you hit your second trimester, although fatigue usually returns late in pregnancy when you're carrying around a lot more weight and some of the common discomforts of pregnancy make it more difficult to get a good night's sleep.

8. Implantation bleeding

Some women have a small amount of vaginal bleeding around 11 or 12 days after conception (close to the time you might notice a missed period). The bleeding may be caused by the fertilized egg burrowing into the blood-rich lining of your uterus Ð'-- a process that starts just six days after fertilization Ð'-- but no one knows for sure.

The bleeding is very light (appearing as red spotting or pink or reddish-brown staining) and lasts only a day or two. (Let your practitioner know if you notice any bleeding or spotting, particularly if it's accompanied by pain, since this can be a sign of an ectopic pregnancy.)

7. Nausea or vomiting

If you're like most women, morning sickness won't hit until about a month after conception. (A lucky few escape it altogether.) But some women do start to feel queasy a bit earlier. And not just in the morning, either Ð'-- pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting can be a problem morning, noon, or night.

About half of women with nausea feel complete relief by the beginning of the second trimester. For most others it takes another month or so for the queasiness to ease up.

6. Increased sensitivity to odors

If you're newly pregnant, it's not uncommon to feel repelled by the smell of a bologna sandwich or cup of coffee and for certain aromas to trigger your gag reflex. Though no one knows for sure,