How to Identify Very Early Symptoms of Pregnancy

If you have been trying to get pregnant, you may be aware enough of your body to recognize the very early signs of pregnancy. The most important factor is to take notice of your period. Knowing the first day of your current menstrual cycle, and the pattern of your most recent cycles, will help you determine when you ovulated and when you likely conceived.

Things You'll Need

  • Thermometer
  • Home pregnancy test

Instructions

    • 1

      Check for breast tenderness, which can begin a few days after you conceive. You might notice that your breasts are a little fuller than usual and sore to the touch.

    • 2

      Watch for implantation bleeding, a brown or pink discharge a few days before you would expect your period. This can happen when your baby implants itself in the lining of your uterus.

    • 3

      Track your basal body temperature. If you were taking your temperature first thing every morning to monitor ovulation, keep up the daily observations. A basal body temperature that rises and does not drop 14 or more days after ovulation may mean that your progesterone levels are staying high -- in other words, you̵7;re pregnant.

    • 4

      Evaluate your energy level. Many women feel tired and run-down in the early days of pregnancy. You might fall asleep in the middle of the day, or start daydreaming about when you can go to bed. This is perfectly normal, and many women do get their energy back by the second trimester.

    • 5

      Count your bathroom trips. If you̵7;re pregnant, your blood volume is already increasing. More blood means more fluid in your system, which means more frequent trips to the bathroom.

    • 6

      Watch for nausea, food cravings and food or scent aversions. These early signs of pregnancy are not universal. Only about 50 percent of women experience so-called morning sickness, so don't worry if you are one of the lucky ones who don't.

    • 7

      Take a pregnancy test. Many home pregnancy tests can detect very small amounts of the pregnancy hormone HCG in urine. A negative home test does not mean that you are not pregnant, though. To be sure, ask your health care provider for a blood test. Your body starts producing HCG at conception, and it is more easily recognized in a blood test than a urine test.

    2. Previous:

    Next:

    • How to Use a Select Diagnostics HCG Dipstick
      Select Diagnostics markets two types of test kits designed to test for the presence of hCG in urine as an indicator of pregnancy. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) of the U.S. Department of Healt
    • Do you have to your period in order get pregnant?
      No, you do not have to be on your period to get pregnant. Heres why:* Ovulation: Pregnancy occurs when a sperm fertilizes an egg. Ovulation, the release of an egg from the ovary, happens about halfway through a womans menstrual cycle, usually about
    • Advantages & Disadvantages of Artificial Insemination
      In human artificial insemination (AI), sperm is placed through nonsexual means into a womans reproductive system to impregnate her. Once envisioned as a tool of eugenics and coercive population control, in 2011 AI is largely considered one possible w