Learn the Early Signs of Pregnancy and How to Manage Your Situation

What are the earliest pregnancy signs of a new pregnancy? Just how pregnant do you have to be to experience the first signs of early pregnancy? Are there specific symptoms that only occur in early pregnancy?

If being pregnant is your fondest desire, you will be anxious to learn how to spot the signs that your dream has come true and you are harboring a brand, spanking new pregnancy. It's not enough to stand in front of the mirror mouthing the words, "I'm pregnant! I'm pregnant!" You need some signs!

The earliest pregnancy signs can be broken down into ten specific groups. Some of these symptoms arrive before the much heralded missed period, while other signs (including the aforementioned missed period) come two weeks or more after conception has occurred. Part of being pregnant is the expectation of having symptoms or signs of pregnancy, but don't assume you'll have all ten signs. You may have one or two or many.

And now, drum roll please for the 10 earliest pregnancy signs:

How Pregnant?

•    Light Bleeding or Spotting—several days after the egg is fertilized, implantation occurs. This will be before your next menstrual period is expected. The bleeding from implantation tends to be lighter colored, pink or brown, and much lighter than a period. This type of pregnancy discharge is very limited in duration. Don't be surprised if the spotting is accompanied by early pregnancy cramping.

•    Frequent Urination—Yup. Peeing all the time is one of the hallmarks of early pregnancy. Most women will start needing to go all the time before they even miss a period. The frequent urination begins 7-12 days after the slight spike in basal body temperature that occurs with ovulation. The constant need to pee is due to hormone fluctuations that occur during implantation of the fertilized egg. The main hormonal culprit responsible for keeping you close to the toilet is human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)

•    Spike in Basal Body Temperature—A very small spike in your resting body temperature (basal body temperature or BBT) occurs at the time of ovulation. Once the spike occurs, your temperature will remain at that higher level until you either get your period or until (having conceived) you have a baby. If the spike remains past the time you should have had your period, it's a good bet you're pregnant!

•    Missed Menstrual Period—Missing your period is one of the most obvious of the 10 pregnancy signs. However, it's possible to miss a period for reasons other than pregnancy such as stress, reactions to medication or food, illness, or a hormone imbalance. Still, if you're as regular as a clock, missing your period is likely a sign of pregnancy. Even if you miss your period, you may have some pregnancy discharge that is pink or brownish. This is due to implantation should be quite limited.

•    Fatigue—One of the earliest signs of pregnancy is extreme exhaustion that you just can't seem to shake. Fatigue is due to your changing hormone levels. As your body adjusts to its changing hormonal balance, the fatigue should disappear.

•    Cramping—Many women have early pregnancy cramping during which the uterus will contract quite often and with some regularity. Early pregnancy cramping may be triggered by exercise, orgasms, or by just moving around.

•    Nausea—Ahhh, good old morning sickness. This well known sign of early pregnancy occurs in only half of all pregnant women. But morning sickness isn't such an apt term for this sign of pregnancy. The nausea can hit at any time, day or night.

•    Breast and Nipple Tenderness—Sometimes the very first sign a woman has that she may have conceived is breast or nipple tenderness. The discomfort should dissipate as the body accustoms itself to its changed hormonal balance.

•    Darkened Areolas—The darker skin that surrounds the nipples is called the aureola. During pregnancy, this area becomes even darker. The color-change may take place as early as one week after a woman has conceived. If the aureola is bumpy, these bumps may take on a more prominent appearance.

•    Constipation and Gas—It's common to have changes in bowel function during the early weeks of pregnancy. This is due in part to the hormones that serve to soften and relax the pelvic ligaments to make carrying a baby and the delivery of the baby a bit easier. These same hormones affect other parts of the body as well and one of the results of this may be a sluggish digestive tract.

"I'm Pregnant!"

Once you've experienced some early signs of pregnancy, you can go ahead and purchase a quality home pregnancy test and confirm what you know in your heart. Go ahead and say it, "I'm pregnant!"