Pregnancy Symptoms ~ HEALTH and FITNESS

There are many early signs that you may be pregnant. The obvious one is a late period but this can be caused by a number of things, an excessive weight gain or loss, a change in birth control methods, or just an imbalance of hormones.

Nausea and vomiting, commonly known as morning sickness, will last for the first 2-8 weeks of gestation. Though its common name is a little misleading, as it can occur throughout the day, not just in the morning. There isn't actually any known reason as to why women go through this nausea and little is known on preventing it. Women differ in how they deal with it. Some women find that a cup of tea and a ginger biscuit in the morning help, others find acupressure and massage can help. It's all about finding what works for you best.

Fatigue is another common symptom in the earlier weeks. This is due to the fact that your body is going through some major hormonal changes. And also due to the increased amount of progesterone going round your body, your temperature will increase leading you to feel sluggish.

Sensitivity to tastes and smells can also occur. Foods that you once enjoyed can now leave you feeling nauseous.

The areola (the area around the nipple) will darken during pregnancy. Though this can happen because of a hormonal imbalance if you're not pregnant

You may start feeling faint or dizzy if you stand still for too long. This is because as your uterus grows it can put pressure on the major arteries in your legs causing the blood supply to slow making you feel light headed. Also eating infrequently can lower your blood sugar which is a vital nutrient to the growing baby.

With your uterus swelling, this puts pressure onto your bladder making you feel like needing a wee more frequently. Most woman feel this a week or two after becoming pregnant.

The hormones during pregnancy slow down your bowel movements. This gives your body more time to get nutrients out of your food, thus causing constipation. Unfortunately this will happen all the way through pregnancy and in most cases get worse as the pregnancy progresses. Making sure you eat a healthy diet full of fibre and nutrients can help ease the discomfort.