Early Signs of Pregnancy

You might think that it would be pretty easy to know if you are pregnant. It turns out that it can actually be trickier than you might think – there are some common signs that you might be pregnant (see below) but you can have some or all of these symptoms, and not be pregnant. It’s also true that you can be pregnant and have none of these symptoms. What’s more is that some of these signs are the same things you might feel just before you get your period.

Possible signs that you might be pregnant[1]:

• Missed periods
• Periods with a lighter flow or shorter duration than usual
• Breast tenderness
• Nausea and/or vomiting
  
• Frequent urination (you have to pee a lot)
• Changes in appetite (super hungry or not hungry at all)
• Fatigue (you feel very tired or sleepy)
• Feeling bloated and/or crampy
• Changes in digestion (constipation, heartburn, etc.)
• Abdominal enlargement (your belly gets bigger)
• Clothes feel tighter
• Mood changes

How Can I Know for Sure? Thegood news is that when used as directed, pregnancy tests are highly reliable,97-99% accurate. If you think you might be pregnant, the only way to know for sure is to take a pregnancy test.

 How Does a Pregnancy Test Work? When a woman is pregnant, her body produces a special hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) (a.k.a. the pregnancy hormone). A pregnancy test detects whether or not your body has made HCG. Most pregnancy tests, like the ones you see in commercials, search for HCG in a woman’s urine (or pee), but it can also be found through a blood test (which are given in a doctor’s office).

 Where Can I Get a Pregnancy Test? You can take a pregnancy test at your doctor’s office, a local clinic or health center, or you can buy an at-home test at drug stores and some grocery stores. It’s a good idea to purchase two kits (or a kit with more than one than one test) and take the tests a few days apart - if it’s really early in the pregnancy, it’s possible that your body hasn’t made enough HCG to be detected by the test –this way you can be sure of the results. And it’s always good to check the expiration date before buy a test.

 If You are Pregnant:
Read the "What are my options?” page to learn more about carrying a healthy pregnancy, adoption,and abortion.

If You are NOT Pregnant:

• This may be a good time to choose a method of birth control. Check out our Birth Control page to learn more about your birth control options.
  
  
  
• If you are already using birth control, consider whether you should choose a more effective method. Each woman reacts differently to birth control, so it can take a while to find the method that is best for you. Also, your needs may change over time – the birth control that worked for you at 17 may not be the same one you want at 32.