Early Pregnancy Symptoms
The following list of early pregnancy symptoms will help give you an idea of whether or not you are pregnant. Taken alone, any of these symptoms could mean any number of things, but coupled, trebled, quadrupled or more they become an increasingly clear indication that you are in the early stages of a pregnancy. Of course, as always, if you are unsure about the following symptoms, or confused about whether or not you are pregnant, it is best to consult a physician.
Delay/Difference in Menstrual Cycle:
Are you late or is your cycle off? This is usually the first and easiest to spot early symptom of a pregnancy.
Spotting:
Are you spotting outside of your regular menstruation? This could be a sign that the fertilized egg is implanting itself into the wall of your uterus, commonly referred to as implantation bleeding.
Swollen/Tender Breasts:
Boobs suddenly inexplicably huge and tender to the touch? Not so keen on jogging lately? Swollen and tender breasts are a common symptom of early pregnancy.
Fatigue
Suddenly inexplicably tired? Unless you’ve been cavorting in the tall grass during tick season, the most likely diagnosis you could make from this symptom is that you’re pregnant.
Nausea:
Many pregnant women experience a sudden and inexplicable nausea, frequently in the early part of the day, but commonly later in the day as well.
Backaches:
Backaches are a common symptom of pregnancy, commonly caused by a number of factors. Among them a surge in hormones, weight gain, and sleep position changes, themselves symptoms of early pregnancy. If you’re experiencing backaches, and have ruled out other causes, this may be a sign of pregnancy.
Headaches:
The sudden surge of hormones raging through a newly pregnant body can often cause headaches in addition to other, shall we say emotional symptoms. If you’re experiencing sudden and frequent headaches, it could be a sign that you’re pregnant.
Frequent Urination:
Peeing every five minutes? No, it’s not an enormous baby compressing your bladder. Not in the early stages of your pregnancy at least. In the beginning, it’s a result of your body increasing blood and fluids that will be used to nourish your growing baby. Later in the pregnancy it will be a sign that your uterus is growing in anticipation of that baby filling it out.
Darkened Areolas:
A regnant woman’s areolas will enlarge and typically darken a few shades. This is a common early sign, but typically one of the last to arrive of the early signs.
Food Cravings and/or Aversions:
Suddenly desperately need beets? Or ice cream in buckets? Be assured: you haven’t suddenly been possessed by a teenage junk food junkie. This is your body telling you – very insistently and loudly – that it needs specific nutrients. Do what the body says. 
Do any of these sound familiar? If so, possibly congratulations, you may be pregnant. So what’s the next step? The next step is to schedule an appointment with a physician. This will determine reliably that you are or not pregnant. In the meantime, you can purchase any one of the many home pregnancy tests available at your local pharmacy. These are inexpensive (generally $10-$20), available over the counter, and extremely reliable given enough time has passed since conception.
