Soon after you get that positive test result, your body is going to feel different.
A 2002 study at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Durham, North Carolina, found that half of all pregnant women experienced symptoms about a week after their period was due, and nearly 90 percent of them within a month afterwards. Here’s some of what you can expect soon after you’re expecting:
Tender Breasts
A few weeks after conception, estrogen and progesterone levels rise, causing sensitive, swollen breasts. The areola (the dark area around the nipple) may get even darker and increase in size due to the body’s increased production of the skin pigment, melanin. Blood volume throughout the body increases by at least fifty percent during pregnancy, says Richard W. Henderson, M.D., general ob/gyn at St. Francis Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware, and a spokesperson for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. So you’ll probably notice the veins in your breasts becoming more visible. The tiny bumps scattered around the areola (called Montgomery’s tubercles) may also become more prominent.
Gotta Go
As your uterus begins to grow, it puts more pressure on your bladder. Also, since your body is retaining more fluids, you may feel as if you have to urinate all the time. Dr. Henderson suggests going to the bathroom whenever the urge strikes rather than trying to wait, since pregnancy also raises the risk of urinary tract infections.
Vanishing Vigor
Progesterone slows down metabolism, making you feel exhausted. Also, because your body is working so hard at developing the fetus, you’ll be more tired than usual.
{loadposition babyname} Unsettled Stomach
Morning sickness is a misnomer–women notice nausea most first thing in the morning, but early pregnancy queasiness can happen at any time of the day. Experts aren’t sure why this happens, but some theorize that early in pregnancy the nausea center in the brain becomes more sensitive to the pregnancy hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Luckily it seems to reset itself during the second trimester, says Dr. Henderson. Excess stomach acid may be another factor, as may an imbalance in blood sugar.
Intestinal Unpleasantness
Progesterone relaxes smooth muscle tissue throughout your body, including your gastrointestinal tract, so food travels through it more slowly. This can cause more gas, bloating, burping, flatulence, constipation, heartburn, and general gastrointestinal grief.
Hot Flashes
Menopausal women aren’t the only ones who feel the heat. The increased blood flow throughout your body during pregnancy, coupled with dilated veins due to muscle relaxation, allows blood to get closer to the surface of your skin, making you feel warmer. Hormones may also induce hot flashes in some women.
Spotting
Though you should always call your doctor if you experience any type of bleeding during pregnancy, there are a couple of instances where spotting during the earliest part of pregnancy is normal.
Some women bleed after intercourse during this time because the cervix is more swollen than usual. Also, sometimes when the embryo attaches to the uterus it can cause implantation cramps and light pinkish bleeding, even before a missed period, says Dr. Henderson. You may notice the cramps–which feel like pulling sensations on each side right below your stomach–throughout the first trimester as the round ligaments on the sides of the uterus stretch.
This article was originally published in the Spring 2005 issue.
Related Topics: Pregnancy
