How to know if you are pregnant?

Early symptoms of pregnancy are different for everyone. Some women feel the first twinges of pregnancy a week or two after conceiving, while others don't feel any different for a few months.

The most common sign of pregnancy is usually a missed period. But sometimes, even before you miss a period, you may suspect that you’re pregnant. For some women, early symptoms of pregnancy begin in the first few weeks after conception. I, for example, got a hunch that I have conceived even before I took the pregnancy test.

Pregnancy symptoms can also vary in their intensity, frequency and duration. Given below is a checklist with the symptoms and signs that you are pregnant. Tick off whichever applies to you and get to know if you are indeed expecting.

Signs you are pregnant

1. Tender or swollen breasts - As early as two weeks after conception, hormonal changes may make your breasts tender, tingly or sore. Or your breasts may feel fuller and heavier.
2. Unexplained tiredness – During early pregnancy, lower blood sugar levels, lower blood pressure and increased blood production may team up to sap your energy.
3. Abdominal cramping and bleeding – this looks just like a period bleeding but, doesn’t last long and the cramps are just like your PMS. This was my earliest sign of pregnancy.
4. Nausea – Classic sign of pregnancy  (thanks to our good old Bollywood ). The sense of smell heightens and some odours will totally tick you off.
5. Food aversions or cravings - When you’re pregnant, you might find yourself turning up your nose at certain foods, such as coffee or fried foods. Food cravings are common too. Like most other symptoms of pregnancy, these food preferences can be chalked up to hormonal changes – especially in the first trimester, when hormonal changes are the most dramatic.
6. A headache – Increased blood circulation may lead to mild headaches in the first trimester.
7. Constipation – Another very common sign to denote that you are pregnant. It happens due to the Increased progesterone levels which cause food to pass more slowly through the intestines.
8. Mood swings – Time for your husband to take cover. Your raging hormones will lead to a lot of mood fluctuation wherein at one moment you are happy, the next you are weepy and sometimes you turn into a monster ready to demolish everything in front of you.
9. Dizzy - As your blood vessels dilate and your blood pressure drops, you may feel lightheaded or dizzy. Early in pregnancy, faintness also may be triggered by low blood sugar.
10. Increase in your Basal Body temperature - Your basal body temperature is your oral temperature when you first wake up in the morning. This temperature increases slightly soon after ovulation and remains at that level until your next period. If you’ve been charting your basal body temperature to determine when you ovulate, its continued elevation for more than two weeks may mean that you’re pregnant.
11. Frequent bathroom trips – During your first trimester itself, your baby has started making space for itself in your uterus. So, expect a lot of pressure on your bladder leading to many trips to the loo.
12. Heartburn – Your body becomes extra sensitive to the food you are gulping and a lot of times you may end up with acidity and heartburn.

If you have ticked off more than eight symptoms then it’s time to celebrate, as you are going to have a baby. The only piece of advice is to take it slow and one day at a time. Pregnancy is huge and your body undergoes tremendous changes. Just sit back and relax these moments.