You’re walking down the frozen food section at the grocery store when suddenly, the sight of your favorite microwavable burritos, coupled with the overwhelming smell of something in the deli, makes you feel like you’re going to throw up.
Suddenly you start connecting the mental dots, realizing you are a few days late for your period. You begin to wonder if the sudden bout of nausea might mean more than a quick onset of the flu.
What are the signs you may be pregnant?
According to the American Pregnancy Association, “You may experience pregnancy symptoms within a week of conception. Some women report that they did not experience any symptoms for a few weeks.”
Those symptoms include:
- Moodiness. Did you cry this morning because you couldn’t find two matching socks? Or get unusually angry because someone cut you off in traffic? Did you suddenly have the urge to offer free hugs to people? Swinging from one extreme to another is a common side effect of pregnancy.
- Frequent urination. If you feel like you have to pee all the time, it might not be because you drank too much sweet tea. It could be because your body is producing more blood to build up your pregnancy, which causes your kidneys to work overtime and makes you have to urinate more.
- Fatigue. Are you having a hard time staying awake in class? Falling asleep on the couch before 8 pm? Your body might be responding to the increased build-up of the pregnancy hormone progesterone.
- Nausea or morning sickness. You may feel like throwing up after smelling certain smells or eating certain foods, or randomly during the day. Morning sickness can strike at any time.
How can you know for sure if you are pregnant?
The only way to know for sure if you are pregnant is to take a pregnancy test. You can purchase at-home tests at any pharmacy or drugstore. These tests will look for the pregnancy hormone hCG in your urine, which will be present shortly after conception.
You can also take a blood test with a healthcare provider, which can sometimes detect pregnancy earlier and with more certainty.
Can a pregnancy test be wrong?
You might get a false negative result after taking a pregnancy test if you take the test too early. This is because there was not enough hCG in your urine to be detected. You also can sometimes get a false positive test if there are condensation lines on the test.
If you are unsure if your pregnancy test is correct, wait a couple of days and take another test. At our clinic, we offer free pregnancy testing and would be happy to help you confirm whether or not you are pregnant.
What should you do with a positive pregnancy test?
If your test shows a positive result, you can relax in knowing why you have been having sudden changes in your health and hormones.
The next thing you need to know is how far along your pregnancy is and if it is a viable pregnancy with a heartbeat. You can find out by doing an ultrasound, which we offer for free at our clinic.
Knowing this information about your pregnancy will help you know what your options are for the next steps with your pregnancy and will make sure you do not have any early pregnancy complications.
Call us today to schedule an ultrasound. While you are at our clinic, we can also offer helpful information and resources about your choices.