How Do I Know if I Am Pregnant?

There are a variety of symptoms that will indicate to you that you may be pregnant but keep in mind that the only sure way to know is to see your physician and seek a pregnancy test. Here are 10 different symptoms of pregnancy that are generally quite easy to identify:

1. Missing your period is one of the most common ways women identify a potential pregnancy. This symptom is not always related to pregnancy so be sure to see your doctor in case it is an indicator of a hormone imbalance.
2. Having high basal metabolic temperature also indicates pregnancy. Your temperature may be up to 99 degrees for 18 days or more. Keep track of your temperature for a period of 18 days so that you can be sure that the increased temperature is consistent on a daily basis. Remember that your baseline temperature is around 98.6 degrees. You may want to invest in a temporal thermometer (it measures temperatures with a quick swipe across the forehead) so that you can be sure you are accurately recording your temperature.
3. Craving certain foods or feeling adversely towards certain foods can be a symptom of pregnancy but is not manifested in all pregnant women.
4. Increased breast tenderness and darkening around the nipples is often indicative of pregnancy. A pregnant woman's body will produce hormones that help prepare the breasts for breastfeeding and these result in tenderness and breast enlargement.
5. Urinating more frequently is often an early symptom of pregnancy.
6. Feeling nauseous or dizzy (often occurs in the morning, hence the given title "morning sickness") consistently for several days or weeks.
7. Experiencing spotting or abnormal bleeding is quite common in early pregnancy. Sometimes this bleeding is simply due to hormone imbalance or because of implantation of the fetus in the uterus. This generally occurs within a week of conception.
8. Many women experience bloating and weight gain (similar to bloating during a menstrual cycle).
9. The increase in hormones may increase irritability and number of mood swings. Excessive crying or easily provoked anger may be related to hormone regulated mood swings.
10. Some women experience lower back pain in the first month of pregnancy (this often extends to the ninth month) that is associated with bloating and the increased size of the uterus.

Remember that although you may experience some of these symptoms or all of these symptoms, none clearly indicate pregnancy. See your physician for substantial pregnancy test results.