Nausea and vomiting can be physical symptoms of many different problems, ranging from seasickness, hangover and flu to appendicitis, meningitis and cancer.
Some of these problems are transitory; others will only get better with proper medical diagnosis and treatment.
But for sexually active females of childbearing age (from puberty to menopause) and ability, any episode of nausea and vomiting that isn't obviously caused by something like the flu has to raise the questions, "Am I pregnant?", "Is this how pregnancy nausea starts?" The two most common first signs of pregnancy for many women are a missed menstrual period and the onset of morning sickness.
Sometimes, the nausea even comes first, since it can begin as soon as two weeks after impregnation-before the woman even has a chance to miss a period.
Now that home pregnancy tests are widely available, inexpensive, and reliable, most women can find out for themselves whether that queasiness likely means what they think and hope it means before they even visit the doctor for an official verdict.
There are a number of other less well-known symptoms of early pregnancy that can also help a woman decide whether the nausea and vomiting she is dealing with might mean that she's pregnant.
There are plenty of other explanations for most of them, including PMS, stress, hormone imbalances, the common cold, the flu, indigestion, ordinary back strain, etc.
But if a woman finds herself suffering from nausea, vomiting, and some of these other physical changes as well, it's probably time to try out a home pregnancy test, call the doctor for an appointment, and start planning for an addition to the family.
Some of these problems are transitory; others will only get better with proper medical diagnosis and treatment.
But for sexually active females of childbearing age (from puberty to menopause) and ability, any episode of nausea and vomiting that isn't obviously caused by something like the flu has to raise the questions, "Am I pregnant?", "Is this how pregnancy nausea starts?" The two most common first signs of pregnancy for many women are a missed menstrual period and the onset of morning sickness.
Sometimes, the nausea even comes first, since it can begin as soon as two weeks after impregnation-before the woman even has a chance to miss a period.
Now that home pregnancy tests are widely available, inexpensive, and reliable, most women can find out for themselves whether that queasiness likely means what they think and hope it means before they even visit the doctor for an official verdict.
There are a number of other less well-known symptoms of early pregnancy that can also help a woman decide whether the nausea and vomiting she is dealing with might mean that she's pregnant.
- Swollen or tender breasts: Even before morning sickness sets in, as early as 1-2 weeks after conception some women will notice their breasts have become sore, swollen and tender.
If the skin around your nipples seems to have changed color, that is another early pregnancy sign. - Implantation bleeding is another very early sign of pregnancy.
When the embryo first attaches to the uterus, six to twelve days following conception, some cramping and even spotting can occur.
This can be confusing if it's mistaken for actual menstrual bleeding, since that is usually believed to be confirmation that a woman is not pregnant.
In fact, many women do experience some bleeding during pregnancy, though usually it will be briefer and lighter than a normal menstrual period. - Exhaustion.
Many women feel unaccountably tired during two or three months of pregnancy as their bodies react to enormous hormonal and metabolic changes that are occurring.
Fortunately, once the first trimester is past and hormone levels settle down, a lot of pregnant women regain much of their energy. - Frequent urination.
This is not one of the very earliest signs, but even within the first month of pregnancy, the growing embryo may start to cause pressure on the bladder, leading to a need to urinate more often. - Constipation.
One of the hormonal effects of pregnancy causes the whole digestive tract to slow down, which can lead to constipation. - Lower backaches are common all through pregnancy, and can start early.
- Headaches.
Again, hormones seem to be the culprit in the frequent headaches some women have during the early weeks of pregnancy. - Food Cravings.
Yes, it's true, lots of pregnant women do develop unusual food cravings, and they often start early.
There are plenty of other explanations for most of them, including PMS, stress, hormone imbalances, the common cold, the flu, indigestion, ordinary back strain, etc.
But if a woman finds herself suffering from nausea, vomiting, and some of these other physical changes as well, it's probably time to try out a home pregnancy test, call the doctor for an appointment, and start planning for an addition to the family.
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