You may notice a slight pink or brown-coloured stain in your knickers, or when you wee, or feel slight cramping. If your vaginal discharge changes in appearance and smell, see your doctor. Although this isn’t harmful to your baby, you’ll need treatment. Pregnancy also makes you more likely to get thrush. Don’t rinse out your vagina (douching), as this may irritate your skin and upset the natural, healthy balance of bacteria. The amount of discharge increases to discourage infections from travelling up your vagina (NHS 2015a). It’s usually harmless, and not that different from the discharge that you had before you were pregnant. It’s common to have more vaginal discharge in pregnancy. It’s possible that if you’re particularly in tune with your usual menstrual cycle, you will notice changes to your vaginal discharge at this early stage. If the body produces too many thyroid hormones during early pregnancy, when the embryo is developing, it may contribute to sickness (Forbes 2014). There’s also a theory that thyroid hormones play a part. The exact cause of morning sickness is unknown, but it’s thought to be connected to the rise in pregnancy hormones, human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) and oestrogen. Morning sickness usually starts to ease as you reach the end of the first trimester (Niebyl 2010), although about one woman in 10 still feels sick after week 20 (NHS 2015b). You may feel nauseous, with or without vomiting, at any time of the day or night. ![]() It’s more common for it to start when you’re about six weeks pregnant, though (Blackburn 2013, Murray and Hassall 2014, NHS 2016). Morning sickness and nausea Morning sickness can start two weeks after you’ve conceived, when you’re actually four weeks pregnant. This can work to your advantage though, as you should not drink any alcohol at all during your pregnancy. This might include coffee, tea, alcohol, spicy or fried foods and eggs. You may not be able to bear the taste of things that you used to enjoy. You may be opting for certain foods that ease your symptoms, rather than because you crave them (Weigel et al 2011). It’s more common to have a loss of appetite, especially if you’re starting to feel queasy because of morning sickness. So increased appetite doesn’t necessarily mean you have conceived (Hirschberg 2012). However, it’s also normal to feel hungrier just before your period for the same reason – higher levels of progesterone. The pregnancy hormone, progesterone, may make you feel hungrier (Hirschberg 2012). You may notice a metallic taste in your mouth and be extra sensitive to the smells of food or cooking (Newson 2014, NHS 2016). Midwives call this change in colour Chadwick’s sign (Geraghty and Pomeranz 2011 cited Murray and Hassall 2014).Īt this early stage, you are more likely to experience a change in your appetite than cravings for particular foods (NHS 2016). The change is caused by the increased amount of blood being supplied to the tissues around your vagina. ![]() Your vulva and vagina will become darker and may have a blue or purple tinge as your pregnancy progresses (Geraghty and Pomeranz 2011 cited Hassall and Murray 2014). However, sore breasts more commonly become noticeable about three weeks to four weeks after conception (Murray and Hassall 2014).Īnother early sign of pregnancy is the change in colour of your vulva and vagina. Your usual bra may become uncomfortable, and feel more chafing than usual. You may notice how tender your breasts feel within a week or so of conception. This can be one of the earliest signs of pregnancy. It happens because pregnancy hormones increase the blood supply to your breasts (Blackburn 2013, Murray and Hassall 2014). You may feel a prickling or tingling sensation in your breasts, particularly around your nipples. You won't be able to take a pregnancy test before you've missed your period but can look out for these pregnancy symptoms in the meantime. While it may still be too soon to tell, your body is already changing and these early symptoms could be your body's way of hinting that you're pregnant. Tender breasts, feeling nauseous and tired, and food cravings can all be signs that you're in the early stages of pregnancy. VIDEO Top signs of pregnancy Check out this video to discover the top 10 signs of pregnancy.
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