1) There are a lot more warning symptoms than nausea and vomiting
The quintessential early pregnancy symptom is nausea. However, some people never or rarely experience nausea as an early pregnancy symptom. According to research, nausea is thought to be caused by increasing HcG levels as your pregnancy continues. However, just as HcG levels can vary widely among pregnant women so too can their experiences regarding symptoms like nausea and vomiting.
Hormones are mostly to blame for many of the more common pregnancy symptoms, but other mechanisms can be at work as well. Fatigue can be caused by lowering blood sugar and blood pressure, as your body prepares for the additional strain of caring for another life. Headaches are another common symptom and can also be caused by changes in blood sugar and blood pressure.
Other common pregnancy symptoms include tender or swollen breasts, muscle aches, and an overactive bladder. However the most important symptom is a missed period. Unfortunately. . .
2) An irregular period can lead to issues with dating your pregnancy
There are many causes for a missed period that don’t involve pregnancy.
Missing your period for 3 months or more is called secondary amenorrhea, which can make it difficult to get pregnant in the first place.
Causes of a missed or irregular period can include Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Endometriosis, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, and even innocuous things such as a change in diet and stress.
If you suffer from irregular periods, it can make dating your pregnancy more difficult. The most common way to date a pregnancy is to count from the first day of the last period, adding 280 days to that will give an estimated delivery date.
Unfortunately, for those who suffer from irregular periods, the most common method for determining gestational age assumes a normal cycle pattern and length, in addition to regular ovulation.
If you have irregular periods, your doctor will rely on sonograms and the size of your fetus on initial scans to determine how far along in your pregnancy you are.
3) Miscarriage is common
Miscarriage most commonly occurs in the first trimester, and 10–15 percent of known pregnancies result in miscarriage. However, as your age increases so do your chances of miscarriage. Women over 45 can have up to a 50% chance of miscarriage, and risk of miscarriage increases with your first miscarriage.
The most common cause of miscarriage are issues with the developing fetus’ or embryo’s chromosomes. However there are many other causes of miscarriage including infection, malnutrition, and the use of certain medications.
You can likely expect more frequent appointments with your obstetrician during your first trimester, as opposed to your second, partly due to the risk of miscarriage. Your doctor may also be interested in making sure that a variety of tests and screenings are done in order to insure that you can make the best decision for yourself.
