10 most common pregnancy symptoms

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Darkening areolas

In very early pregnancy - around the time of your expected period - you may notice that your areola (the darker area that rings the nipple) begin to darken and increase in diameter.

It is believed that the darker colour of the areola helps the newborn to find the nipple for breastfeeding. You may also notice that the veins in your breasts become more visible and that Montgomery's tubercles, the tiny 'bumps' that are scattered around the areola, enlarge and may increase in number, averaging between 4 and 28 per areola.

Extreme fatigue

If you are pregnant, a very common symptom in the first eight to ten weeks is exhaustion. When you are pregnant, your body is going through significant metabolic changes.

Your entire body needs to adjust to the new process of growing a baby. For most women, the fatigue starts to go away by the 12th week of pregnancy.

Nausea and vomiting

If you are pregnant you may find quite early on - as early as a week after conception - that you are experiencing morning sickness. And you may also find that morning sickness is a misnomer. Nausea can occur anytime - day or night.

Frequent urination

By the time your period is one to two weeks late you may find that you are peeing more frequently than usual. This is because the baby growing in your uterus is putting pressure on your bladder.

Constipation

You may notice a change in your bowels in early pregnancy. The extra hormones produced during pregnancy cause the intestines to relax and become less efficient.

Raised basal body temperature

You may very well be pregnant if your basal body temperature remains elevated even past the time your period is due and does not decline to preovulatory levels.

When you conceive, the egg is fertilised in the fallopian tube, after which it takes about a week to travel to the uterus, where it will implant. It is at this time that your body is finally able to detect that you are pregnant.

When hCG is released, women often experience a third temperature rise, not as dramatic as the first, but can usually be seen anywhere from about a week to 12 days after the first temperature rise at ovulation.

Missed period

This may be your first sign of pregnancy, especially if you're normally quite regular. Combined with other positive signs you may be sure you're pregnant, even before the test stick turns blue.

A positive pregnancy test

If your period is at least a day late, and you're ready to know the truth, you may want to take a home pregnancy test. A urine pregnancy test can be accurate as early as 10 to 14 days after fertilisation. If you can't wait until a missed period, a blood pregnancy test can be accurate as early as 8 to 10 days after fertilisation.

Keep in mind that pregnancy tests are not 100 percent foolproof - not even blood tests. If you have a negative result and still feel pregnant, be sure to retest a week later - and check in with your GP.

Good luck!

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