Early Signs of Pregnancy Before Missed Period

Aside from a missed period, early signs of a pregnancy include a myriad of mental and physical flags. Some of the early signs of pregnancy before missed period include a dip in your temperature, bleeding or spotting, and cramps in your lower abdomen. However, these signs do not mean that you should panic. All three symptoms may indicate pregnancy, but other symptoms will change in the coming weeks and even months, and these will give you more of a head’s up.

Implantation Day Signs

The best way to discover if you are pregnant is to look for the three tell-tale signs on implantation day, or the day the egg is fertilized 7 to 14 days after conception. Symptoms include spotting, a dip in temperature and cramps. Unfortunately, there is no way to distinguish these easily unless you know exactly what to look for. The dip in temperature is slight, and the cramps may feel like period cramps. However, the spotting is generally a big flag. Spotting before a missed period is usually a pink or brown color and occurs 8 to 10 days after ovulation (if you’re keeping track). During this time, mood swings and emotional anxiety are also present, but again, may mimic regular P.M.S.

After Implantation Signs

Six to eight days after inception, an hCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) count of 10 or more will mean a positive result on an early pregnancy test, while standard pregnancy tests require a hCD of 14. In other words, one of the only ways to know if you’re pregnant within the first week is to take a pregnancy test, although the implementation day signs will give you a slight red flag. Once your hCG hits 15, you will skip a period. If you have not skipped a period yet, another warning factor is an elevated basal body temperature (morning temperature) for 15 or more days without a period, but only a doctor or an at-home basal test can show this. Women are more likely to become pregnant when their BBT is elevated, which is why couples looking to have children chart the woman’s temperatures first thing in the morning.

Future Signs

With the exception of women taking hormonal birth control, most women cannot predict the exact day they will get their period, and others have irregular periods or no period at all. If you fall into this category, a missed period may not faze you as a pregnancy symptom, and other early-pregnancy signs must be heeded. Other signs of early pregnancy include nausea first thing in the morning (also known as morning sickness) and nipple or breast tenderness, which occurs 2 to 3 weeks after implantation. Fatigue is one of the most commonly reported side effects in women who do not realize they are pregnant, and this occurs anywhere between 3 and 10 weeks after implantation. Vomiting may also occur during this time.

If you’re worried about whether or not you’re pregnant, you’re not alone. Early pregnancy detectors can help you assuage your fears, and waiting for the test may be easier than learning to identify the hard-to-read early signs of pregnancy before missed period. If you’re not ready to talk to your OB/GYN, consider buying an early pregnancy test from your local supermarket or drug store. You may want to buy a regular pregnancy test as well, just in case.