Many women don’t think about the possibility of being pregnant until after their period is missed and the test is taken. At that time, many early pregnancy symptoms may begin to occur, and confirm what is already known because of the body’s own response to the many changes taking place. You may think that missing your period is your first indication that you are pregnant, but some of these early pregnancy symptoms may appear long before missing your period. Sometimes these early pregnancy symptoms are not noticed because they are not strong enough to gain the mother’s attention. If you did notice them, that might be the best time to take a pregnancy test.  But by the time a woman hits the sixth or seventh week of pregnancy however, these early pregnancy signs might be difficult to ignore.

Yuck. Even the thought of that food makes me want to throw up.

Most women expect to have food cravings and aversions later into their first trimester, but most are surprised how early they appear. When you look at charts of pregnancy symptoms week by week, these symptoms often show up much later in the term. However, challenges with different types of food can begin very early in the first trimester and will sometimes continue on throughout the pregnancy. In some cases, the aversions or craving may fluctuate slightly, so a woman who is craving one type of food during the first few months may switch to a completely different craving later on.

Rising hormone levels, primarily HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), are the cause of many early pregnancy symptoms. The fluctuations in hormones can sensitize the nose to a variety of odors, and the odors are often the cause of the food aversion. One important thing to do when you have any of these early pregnancy symptoms is to be sure that you take your prenatal vitamin, so you are sure to get the nutrients you need. Try to take you pregnancy vitamin with a little food, so you don’t upset your stomach even more.  Then try to cater to your aversions and cravings as much as possible while sticking to a healthy diet as much as possible.

When did I strain my back?

When low back pains begin, most women don’t attribute it to being pregnant, because early in the pregnancy the weight gain has not begun! Many books that talk about pregnancy symptoms week by week will also list low back pain in the later months of pregnancy as the growing baby begins to put a strain on the mother’s body. However, many women do experience low back pain as one of the early pregnancy symptoms as well. Once again, you can blame hormones for this discomfort as they prepare your joints and ligaments for the delivery of your baby at the end of your term.

There are a lot of changes occurring in the first few months, which can cause many early pregnancy symptoms. Many symptoms, like an abdominal cramp in early pregnancy, morning sickness and fatigue, are well known and expected. Early pregnancy symptoms like food aversions and low back pain often occur so early in pregnancy that many women are surprised that they are having them. If you are ever concerned about any of the early pregnancy symptoms you experience, talk to your doctor.