Early pregnancy can be a very stressful time in a woman’s life, full of questions and uncertainties.  It is important that women know their irregularities of early pregnancy are not so irregular, and that answers can be easily found.  The following article offers some help in answering these questions for women.

It is a common belief that a missed period indicates early pregnancy signs; however, women who are pregnant can, in fact, have light spotting that may occur deceptively at the time of their usual monthly cycle.  This bleeding, however, may appear lighter or darker in color than expected, and will be much lighter than normal.  If the bleeding calls for the need of tampons or pads, then you may not be pregnant.  If spotting occurs, followed by heavier bleeding, cramps, or pain, you should immediately contact your physician.  These symptoms can be signs of infection, miscarriage, or other complications and should be addressed right away.  In contrast, if you have the normal symptoms and signs of pregnancy but then receive a normal to heavy period, see your physician.  This may be due to a hormonal imbalance, infection, or possible miscarriage.  As soon as you become pregnant, make sure to keep in contact with your physician and keep them informed on all the changes that occur during pregnancy.

Although cramps and bleeding do occur during pregnancy and are normal, it is important to understand to what degree and in what amount these things can occur before they are considered a danger.  Light cramps can occur in early pregnancy in the lower abdomen and can be on either one side or the other of the body.  These cramps are expected and can be due to the changes that your uterus is undergoing due to pregnancy.  They can also be the symptoms of a small cyst that can appear on the ovary after ovulation.  This can cause some discomfort and should be brought up to your physician.

One of the most common concerns of early pregnancy is determining the exact date of conception.  This is difficult and nearly impossible to do.  Educated guesswork can be done by you or your physician (who can measure the growth of the fetus to determine age).  However, this guesswork can never be proven to be accurate.  Every woman has her own unique menstrual cycle.  Due to unpredictable menstrual cycles, ovulation is also unpredictable and the date of conception is impossible to determine.  Doctors commonly date the day of conception by asking for the date of your last period and using ultrasound to determine measurements of fetus growth.  No matter the method used to guess, it is all estimation.

Finally, one of the most important issues to address is the negative pregnancy test.  Although you may have calmed your fears already by testing negative after a missed period, pregnancy tests are not necessarily a sure bet.  You may have not waited the correct amount of time for the test, or you may have waited too long.  Also, you should always make sure that you have missed your full period before buying the pregnancy test.  It may be that your period is just late, and that you are not pregnant.  On the other hand, you may be pregnant and have not taken the test correctly.  To make the best odds, be sure to wait until after you have missed your full period and are sure that it is late before buying and using a pregnancy test (make sure to follow directions to the letter).

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Early Pregnancy Symptoms