General Symptoms of Pregnancy and Their Causes

Are you wondering whether you are pregnant? The ultimate proof is a pregnancy test. Nevertheless, before performing a pregnancy test, you can easily know that you are pregnant by keenly observing your body changes. The first symptoms of pregnancy are experienced during the first week after conception. Many people however might not notice these general symptoms and need to wait until they experience the late pregnancy symptoms which are believed to be more pronounced. Let’s have a look at the general symptoms and what causes them.

Headaches are common with expectant women and are usually strong during the first trimester. When you are pregnant, headaches aren’t supposed to worry you much; they are actually normal due to the changes in hormone levels in the body and the urgent need for fluids. Nevertheless, headaches that are experienced accompanied by late pregnancy symptoms such as nausea and abdominal pain should be checked by your physician as this may lead to preeclampsia. To reduce these headaches, you need to drink enough water as well as get enough rest. You should also avoid caffeine at all costs.

Fatigue is known to be the top symptoms of pregnancy in the first stages. In the second trimester, fatigue disappears but it’s likely to make a come back on the third trimester. Fatigue is mainly caused by the changes in the hormonal levels and also the extra effort the body has to put in to satisfy the increased amount of blood. The 50% increase in the blood volume is responsible for the growth of the placenta as well as the thickening of the uterus. When observing the late pregnancy symptoms, you will realize that fatigue is one of them which are caused by the many demands of the baby in the womb plus the size of its mother. Other facts that can lead to fatigue include anemia and sleeping difficulties. In this case, the remedy is simple; just take some time to rest and breathe fresh air.

Sleeping difficulties are common in the first and third trimesters which are mainly caused by frequent visits to the bathroom. The cause of frequent urinating in the early stages of pregnancy is the added 50% volume of blood. This blood needs to be filtered regularly and therefore the kidneys release more waste. When the pregnancy develops further, there is another factor that keeps you rushing to the washroom. When the baby is developing, the uterus expands, leading to competition for space with the bladder, this may cause the bladder to release waste more frequently. Other factors would include the frequent waking up to a snack or as a result of a nausea attack or vomiting. In the case of frequent urinating, it’s good to drink little amounts of water/fluids before bedtime. In case you wake up and become unable to sleep, it’s good to keep yourself busy instead of lying on the bed. If you lie on the bed, you will probably become an insomniac.