Breast tenderness and nausea are sometimes among the first signs of pregnancy, and they may preceed more definitive signs.
For most women, missing the menstrual period is usually the very first time that they suspect they may be pregnant. However, there are many women who are convinced they know even before they miss their period that they are pregnant. They feel swollen, tender breasts within one or two weeks after fertilization, and even before the first missed period.
Nausea, exhaustion, sleepiness or even sleeplessness can also be early signs of pregnancy, though many women do not experience these until the second or third month of pregnancy. There are many other symptoms of pregnancy that vary a lot from one woman to the other. Some women experience a lot of these symptoms very early in pregnancy; others have barely any symptoms. And there is nothing wrong if you don't feel any changes even throughout your pregnancy. While early symptoms could be a hint that you are pregnant, they are not always definite. In fact, some women may experience some of the pregnancy symptoms without actually being pregnant. And there are a few that have all the symptoms of pregnancy without being pregnant. This condition is called "pseudocyesis," or imaginary pregnancy.
If you haven't missed your period yet and want to know for sure whether you are pregnant, the most reliable way to find out would be to do a blood test in your doctor's office for the pregnancy hormone hCG. Results usually come back within less than 24 hours. The hCG can become positive as early as eight to 10 days after fertilization.
Even the home pregnancy tests, which test your urine, can become positive as early as 10-12 days after fertilization, a couple of days before you miss your period. But occasionally with the urine tests there are false negatives (a negative test when in fact you are pregnant) or false positives (a positive test when you are not pregnant). A positive urine pregnancy test is not always proof because sometimes you may have a so-called "chemical pregnancy," in which there is a positive test but no development of a fetus. And a negative urine test is no absolute proof that you are not pregnant, because, for example, you may have become pregnant late in your cycle and most tests do not become positive until 12 days or so after fertilization.
One to two weeks after the missed period (three to four weeks after fertilization) a transvaginal sonogram can finally confirm the pregnancy and the presence of the fetus inside the uterus. At that time you can often see a gestational sac. And four to five weeks after fertilization (six to seven weeks after your last period) you should be able to see a fetus and a heartbeat.
If you are really terrified of becoming pregnant, then ensure you use more than one method of birth control simultaneously. A good combination is the pill and a condom and spermicidal gel. Other combinations would work too.
If not getting pregnant is absolutely critical, then don't have intercourse until you are ready to handle the risk - it is the only sure way!
I hope this helps.
ItalStall
Posted: 27 Sep 00:28