Common first week pregnancy symptoms
Many pregnancies go unnoticed during the first week due to there being no noticeable physical changes. Nevertheless, there are some clues that can point to a woman being pregnant. Some of the main symptoms of 1 week pregnant woman include;
During the first week of a pregnancy, a woman’s breasts will feel extra tender. Many women mistake this tenderness with the tenderness caused by premenstrual syndrome commonly known as PMS. During the first week, a woman’s breasts will feel sore, more sensitive and heavy. This phenomenon is attributed to the increased production of estrogen and progesterone. The increased levels of estrogen and progesterone cause breast glands to grow.
A pregnant woman’s body will require more energy to support the pregnancy. Therefore, it is normal for pregnant women to feel tired during the first week. The increased production of progesterone leads to a rise in the basal body temperature, which in turn leads to low energy levels. Additionally, the heart pumps faster to be able to deliver sufficient oxygen to the uterus. All these factors combined lead to women feeling exhausted during the first week of a pregnancy.
A common pregnancy symptom, frequent urination is another early pregnancy sign. Thus, while it is true that frequent urination results from the bladder being pressed by the growing baby there are other causes. One of the early causes of this sign is the pressing of the bladder by the swelling uterus. Another reason for this early symptom is the increased blood flow to the kidneys, which causes the latter organs to produce more urine.
Nausea and lack of appetite
Another early pregnancy sign that can be attributed to the increased production of progesterone is lack of appetite. Due to the progesterone, the digestive process slows down. This results in constipation or indigestion. Apart from a lack of appetite, pregnant women may also experience nausea during the first week. This feeling of nausea is attributed to the production of the human chorionic gonadotropin or HCG for short. Also, a woman may develop a dislike towards certain food. Doctors attribute this to the body’s natural defense mechanism. In a bid to protect the fetus, the body may react negatively towards certain foods if it feels they are harmful to the fetus.
Backache, cramps and bloating
These symptoms of 1 week pregnant woman are often mistaken for PMS symptoms. However, backaches, cramps and bloating are more than PMS symptoms. These signs are caused by hormonal changes resulting from the growth of the fetus.