Pregnancy can be a time of change in a woman’s life. Hormonal variations during pregnancy cause internal and external changes in a woman’s body, resulting in telltale symptoms and signs often associated with being pregnant. Some of the earliest and most known symptoms and signs of pregnancy include a missed period, morning sickness, fatigue, and smell sensitivity.
An individual woman who has some or all of these early symptoms may decide to take a pregnancy test or get an ultrasound for confirmation. Technological advances have enhanced how healthcare professionals like obstetricians, gynecologists, and other specialists provide health care to patients. One solution that optimizes the process of conducting physical examinations and ultrasounds is the portable ultrasound device. Utilizing affordable personal ultrasound units enables clinicians to keep up with fast-moving technological changes and conveniently, wirelessly, and accurately scan patients. Such robust handheld ultrasound devices produce high-quality images for pregnant women who want to avoid being exposed to COVID-19 (coronavirus) by going for an in-person ultrasound.
Throughout the three-trimester journey of pregnancy, a mother-to-be may endure a wide range of physiological changes that assist with the unborn baby’s health, ultimately contributing to physical and emotional symptoms. Every individual woman may experience pregnancy differently, with some women having few symptoms and feeling little sickness and others having severe symptoms like nausea, dizziness, and exhaustion the entire time. While health conditions a woman had before her pregnancy, her family medical history, and environmental factors can impact the symptoms she experiences as she carries her child in her womb, some symptoms are common among most women. Listed below are four common symptoms and ways to treat them.
1. Breast Tenderness and Swelling
Hormonal changes that occur early in pregnancy can contribute to breast pain, sensitivity, or soreness. After a few weeks pass and your body adjusts to the significant increases in hormone levels and blood flow to breast tissue, the discomfort you feel is likely to decrease. In most cases, a woman’s breasts are their most tender during the first trimester, but sensitivity, swelling, and growth can continue through the second and third trimesters. Such changes contribute to the breasts’ production of colostrum—the fluid that boosts newborn babies’ immune systems and initially meets their nutritional needs before breast milk production. One way to treat and deal with the discomfort caused by this symptom is to wear maternity bras made of high-quality material to maximize your comfort. A cotton sports bra, for example, can be a practical solution for relieving breast discomfort during sleep.
2. Sickness and Nausea
Within the first month of pregnancy, it’s common for women to experience sickness. In most cases, expectant mothers have bouts of morning sickness. However, this feeling can strike at night as well. Morning sickness typically eases up by the second trimester, but nausea can still affect moms-to-be for the rest of their pregnancy.
Some ways to alleviate nausea are to eat foods that you know won’t cause an upset stomach and drink a lot of water. Furthermore, routinely take your prenatal vitamin, as vitamin B6 can help with nausea, but consider speaking with your health care provider about switching any vitamins or prescriptions as necessary.
3. Fatigue
One of the most common early pregnancy symptoms is fatigue, which could result from increased progesterone levels. Progesterone is a sex hormone released by the ovaries that’s crucial to regulating ovulation and menstruation. While your energy levels may increase during the second trimester, the sluggish feeling will likely return by the third trimester. To boost your energy levels, rest as much as you can, adhere to a balanced diet, and complete any physical workout you can, even if it means just walking around the block.
This symptom can occur with several conditions, which is why women who suspect they’re pregnant can benefit from using a symptom checker. By inputting patient information like patient age, personal history with certain health conditions, medications, and symptoms you experience into a symptom checker, you can receive a list of medical conditions that are possibly causing your symptoms. Additionally, a tracker made with cutting-edge technology can provide users with up-to-date medical knowledge related to the health conditions their symptoms may reflect and information about possible treatments based on research. The best comprehensive symptom tracker can help you find the right healthcare provider or specialist to provide medical advice and patient care for you, prepare you for consultations, and make the symptom diagnosis process more efficient and accurate.
4. Increased Urination
Going to the bathroom often is a commonly experienced sign of pregnancy. During pregnancy, the amount of blood in the body increases, causing kidneys to process extra fluid in the bladder. Frequent urination is hard to avoid or treat, but one suggestion is to lean forward when using the bathroom to help you properly empty your bladder.
Increased urination is a symptom that isn’t unique to pregnancy. Increased urination can be a sign of a urinary tract infection (UTI). UTIs can impact the bladder, ureters, and kidneys. For postmenopausal women, a solution like Premarin vaginal cream could be a great way to treat a UTI. Premarin cream can boost the post-menopause estrogens in the body. Estrogens, such as vaginal estrogens, affect the body by increasing clear vaginal discharge and making the urethra and vulva healthy. The use of estrogen and estrogen-based vaginal creams can lessen or alleviate vaginal dryness, irritation, soreness, and pain during urination and sexual intercourse.
When experiencing these symptoms and others, it’s best to take precautions like getting a pregnancy test and visiting a qualified healthcare provider. Getting your pregnancy confirmed and scheduling an appointment with a health care provider is the beginning of receiving prenatal care.
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