Honey, I'm not sure if you're happy or scared right now but I do know you need answers. Something to tell if you're pregnant or it's just your period announcing its visit earlier than usual.

But have you taken a pregnancy test already?

We will discuss some common early signs of pregnancy. These symptoms usually start 15

days past ovulation (DPO).

1. Missed Period

Ruling out menopause and PCOS (Polycystic ovary syndrome), a missed period that is one to two weeks late is a sign of pregnancy for women who have an accurate menstrual cycle.

On average, most women have their menses every 28 days. According to the UK National Health Service, some may be longer or shorter than this but it is usually between 21 days to 40 days.

Using a period tracker is one of the easiest ways to know if you have a missed period or not.

2. Tender and swollen breast

An increase in hormones causes tenderness and soreness in the breast.

Once fertilization takes place, the brain is triggered to produce more estrogens and progesterones. These hormones boost the flow of blood and cause water retention in the breast as an effort to prepare your body for breastfeeding.

A sensitive and tender breast is more noticeable a few days before a missed period and can easily be mistaken for a PMS (premenstrual syndrome).

3. Frequent Urination

The same hormones responsible for tenderness of the breast also cause an increase in urination.

Estrogen, progesterone, and human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) present in the blood after fertilization and implantation cause an increase in bodily fluids. As a result, your kidney works extra hard to flush out the excess fluid resulting in the urgent need to urinate frequently.

There's also an increased pressure on the bladder during the first trimester as the fetus grows increasing your trips to the bathroom.

4. Cramps and spotting

As the fertilized egg moves from the fallopian tube to the uterus, most women experience cramps in the abdomen and lower back.

This is usually followed by implantation of the fertilized egg in the uterine walls. Implantation causes light spotting. Spotting is nothing compared to the amount of blood you see during your menses.

As the name suggests, spots should look like spots of pink, red, or brown fluid in your underwear or toilet paper.

5.Fatigue and bloating

An increase in hormones may cause most women to experience fatigue and bloating to some extent.

Progesterone relaxes the muscles resulting in frequent sleeping. The walls of your intestines are also relaxed and may cause bloating and a build-up of gas.

This occurs very often during premenstrual syndrome (PMS) as well.

Other early symptoms of pregnancy include nausea, constipation, and nasal congestion but not everyone experiences these.

So are you pregnant? It's important to know that most of these symptoms are not always exclusively associated with pregnancy. Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) can often be mistaken for pregnancy symptoms so the best way to know is to take an HCG pregnancy test.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShZ2PNU7nnc

HCG (Human chorionic gonadotropin) is usually present in blood 6 days after implantation and 12-15 days after ovulation so the best time to get tested for an accurate result is after a missed period.