Know if You are Pregnant

If you're pregnant, you will likely notice early symptoms of pregnancy soon after becoming pregnant. However, not all women have these symptoms, and even if you do, that doesn't necessarily mean you are pregnant. The best way to tell if you're pregnant at home is to use an over-the-counter pregnancy test. If you get a positive result, you can confirm it with a doctor and then decide what you want to do next.

Steps

Recognizing the Early Signs

1. Think about when you last had sex. You must have had vaginal sex to be pregnant. Oral sex doesn't count in this case. Also, consider whether you practiced safe sex. If you weren't on a birth control pill and didn't use another form of contraception (such as a diaphragm or condom), you have a much higher chance of getting pregnant than if you did practice safe sex.
   • It actually takes about six to ten days after you have sex for the fertilized egg to start the implantation process, which is when you officially become pregnant. That's also when your body starts releasing hormones. A pregnancy test is generally not accurate until after the first day of your missed period.
2. Notice when you've missed your period. A missed period is often one of the first signs that you may be pregnant. If you go past your expected start date by a week or more, that could be an indicator that you're pregnant.
   • If you track your period, figuring out when you had your period last should be easy. If you don't, try to remember the last time you had your period. If it's been more than a month, it could mean you're pregnant.
   • However, this indicator isn't foolproof, especially if you have irregular periods.
3. Watch for changes in your breasts. While your breasts will increase in size over the course of your pregnancy, you may also notice changes early on. Hormones fluctuate in your body when you become pregnant, which can cause tenderness and swelling in your breasts. Once you adapt to the hormonal changes, this particular pain should decrease.
4. Check if you're feeling overly tired. Pregnancy can often bring on fatigue. You're growing a new life inside you, and that's hard work. However, in early pregnancy, this tiredness is more due to the fact that you have an increase in the hormone progesterone, which causes drowsiness.
5. Pay attention to stomach problems. "Morning sickness" is a common issue, which refers to nausea which tends to be more. It's a term that refers to the fact that many women get nauseous during pregnancy and typically in the morning. (Although it can occur at any time of the day). Often, this symptom starts about two weeks after conception and eases up after the first trimester.
   • You may also experience aversion to strong smells or certain foods, while at the same time, you may start craving other foods.
   • You may have other digestive problems like constipation.
   • Note that while this is a common symptom of pregnancy, many women do not have morning sickness or food or smell aversion during gestation. While it is a trope in television and movies, in reality many women do not have this issue.
   • Many women develop a heightened sense of smell, and pick up on noxious smells like spoilage, smoke, and body odors more sensitively. It does not necessarily lead to nausea if exposed to smells.
6. Notice if you're running to the bathroom more to urinate. One of the early symptoms you may notice is running to the bathroom to urinate more often. This symptom, like many of the symptoms you'll experience if pregnant, is due to a change in hormones.
   • Later in the pregnancy, the baby can put pressure on your bladder, which causes you to run to the bathroom. However, early in pregnancy, frequent urination is more likely to be due to hormonal changes.
7. Look for implantation bleeding. Some women have a bit of spotting around when their period should begin. You may notice a bit of blood in your underwear or some brownish discharge. It may continue for a few weeks, but it will likely be lighter than your normal period.
8. Keep an eye out for mood swings. The hormonal changes of pregnancy can affect your moods, causing you to be euphoric one minute and crying the next minute. While not everyone gets mood swings early on, it can happen. If you find you're crying at the drop of a hat or snapping at your loved ones, that could be an indicator you're pregnant.
9. Watch out for dizziness. Dizziness can happen at any time during pregnancy, including early pregnancy. In early pregnancy, the cause is likely the fact that your body is creating new blood vessels (causing a change in blood pressure). However, it could also be caused by low blood sugar.

Getting Tested

1. Take a home pregnancy test. A pregnancy test is very accurate if you take it after you should have had your period. You can buy pregnancy tests at drugstores, big box stores, and grocery stores. You'll find them with either the family planning products or feminine hygiene products. A few tests are accurate before your missed period, but it should say so on the box.
   • Take the test when you wake up, as it will be more accurate. Follow the directions on your box, but generally, you urinate on one end of a stick that has a test strip. After you're done, put it on a flat surface.
   • Give it about five minutes or so to work. The package should tell you what to be looking for. Some tests show two lines for pregnant, while others are a single blue line.
2. Decide if you need to do it again with a negative result. Most of the time, if you get a negative result, you're not pregnant. However, if you did the test too early (before your first missed period), it may come back with a negative result even if you are pregnant. If you want to be sure, you may need to take the test again.
   • Try taking it again after you should have had a period.
3. Confirm a positive result with a doctor. Although modern home pregnancy tests are highly accurate, you want to be 100% sure. Plus, if you are pregnant, you'll want to make a plan, such as deciding if you want to keep the baby or starting prenatal care. You can either take a confidential urine test at a family planning clinic like Planned Parenthood or at your physician's or gynecologist's office.
   • Even if a urine test is positive, your doctor may draw blood to confirm that you are pregnant. Then the doctor can help you figure out a plan.

Taking the Next Steps

1. Decide if you are in a place to raise a child. If the pregnancy came as a surprise, you'll need to decide if you want to keep the baby or not. Think about whether you're in a place to raise a child, both physically and financially. If you're not, could you make the necessary changes to care for the child? A child is a big responsibility, emotionally, physically, and financially. While no parent is perfect, you should at least want the responsibility of caring for another human life.
2. Discuss it with your partner. Think about whether you would want to raise a child with the father of the baby. Your relationship needs to be mature enough to handle the responsibility of caring for and raising a child. If the father is someone you would considering raising a child with, discuss your pregnancy with them to see how you want to move forward together.
   • If the father is not around, discuss the pregnancy and your situation with someone who cares about you, such as a parent or a sibling, just to have someone to bounce ideas off of.
3. Begin prenatal care. If you decide to go through with having the baby, you'll start prenatal care. Prenatal care is basically keeping the baby healthy through regular checkups at the doctor. Your doctor will check on your own health, including screening for sexually transmitted diseases and diabetes, and the health of the baby at your first visit. Your doctor will help you set up a schedule for the rest of your visits.
4. Consider if you want to end the pregnancy. You may decide that you don't want to have the baby, and that's a valid choice. If that's the case, your main option is an abortion, though the morning after pill can work up to five days after you've had sex.
   • Research abortion clinics in your area. They can help you with your options. Keep in mind, though, many states and countries have laws in place that require doctors to tell you certain information, which is intended to discourage you from having an abortion. Don't let it discourage you if an abortion is what you desire - just make sure you are fully aware of all the risks involved in having an abortion. Some states may require an ultrasound before you can have an abortion. Depending on the state, you may need to get your parent's permission if you're under 18.
   • The two main types of abortion in the first trimester are medical and surgical. Don't let the word "surgical" scare you, as it generally doesn't involve any cutting. Usually, a tube or forceps are used to open your cervix, and then a suction action is used.
   • A medical abortion is when a pill is used to induce abortion.
5. Research adoption. If you want to have the baby but feel like you can't raise it yourself, then giving your baby up for adoption can be another option. It is a difficult decision to make, and it is one that is binding, once the papers are signed. If you think this option is for you, begin by reading books about it, researching on the internet, talking to close friends, and talking to an adoption lawyer or an adoption professional.
   • Talk to the father. In many states in the United States, the father has to give his consent before the adoption becomes official. If you are under 18, you need to talk to your parents before making a decision.
   • Decide what kind of adoption you want. You can go through an agency or you can hire a lawyer to arrange an independent adoption outside of an agency.
   • Choose the adoptive parents carefully. You may want a family who raises your child in your faith tradition, or you may want a family that's open to you being in the child's life. Also, in some adoptions, the parents may pay for your prenatal care and other medical expenses.

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