How Do I Know If I'm Pregnant?

There are both subtle signs and obvious signs to indicate that you are pregnant.

The most obvious way to suspect you are pregnant is by missing a period. But since some women’s periods do not come regularly, this is not always reliable. Also, you can be pregnant and have a spotty period at first, so you still wouldn’t know for sure.

The best way to tell if you are pregnant is a pregnancy test a few days after the time when your period was supposed to begin. You can buy one to use at home, or go to a clinic or doctor’s office. The home pregnancy tests aren’t 100% reliable, so you should follow up with the doctor to make sure the results were accurate.

You may also experience subtle signs, like:

• Morning sickness that may last all day (nausea and vomiting)
• Headaches
• Urinating more often than usual
• Fatigue
• Sore or numb nipples
• Breasts that feel sore, tingly, or heavy
• Food cravings or dislikes
• Mood swings
• Constipation
• Bloating
• Trouble sleeping
• Increased discharge without itching
• Sexual intercourse can feel different because your cervix drops a bit at conception   

Conception

Everyone knows a woman gets her menstrual period once a month. About two weeks after the start of her period, she will ovulate. That means an egg or eggs will be released. It travels down the fallopian tubes to the uterus. If a sperm does not fertilize it, it leaves the body during the woman’s next period. The sperm have to swim up the fallopian tubes to impregnate the egg. The egg will survive 1-2 days in the tube and the sperm can survive 5-7 days, so fertilization can happen a few days after sexual intercourse.  

The fertile time for most women is a two week span from one week after the start of the period to one week before it will occur again. Even though this is the way most women get pregnant, women can ovulate at any time. Factors such as stress, changes in diet, and other major changes can affect ovulation. 

Getting Pregnant

If you are trying to get pregnant, there are ways to know when ovulation occurs.  You do this by paying attention to your body and looking for signs that ovulation is about to begin. 

Your cervical mucus changes during your cycle with an increase in volume and a change in texture. When the mucus is clear and slippery, kind of like raw egg whites, you are fertile. The mucus assists the sperm swim to the tubes.  

After ovulation, your body temperature can increase from .4 to 1.0 degrees. This happens because the release of the egg increases progesterone, which will raise your body temperature. Since it may take a few days for your temperature to rise, this is not a reliable method. It can be used to chart your ovulation over the course of a few months to give you an idea of your ovulation pattern.

Lastly, about 20 percent of women can actually feel discomfort in their lower abdomen when ovulation occurs. This is called mittelschmerz and can last from a few minutes to a few hours.

Birth Control Options

Some methods of birth control are more reliable than others. Following are birth control options which are available and their effectiveness:

• Most effective - vasectomy, female sterilization, an IUD or an implant
• Second most effective - shots, pills, rings, patches and breastfeeding
• Less effective - condom, sponge, cervical cap, diaphragm, and fertility awareness methods
• Least effective - spermicide and withdrawal 

If you had unprotected sex during your fertile time, there are two options:

• You can wait to see if your period starts, signaling that you are not pregnant.
• You have up to five days to take the "morning after" pill. It is also called "Plan B" and is available at drugstores for women and men 17 years or older. If you are under 17, you will need a prescription to obtain the medication.

The only 100 per cent sure way of avoiding pregnancy is to not have sex unless your partner has had a vasectomy.