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Weird early pregnancy symptoms: Unusual signs

Taking a pregnancy test is the only way to be certain of pregnancy, but some early symptoms might suggest that a woman is pregnant.

During the first trimester of pregnancy, significant hormonal changes occur that can lead to symptoms. Some of these symptoms may appear even in the very first weeks of pregnancy.

In this article, we discuss some possible weird early pregnancy symptoms, as well as when to see a doctor.

Most people are aware of some of the most common early signs of pregnancy, such as vomiting, known as morning sickness, and a missed period. However, there are many other potential signs of pregnancy, and not everyone will experience them all.

Some weird early signs of pregnancy include:

Nosebleeds

Nosebleeds are quite common in pregnancy due to the hormonal changes that happen in the body. Nosebleeds are rarely serious, and they tend to be manageable at home.

Learn more about managing nosebleeds here.

Mood swings

Mood swings are a result of hormonal changes in the first few weeks of pregnancy.

Pregnant women may feel more emotional than they usually do. Heightened emotions are perfectly normal at this time, but they can often be worth discussing with a healthcare provider.

Headaches

A pregnant woman may experience headaches due to the increased estrogen levels in the body. Stress or fatigue can also cause tension headaches.

Women should check with their healthcare provider before taking any medication while pregnant, including over-the-counter pain relievers.

Dizziness

Blood pressure can drop during early pregnancy because the blood vessels dilate to send more blood to the uterus. Reduced blood pressure can lead to dizziness, which may also occur due to fatigue, low blood sugar levels, and stress.

Eating small, regular meals and trying to keep stress under control can help.

Acne

Another early sign of pregnancy that many women experience is acne. Some women already have acne but notice that it gets worse during pregnancy.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists suggest the following for managing acne during pregnancy:

• washing the face twice a day with a mild cleanser and lukewarm water
• refraining from picking or squeezing acne sores to lessen possible scarring
• choosing oil-free cosmetics
• checking with a healthcare professional before using any products to ensure that they are safe to use during pregnancy

Learn more about managing acne here.

Stronger sense of smell

Another symptom of early pregnancy is a heightened sense of smell. This symptom may present as a reduced tolerance for certain smells, or a woman may simply become more sensitive to smell. In some cases, this sensitivity may contribute to nausea.

Strange taste in the mouth

Experts believe that hormonal changes can cause a condition called dysgeusia in some pregnant women. Some women complain of having a metallic taste in their mouth or too much saliva.

Although these symptoms may be bothersome and inconvenient, they are not a cause for concern.

Discharge

Most women experience vaginal discharge at various points throughout their menstrual cycle. Discharge that is clear, white, or sticky is normal during pregnancy and can be an early sign of pregnancy.

It is best to visit a healthcare provider if the discharge:

• is not white or clear
• smells bad
• occurs alongside itching, pain, or soreness

Cravings and aversions

During early pregnancy, women may have a changing relationship with food. Foods that they once loved may suddenly taste repulsive, and they may now crave foods that they never liked previously.

Anyone who starts to crave nonfood items — a condition known as pica — should contact their healthcare provider.

Fatigue

Another common symptom of pregnancy is feeling very tired, or even exhausted, particularly in early pregnancy.

This fatigue is due to the many hormonal changes that take place in the body at this time.

Learn more about fatigue here.

Shortness of breath

The increase in the hormone progesterone that occurs in the first few weeks of pregnancy can cause women to breathe more frequently than usual. As a result, they can feel as though they have shortness of breath.

Shortness of breath describes the feeling of being unable to get enough air into the lungs when breathing normally.

Congestion

Rhinitis is the official name for the runny nose that many women experience during pregnancy.

A humidifier, saline drops, or a saline rinse may help treat congestion.

Constipation

Hormonal changes may cause some women to become constipated during pregnancy. The elevated progesterone levels relax the bowel walls, which can make it harder to pass stool. This symptom is more common later in pregnancy, but it can affect some women in the first trimester.

Learn more about constipation in pregnancy here.

These symptoms are not a confirmation of pregnancy. Anyone who suspects that they may be pregnant should take a pregnancy test to confirm.

If pregnant women experience any of the above symptoms to the extent that it causes them distress, they should visit a doctor as soon as possible.

While some of the symptoms can be a mild inconvenience, others can occasionally be more severe and require medical attention.

There is some overlap between premenstrual symptoms, side effects from hormonal birth control, and early pregnancy symptoms. For instance, they can all include constipation, headaches, feeling tired, and having mood swings.

Therefore, although the above symptoms can occur in early pregnancy, their appearance does not definitively mean that a woman is pregnant. The only way to find out for sure is to take a pregnancy test.

Gore in the nose of pregnant women is a temporary phenomenon. Nosebleeds in early pregnancy

Why does nose bleed during pregnancy? It is with this question that expectant mothers, concerned about sudden nosebleeds, turn to the doctor. What is it - a norm or a pathology? And how can periodical affect the development of the child?

Nosebleeds in expectant mothers: should I be concerned?

Blood from the nose during pregnancy can go both in the early and late stages, but the causes of this phenomenon, depending on the time of occurrence, can vary significantly. To begin with, let's figure out why such bleeding occurs in the first trimester of pregnancy. nine0003

In fact, nosebleeds in early pregnancy may be one of the signs of physiological changes associated with childbearing. Already in the first weeks in the body of a woman, the level of progesterone, the hormone responsible for the preservation and development of pregnancy, begins to increase.

This hormone has a huge impact on all the vital systems of the expectant mother, including the circulatory system.

Due to the action of progesterone, blood circulation is increased in all parts of the body. An increased amount of blood in the vessels causes thinning and fragility of the vascular walls, so the capillaries in the nose simply cannot withstand pressure and burst at the slightest overvoltage, causing bleeding from the nasal passages. nine0003

Progesterone also causes increased production of nasal mucus, causing swelling of the nasal mucosa and rhinitis. To clear the sinuses and make breathing easier, a pregnant woman often has to blow her nose, which further injures the walls of blood vessels, can lead to their rupture and blood from the nasal passages. The action of progesterone lasts almost the entire pregnancy, decreasing only just before the birth, so nosebleeds can accompany the second trimester and the last third of pregnancy. nine0003

The causes of an unpleasant phenomenon may not always be physiological. After 20 weeks, the risk of developing a dangerous complication - preeclampsia, which is accompanied by an increase in blood pressure, increases significantly. A hypertensive surge provokes an increase in pressure in the vessels, and sometimes in the later stages, blood from the nose comes precisely because of this. The third trimester is the period when gestosis appears most often.

Accompanying nosebleeds in this case will be not only high blood pressure, but also the presence of protein in urine tests, as well as noticeable swelling of the hands, feet and face. nine0003

Other causes of nosebleeds during pregnancy include:

• lack of vitamins and nutrients;
• nose injuries;
• dryness of the nasal mucosa;
• blood clotting disorder.

Periodic nosebleeds are not a cause for concern. But if during pregnancy the nose bleeds too often and strongly, this must be reported to the doctor, who, if necessary, will prescribe an additional examination or refer the expectant mother to an appointment with a specialist - an otorhinolaryngologist or a hematologist. nine0003

How can I help myself with a nosebleed?

Although nosebleeds during pregnancy most often do not pose any danger to a woman and her baby, this phenomenon is rather unpleasant: it can plunge a pregnant woman into a panic. In such a situation, you should first of all pull yourself together, calm down and try to stop the bleeding yourself by doing the following:

1. Sit down and slightly tilt your head forward. It is believed that tilting the head back helps stop the bleeding, but in fact, such movements are contraindicated for nosebleeds, since in this case the blood can enter the larynx and cause vomiting. For the same reason, when bleeding from the nose, it is not recommended to lie down. nine0028
2. Apply a cloth soaked in cold water or ice wrapped in a thin towel to the nose. The cold constricts the blood vessels and helps stop the bleeding.
3. Do not try to clear the nasal passages of blood by blowing your nose - this will only increase the bleeding.
4. You can press the nostrils against the nasal septum and breathe through the nose for a while. Usually after a few minutes the bleeding stops.
5. If the bleeding is severe enough, it is recommended to insert cotton wool lightly moistened with hydrogen peroxide into the nasal passages. nine0028

In most cases, these actions will quickly stop the bleeding, but if the bleeding does not stop, you should immediately seek medical help.

The best way to prevent nosebleeds during pregnancy is prevention. It is necessary to carefully monitor the nasal cavity, regularly clean the mucosa using mild moisturizers (saline or sea water-based sprays). These measures may not be enough if the pregnant woman is constantly in a room with dry air. nine0003

To humidify the atmosphere, regularly ventilate or use special humidifiers. Walking on the street will also be very useful, especially in a park or near water bodies.

In addition, it is very important to eat right and take vitamin complexes for expectant mothers. With increased fragility of the walls of blood vessels, it is recommended to include foods rich in calcium, rutin and ascorbic acid in the diet. With the development of gestosis, salty dishes should be excluded from the menu. nine0003

In the 2nd-3rd trimester of pregnancy, you should carefully monitor blood pressure and swelling in order to notice signs of preeclampsia in time and consult a doctor as soon as possible. And yet, it should be remembered that in most cases, rare nosebleeds that occur during pregnancy are caused by a natural restructuring of the female body and are not associated with any pathologies, so do not panic: this is a temporary phenomenon, and most often it does not represent dangers for the course of pregnancy and the development of the child. nine0003

During pregnancy, a woman's body is exposed to increased stress, because it must ensure not only its own life, but also the life of the fetus. The most famous and common problem during this period is toxicosis, but few people know about nosebleeds. This is not surprising - after all, the respiratory tract is not at all part of the body's reproductive system, and it is difficult to associate such a symptom with pregnancy.

Meanwhile, nosebleeds in pregnant women can go quite often. For some doctors, nosebleeds may even be one of the first signs of a patient's "interesting situation". And many pregnant women experience such an unpleasant symptom literally every day. Is this the norm? nine0003

Causes

Why can blood come out of the nose during pregnancy? The fact is that with the development of the fetus, the volume of blood circulating in the body of a woman increases, but the vascular system retains its previous dimensions. Accordingly, the blood expands the vessels, increasing blood pressure. The vessels of the nose are the weakest, and during pregnancy they become even more fragile. This is also facilitated by a change in the hormonal background - an abundance of female hormones softens the mucous membranes of the whole organism. nine0003

The capillaries of the nose are located very close to the surface and the blood easily breaks them with its pressure. Immediately after this, bleeding begins.

How worrisome is this symptom?

During pregnancy, you should listen very sensitively to any signals from your own body. Any change in the state of health can be a harbinger of formidable disorders. Blood coming from the nose during pregnancy, as a rule, signals only a slight increase in pressure. However, if a woman initially suffers from hypertension, she should definitely consult a doctor. After all, the blood strongly presses also on the vessels of the uterus (and not just the nose), which can even provoke a miscarriage. nine0003

For more accurate self-diagnosis during pregnancy, you should pay attention to other changes in well-being, because with an increase in pressure, not only does the nose bleed, but also dizziness, weakness and darkening in the eyes appear. Mild nosebleeds during pregnancy are not particularly dangerous in themselves if there are no other signs .

How to act

If a woman is in a public place and does not want to draw attention to herself, you can simply press a handkerchief, napkin to your nose, or pinch your nostril with your fingers for a while. This time is enough to go to the toilet or any secluded place. If the pregnant woman is at home, she should tilt her head down to allow the blood to flow out and not in. When the flow dries up, you need to carefully rinse your nose with running water using ordinary cotton swabs or hydrogen peroxide. nine0003

If the dried blood is not completely removed, you can periodically lubricate the nasal cavity with medicated oil - for example, sea buckthorn or calendula oil. This will not only remove the effects of bleeding, but also heal broken capillaries. Another good way to quickly stop bleeding is exposure to cold - the head is tilted down, and ice wrapped in a cloth or a cold spoon is applied to the bridge of the nose.

Prevention

A pregnant woman should always tell her doctor about any health problems, especially hypertension. To increase the elasticity of blood vessels and their resistance, vitamin C or the drug ascorutin is often prescribed. nine0003

Expectant mother should not overexert herself (be nervous, lift weights, get very tired) and work in stressful conditions. All these factors contribute to high blood pressure and can put the baby at risk.

If nosebleeds are mild, but they bother you quite often, this is also a reason for an unscheduled visit to the hospital. The doctor must definitely check what is their cause.

Pregnancy for a woman is a normal physiological process, which results in external and internal changes in the female body. During this period, hormonal changes occur, as a result of which the functioning of many systems of the female body, including the cardiovascular system, changes significantly. In particular, blood flow increases, the permeability and fragility of blood vessels increase, which often leads to epistaxis - nosebleeds. nine0003

The human nose performs important functions, including moistening the inhaled air masses, warming them and cleaning them from dust. In addition, the nose performs olfactory functions, differentiating various odors. The mucous membrane of the nose is characterized by increased blood supply, which is carried out from the main arteries through an extensive network of capillaries.

Epistaxis or epistaxis is a fairly common pathological condition, and is a symptom of many diseases. Often it occurs in women during pregnancy, when, against the background of an increase in body weight, the development of the placenta and fetus, there is an increase in blood flow in the vessels. nine0003

Sinus bleeding may be minor and rare, and therefore usually not serious or cause serious concern by the attending physician. However, quite often they occur in the case of the development of pathology and are a sign of a serious illness, which, ultimately, can lead to serious consequences. What are the causes of nosebleeds in women that occur during pregnancy?

Hormonal changes nine0086