Although all women experience the symptoms of pregnancy differently, there are some commonalities between women on their shared experiences of pregnancy. The most common symptom of all being nausea. The majority, that is, more than half of women experience nausea or vomiting during pregnancy. These symptoms generally occur during the first trimester.
Nausea during pregnancy is often referred to as morning sickness. Morning sickness is thought to occur at the beginning of the day due to hormonal changes that are occurring during pregnancy. Although some women experience sickness during the morning, it is not uncommon for women to experience feelings of nausea throughout the day without the unpleasantness of vomiting.
Morning sickness can be exacerbated by certain lifestyle factors, such as, stress, travelling and certain fatty foods. It is considered a good idea to maintain a healthy and balanced diet, predominantly consisting of complex carbohydrates and a high level of protein to keep sickness at bay. Although these symptoms are rarely a matter for concern, it is important to note that if the vomiting is severe, this can lead to dehydration and needs to be addressed by a medical advisor.
Other symptoms experienced during pregnancy include fatigue, heart burn, stretch marks, back aches, fluid retention and unusual food cravings.
Fatigue is commonly experienced by women throughout pregnancy due to the body’s efforts to adapt to the changes. During the first trimester, the blood volume and other fluids begin to adjust in order to adapt to the changes that take place during the pregnancy. This is perfectly natural, however, some fatigue can stem from anemia. This is why it’s important to try and maintain healthy iron levels during pregnancy. If you are unusually tired it is easy to check your iron levels with a test provided by a health practitioner.
Mild swelling and water retention can occur at various stages of pregnancy. This is a fairly common symptom and is to be expected. Additionally, some women can experience unusual food cravings – even for such things as dirt, clay or coal. There is a high likelihood that these sorts of food cravings can be linked with nutritional deficiency. Therefore, it is advisable to take nutritional deficiency test to rule out potential nutrients that could be missing from your diet.
Backaches are a common symptom of pregnancy due to the fact that a woman’s body weight increases. The weight is likely to pull the women forward which affects balance and can put a strain on her back. Also, the pelvic joints that begin to loosen in preparation for giving birth can equally have an impact on back pain. By practicing good posture throughout pregnancy, women can help to reduce the risk of back discomfort.
Whilst all the above symptoms and side effects of pregnancy are natural if you experience anything that you feel is more severe it is important to speak to you doctor to make sure that all is well and to have advice and help to manage symptoms.