Health

30 of the Weirdest Signs of Pregnancy

23. Headaches Headaches are quite common for pregnant women. They can occur because of changes in your hormones as well as blood volume after you become… Trista - July 31, 2019

Having a child is a beautiful process, but along with it comes a lot of peculiar occurrences. An expectant mother can experience body changes, mood swings, and other unexpected events. Doctors recommend waiting about a week after a missed period before taking a home pregnancy test. Sometimes, your body will display weird symptoms that can alert you to pregnancy before you even take a pregnancy test!

Studies show that roughly 90 percent of pregnant women will experience at least one pregnancy symptom by their eighth week. There are quite a few signs of pregnancy that everyone knows like being tired, missing your period, or having sore breasts. But a pregnant woman can also experience weird symptoms, especially early on in their pregnancy. That’s why it’s so important to listen to your body and be aware of emotional and physical changes. Keep reading to learn all about the weirdest signs of pregnancy!

1. Late Period

The most common sign of pregnancy is a missed period. About 30 percent of women consider a missed period their first sign of being pregnant. Women typically have a 28-day menstrual cycle, and it’s recommended to take a pregnancy test if you’ve gone a month without your period.

Many women can experience spotting or very light periods, so if something seems off with your cycle, take a pregnancy test. If you tend to have an irregular period, get a complete examination from your doctor to be sure you’re actually pregnant. Keep in mind that spotting can continue throughout your pregnancy. If you experience heavy bleeding after confirming a pregnancy, see your doctor as soon as possible.

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2. High Body Temperatures

When a woman becomes pregnant, her body naturally weakens her immune system to ensure that the fetus does not get rejected. That process naturally increases your chance of developing the flu or a cold. It also can cause respiratory infections.

Another thing caused by a diminished immune system is high body temperatures. The body naturally raises a woman’s temperature in order to protect her baby. Once a woman’s body reaches over 100.4° Fahrenheit, she’s in a fevered state. Shivering, sniffling, and dehydration are all symptoms of a fever. If you develop a fever during your pregnancy, make sure to see your doctor.

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3. Discharge

One of the earliest signs of pregnancy is vaginal discharge. Referred to as leukorrhea, the substance is white, thin, and milky. It has a mild odor and is completely normal.

If you are experiencing vaginal discharge, keep in mind that there are a few things to avoid. Never use tampons while pregnant. They can bring new germs into your vagina. Also, stay away from douching. Douching upsets the natural pH and bacteria balance in your vagina and will lead to infection. In addition, treating the discharge like an infection can cause additional issues. If you’re concerned about leukorrhea, use panty liners and notify your doctor.

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4. Bloating

Another early sign of pregnancy is bloating. Hormonal changes can lead to feelings of discomfort. Pregnant women have high levels of the hormone progesterone, which is known for affecting the smooth muscles in the body. This reaction means the gastrointestinal tract can become inflamed. Your clothes can get tighter, shoes can become uncomfortable, and even your jewelry won’t fit properly.

Signs of high progesterone levels can include constipation, diarrhea, bloating, and an increase in flatulence. There are several ways to combat bloating. Eat small meals frequently throughout the day. Avoid sweets and fried foods. Try to limit the number of cruciferous vegetables in your diet, like legumes and cabbage.

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5. Vivid Dreams or Nightmares

An increase in pregnancy hormones can lead to another interesting occurrence: pregnancy dreams! Hormonal changes, different comfort levels, and unusual sleep patterns can all affect your pregnancy. An emotional and psychological adjustment can lead to vivid dreams and occasional nightmares.

Many women have reported experiencing vivid and intense dreams. They have also had nightmares and anxiety-based dreams. It’s common for dreams to become more frequent and for women to be able to remember their dreams very clearly. Having disrupted sleep because of discomfort or frequent trips to the bathroom can affect your REM cycle, leading you to have weird, memorable dreams. Keeping a dream journal can help you write down what you experience and allow the dream content to leave your unconscious mind.

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6. Moodiness

Hormonal changes during pregnancy will almost always lead to mood swings. Because your hormones begin to change almost immediately after conception, moodiness can start very early in your pregnancy. The increase in pregnancy hormones like progesterone and estrogen, combined with an increased amount of fatigue, can make a pregnant woman feel like her emotions are all over the place.

Women who are expecting can go from being happy one minute to crying the next. They can find themselves getting upset about the smallest things, taking their frustration out on their partner. Mood swings are most common during the first trimester, but they can also continue throughout the pregnancy. Moodiness can lead to mental exhaustion because of all of the concerns, fears, and different feelings about expecting a child. Meditating, walking, spending time with loved ones, and practicing mindfulness can help with overwhelming emotions.

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7. Acne

As previously mentioned, hormones are responsible for an early sign of pregnancy. An increase in estrogen and progesterone in the first trimester cause the skin’s natural oil production to increase. Experts believe that more than one out of every two expecting mothers will develop acne.

Women who are more prone to acne and experience flare-ups around their period are more likely to break out during their pregnancy. Those who do not get acne during their first trimester will most likely not develop any blemishes during their pregnancy. It can be tough to treat acne while you’re pregnant because most over-the-counter or prescription treatments can cause congenital disabilities. If you would like to treat hormonal acne, look for drug-free home remedies. Use gentle, oil-free cleansers and moisturize with simple lotions.

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8. Stuffy Nose

Another unusual sign of pregnancy is nasal congestion. Many women report waking up with plugged noses and then having to blow their nose frequently throughout the day. This change is caused by the mucous membranes in the nose being extra swollen.

When the mucous membranes swell, they tend to dry out, which can lead to the nose bleeding. Because more blood circulates throughout the body during pregnancy, the blood vessels in your nose are more susceptible to swelling. This condition is known as pregnancy rhinitis and affects up to 30 percent of expecting mothers. Typically it starts during your first trimester and can get worse toward the end of your pregnancy. Women with pregnancy rhinitis will usually get rid of their congestion within two weeks after giving birth.

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9. Dizziness

Feeling dizzy or lightheaded during pregnancy is common, especially during the first trimester. Blood pressure tends to drop when you’re pregnant, and the blood vessels will dilate. Dizziness typically starts between the twelfth week of pregnancy and the beginning of the second trimester.

Additionally, feeling faint can be caused by low blood sugar levels. Morning sickness can make you not want to eat, leading to low blood sugar. Nausea can occur within days of conception so the dizziness can begin almost immediately after becoming pregnant. If you feel like the room is spinning, be sure to take care of yourself. See a doctor immediately to ensure that your blood sugar levels are okay and that you are not dehydrated.

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10. Constipation

As we mentioned above, changes in hormones during pregnancy can cause gastrointestinal issues. One of those issues is constipation. Many pregnant women have experienced the inability to use the bathroom properly and feeling discomfort because of that. Three out of four pregnant women will have constipation or another bowel issue during their pregnancy.

Taking prenatal vitamins can also contribute to constipation. The best way to become regular is to increase your fiber intake. Try eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, peas, lentils, prunes, and whole-grain bread. Also, be sure to drink plenty of water. Pregnant women should aim to drink eight 12 ounce glasses of water per day to stay hydrated. Eating five or six small meals a day can help your stomach digest food more efficiently and hopeful remedy constipation.

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11. False Period

Spotting or light bleeding is common in the early stages of your pregnancy. Between 25 and 40 percent of expectant mothers will have some form of light bleeding. This symptom occurs when a fertilized egg attaches to the lining of the uterus. Known as implantation bleeding, this is common around one to two weeks after conception.

Roughly 20 percent of women experience spotting within the first twelve weeks of their pregnancy. Cervical irritation, a threatened miscarriage, or ectopic pregnancy can also cause spotting. If your bleeding stops being light and gets heavy, you need to be seen by your doctor. Pregnant women who feel severe backaches, cramps, or stabbing pains can also be indicators of a more severe problem.

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12. Food Aversions

Craving certain foods is a well-known sign of pregnancy, but food aversions are frequent as well. Changes in levels of the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin can affect how a woman reacts to different foods. Your taste buds tend to change and become hypersensitive, so that can also lead to the repulsion of certain foods. This food aversion typically develops at the same time as morning sickness.

If the smell of tuna or the thought of drinking milk have you feeling queasy, you’re not alone. Many pregnant women experience at least one food aversion or become repulsed by a portion of food that they once loved to eat. While it’s possible to have food cravings and aversions at the same time, the urges are most likely unrelated.

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13. Heartburn

Once again, hormones are to blame for another early sign of pregnancy. Changes in hormones cause the valve between your esophagus and stomach to become relaxed. That makes it easier for stomach acid to leak up into the esophagus, causing heartburn.

Heartburn gives you a burning feeling in the chest, just behind your breastbone. The pain can start in your stomach and rise. It can become worse when bending over or lying down. In the final months of your pregnancy, your baby can squash your digestive organs, causing heartburn. It’s possible to take an antacid like Tums for relief. Avoid foods like coffee, tea, tomatoes, chocolate, and fried foods. Sleeping with your head slightly elevated can help reduce your risk of developing heartburn.

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14. Tasting Metal

When you’re pregnant, it’s possible to feel like you can taste pennies in your mouth. Estrogen and progesterone levels increase during pregnancy and can change the way your taste buds work. Known as dysgeusia, this condition makes some pregnant women taste metal.

Common in the first trimester, “metal mouth” can leave a sour taste in your mouth that you can experience even while eating. Dysgeusia goes hand in hand with morning sickness as having a metallic taste in your mouth can make nausea worse. Water retention is also known for causing “metal mouth” because it can affect the taste buds. Chewing gum, sucking on vitamin C drops or drinking orange juice can help you find relief from dysgeusia.

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15. Sore Breasts

One of the first signs of pregnancy is changes in your breasts. Swelling, discomfort, and even leaking are common for expectant mothers. Changes in hormonal production lead to breast sensitivity. Twenty percent of women who have had a baby have reported that changes in their breasts were the first indicators that they were pregnant.

Pregnant women can expect to see their breasts become larger and more swollen. They can be painful, sensitive, and feel extremely heavy. The area around the nipple may darken as well. As milk ducts develop during pregnancy, a pregnant woman’s nipples may become larger and start to protrude more. Blood supply will increase to the breasts, and milk may leak before you give birth.

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16. Hunger and Thirst Pains

Being extra hungry and thirsty can strike early on in your pregnancy and last the entire time. Hunger pangs can strike at anytime day or night, even right after you’ve just eaten! This feeling is normal and is to be expected when you’re eating for two.

In the first trimester, nausea is common, but a need to continually eat can hit as well. The second trimester is when your baby is really growing; therefore, you need to consume extra calories to help the fetus grow. In the final three months of your pregnancy, expectant mothers need at least 200 extra calories to support their growing child in order to provide them with adequate nutrition. Stick to a diet rich in fiber so you can feel full and avoid overeating. If you feel famished in between meals, add in a healthy snack time or two.

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17. Nausea

Another one of the most common signs of pregnancy is nausea. Nausea can hit anytime, but most women experience is around the seventh week of their pregnancy. If you’re one of the few that don’t get morning sickness at all, consider yourself extremely lucky!

Contrary to popular belief, nausea can hit at any time of the day, not just in the morning. Hormonal changes cause a pregnant woman’s stomach to feel queasy, leading to food aversions in many cases. Some women experience an extreme form of morning sickness referred to as hyperemesis gravidarum. This condition is characterized by nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and dehydration. Typically, symptoms improve around the 20th week of pregnancy, but it can extend to the entire length of a woman’s pregnancy.

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18. Cravings

When people think of what women go through during pregnancy, food cravings is one of the first things that comes to mind. You get visions of women eating pickles and peanut butter, sweet and spicy foods, and other unusual combinations. Weird food cravings come on strong and in most cases, women have to try something once it gets stuck in their head.

Experts believe that food cravings during pregnancy are mostly psychological, but hormones could also be at play. Neuropeptide Y, the hormone responsible for appetite signals, can increase during pregnancy, leading to extreme food cravings. Some women have reported an odd food craving out of the blue being their clue that they were pregnant. Having intense cravings during nausea is also common. Nausea can get so strong that only one item, in particular, sounds appetizing.

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19. Sensitivities

Sudden scent sensitivities could be a clue that you’re expecting a child. If the garbage in your home is suddenly unbearably odorous or the smell of a fragrant food makes you sick, you could be pregnant. All five of your senses become heightened during pregnancy because of changes in estrogen levels.

Other sensitivities may become apparent along with the scent. If drinking a hot or cold beverage makes your teeth hurt out of the blue or your gums become puffy and start bleeding, consider taking a pregnancy test. As we’ve mentioned before, you can develop dysgeusia and begin tasting metal. Your vision can become fuzzier than before, leading to you needing glasses or contacts. Additionally, ringing in the ears can occur because of your hormones.

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20. Frequent Trips to the Bathroom

Every woman who has ever been pregnant knows about many bathroom trips during their pregnancy. Frequent urination can start almost immediately after you conceive, but in many cases, it occurs mainly in the second and third trimesters. Expect to wake up several times during the night to use the bathroom.

While this is common, keep in mind conditions like a urinary tract infection or diabetes can cause urination issues. If you think your marathon of trips to the bathroom is unusual, consult your doctor. Also, progesterone in the system can cause constipation, so stay hydrated to ensure your comfort during your pregnancy. Exercise and a high-fiber diet can also help.

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21. Sleep Issues

Changes in sleep patterns are common for women who become pregnant. Some may toss and turn because of insomnia and others may fall into a deep sleep and cut some serious Zs. There have been quite a few instances where women only snore when they’re pregnant; thus, snoring may be another indicator of pregnancy early on.

More than 80 percent of pregnant women experience disturbed sleep throughout their pregnancy. All of the various physical and emotional adjustments that occur when a woman becomes pregnant unsurprisingly can lead to unhealthy sleep patterns. During early pregnancy, women tend to get the best sleep. As their baby grows and their bodies become tired throughout the day, insomnia can set in. Having a bedtime routine, drinking plenty of water, and eating a healthy dinner can help you try to get some good rest.

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22. Fatigue

As early as your first week of pregnancy, you can begin to experience fatigue. Many women get tired during the day, but it’s quite common for those who are pregnant. You may feel profound exhaustion as well as feel mentally and physically drained.

Unusual fatigue is caused by levels of the hormone progesterone rising in your system. Blood sugar and blood pressure levels rising and falling can also make you feel lethargic. To combat fatigue during your pregnancy, schedule some time into your day for resting. Let the people around you know that you may at one point need their assistance. Additionally, adding more iron and protein into your diet can help make you feel better.

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23. Headaches

Headaches are quite common for pregnant women. They can occur because of changes in your hormones as well as blood volume after you become pregnant. Changes in your posture as well as caffeine withdrawal can also lead to head pain.

Headaches that occur during your first trimester are most often because of hormonal changes. When you develop headaches during your third trimester, it’s usually because of tension and poor posture from carrying your child. On occasion, they could be signaling a more severe condition like sinusitis or preeclampsia. If you have a headache that comes on suddenly or is extremely strong, contact your doctor immediately.

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24. Varicose Veins

If you look down at your legs and notice large, purple-blue veins, you could have varicose veins. Pregnancy causes an increase in blood volume while the rate in which blood flows from the legs to the pelvis reduces.

This action puts pressure on your vascular system, causing varicose veins.
During pregnancy, varicose veins can appear on the legs, buttocks, and vaginal region. Another form of varicose veins are hemorrhoids, which are caused by pressure and constipation. Varicose veins also appear because of an increase in the progestin hormone, which dilates the veins. These unsightly veins are pretty harmless but can get a bit uncomfortable and itchy. Expect them to go away about three months to a year after your baby is born.

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25. Other Children Acting Up

Before you even know you’re pregnant, those around you may be able to sense it! If you have children, your little ones may be able to detect hormonal changes in their mother. They can act clingy, display bad behavior, and generally act unlike themselves.

There are many cultures, including the Navajo, that believe that a woman’s youngest child can sense she is expecting and act up because of it. Some women have even reported that their pets have detected their pregnancies. There’s no scientific proof, but cats and dogs can identify differences in your behavior, posture, mood, and body chemistry. Dogs especially may tend to become more protective of you during pregnancy, even trying to prevent your partner from getting close to you!

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26. Dark Skin Patches

Referred to as melasma, the development of dark skin patches is quite common during pregnancy. It’s also known as the “mask of pregnancy” because dark spots can appear around your nose, cheekbones, forehead and upper lip like a mask. Skin that’s frequently exposed to the sun can also become darker.

Also, skin that’s usually more pigmented, like scars, freckles, nipples, and genitals, can get even darker. Hormonal changes during your pregnancy contribute to an increase in the melanin produced by your body. Women with naturally darker complexions are more susceptible to melasma than lighter-skinned women. Also, if this condition runs in your family, you have a higher risk of developing it.

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27. Libido Changes

Changes in libido frequently happen during pregnancy. Your sex drive can swing up and down throughout your pregnancy. For some women, an increase in the libido occurs almost immediately after becoming pregnant and then tends to decrease in the last trimester.

Every woman’s experience is unique when it comes to their libido. Some can have high levels of arousal and incredibly intense orgasms. Others can completely lose their desire to have sex. Heightened sexual desire is caused by higher levels of progesterone and estrogen, which increase genital blood flow. For women who have a low libido during pregnancy, stress, nausea, fatigue, and other hard things to deal with during pregnancy completely diminish their need to have sex.

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28. Color Sensitivity

This symptom of pregnancy is an unusual one! Some women have reported that during their pregnancy, they have become averse to specific colors. Looking at different hues can elicit disgust or even nausea from some expecting mothers. Most instances of color sensitivity begin in the first trimester.

During the first trimester, women can be most sensitive to reds and yellows. Later on in the pregnancy, women become more susceptible to dark, bluish tones. Experts believe that they associate particular colors with food, smells, and other items that have caused nausea in the past. Bright colors may also interfere with headaches and dizziness, leading to color-sensitive women wanting to avoid those shades for the duration of their pregnancy.

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29. Itching or Rashes

Because of increased blood supply to the skin during pregnancy, itchiness is common. As your baby grows, your skin gets stretched, which can also cause you to itch in your abdomen area. Mild itching is common, but severe itching is a cause for concern. Extreme itching could be a sign of obstetric cholestasis, a severe liver condition that affects about one in every one hundred pregnant women. If you think you may have obstetric cholestasis, see your doctor immediately.

For mild itching, try to wear loose-fitting clothes to reduce the amount of irritation on your skin. Stick with natural fabrics like cotton because synthetic fibers can cause more itching and prevent your skin from breathing. Take a cool bath and apply a gentle lotion or moisturizer to soothe your skin. Choose something plain because products with strong perfume scents can irritate the skin even more.

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30. Yeast Infections

Yeast infections can be a sign that you are expecting a child. As we’ve discussed before, there’s a strong possibility that a pregnant woman will have an increase in vaginal discharge. An increase in estrogen raises your risk of developing one. Studies show that the number one most common type of vaginal infection during pregnancy is a yeast infection.

Approximately 75 percent of women will get at least one yeast infection in their lifetime. Yeast infections are caused by an overgrowth of the bacteria Candida albicans. High estrogen levels contribute to overgrown yeast and extra moisture in the vagina can stir up a bacterial imbalance. While yeast infections are annoying, they will not harm you or your baby. You will most likely experience burning and itching around the vagina as well as painful urination. To prevent yeast infections, wear breathable cotton underwear, stick to showers, and avoid taking baths, clean yourself with gentle soaps and avoid douching. Also, limit the amount of sugar and refined grain products in your diet because yeast thrives on sugar.

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