At first, a woman may have no signs at all that she is pregnant. The most common early sign of pregnancy is a missed menstrual period. Sometimes a woman has a period, but it is shorter or lighter than usual. If she normally has irregular periods this sign may be hard to notice.

Another sign is having to urinate more often. This is caused by hormone changes and growing pressure on the bladder.

Some women feel sick or nauseous. This may be slight, or may make her throw up. It is called "morning sickness", but can happen at any time of day. Hormone changes cause this also. Eating dry soda crackers before you get out of bed and small, frequent meals may also help.

Breasts may become tender, sore and larger. The area around the nipples may become larger and darker.
Many women feel tired when they are first pregnant and there may be an increase in vaginal secretions.

Another sign is constipation. This is also from hormone changes, and the growing uterus pressing against the bowel. High fibre foods such as prunes, prune juice, bran, or molasses will help.

Having any of these signs does not always mean a woman is pregnant. Stress, illness, a change in diet, doing a lot of heavy exercise and taking the birth control pill can all cause a missed period sometimes. But remember, a woman can get pregnant if she has unprotected vaginal intercourse or misses even one birth control pill in a month.

If you have any of the signs of pregnancy or any other reason to think you might be pregnant, you should have a test done to know for sure. A pregnancy test requires a sample of urine either at a drug store, clinic or doctor's office. Please listen to the message on How to Get a Pregnancy Test, in the Pregnancy Menu for other details.

It is important to know whether or not you are pregnant as soon as possible. You can get the best prenatal care if you plan to continue the pregnancy, or you can get an early abortion if you decide not to continue with it. You can read more about the choices in this situation in the message on Unplanned Pregnancy: Decisions, further down in this document.

In the meantime, look after yourself. Eat well, avoid caffeine, don't smoke, use alcohol, or use any drugs or medication without asking a doctor or pharmacist or clinic if it will affect the fetus. This includes drugs which may be bought without a prescription.

For more information you can call a local Planned Parenthood organization or Public Health Unit.