Symptoms of pregnancy - Missed period and bloating

Missed period

Missing a period is known as the most obvious and early sign of pregnancy. Many women will immediately buy a home pregnancy test if they miss their period. Some either hoping to have a baby and others having more of a surprise and doing so to “check”.

It is important to know that not all missed periods are caused by pregnancy and some women may even experience spotting and bleeding during pregnancy. If you know you are pregnant, it is best to speak to your doctor about abnormal or severe bleeding.

If your periods are normally very regular and one does not arrive on time, it is advised to do a home pregnancy test, especially if you are also experiencing any of the aforementioned symptoms.

If you do not normally keep track of your periods, look out for symptoms such as breast tenderness and nausea.

Other reasons for missing a period could be due to losing or gaining large amounts of weight, hormonal-related issues such as stress and fatigue, as well as excessive amounts of exercise. You may also miss your period if you stop taking your birth control pills.

Abdominal bloating

When you have your period, you may experience bloating, this is also common during pregnancy. Some women may feel that their clothes are abnormally tight even when their uterus is still too small to show signs of a forming foetus. This is also due to the hormonal changes in the body.