It can sometimes be difficult to tell if you are pregnant in the early stages of conception. There are a couple of signs you can look for. However, it’s always worth going to talk to a health professional or taking a home pregnancy test. If you are pregnant, it’s particularly important to talk to someone if you are not sure what to do.
This can help if:
- You think you might be pregnant
- Your friend thinks they might be pregnant
- You have missed a period
- The contraception you’re on didn’t work
- You want to know about symptoms and signs of pregnancy
What are the signs?
When you are pregnant the following things may happen:
- You miss a period
- You are tired and don’t have much energy
- You may have ‘morning sickness’ (nausea and/or vomiting), which can actually happen any time of the day
- You may have food cravings
- You need to urinate more than usual
- You have tender or swollen breasts
It is important to remember that having one or more of these signs does not necessarily mean you are pregnant. There may be other reasons why you are experiencing these things.
If you have one or more of these signs it may be helpful to go and see your local doctor, family planning clinic or health centre.
What can you do if you think you are pregnant?
Taking the step to test if you are pregnant may be difficult. However, knowing the answer may allow you to move forward in deciding what to do next. Having support from a friend or someone you trust may be helpful while you are working out if you are pregnant.
Home pregnancy test
Home pregnancy tests are available from most chemists. Home pregnancy tests are not 100% accurate so it is a good idea to go and see your local doctor if you are still unsure. A positive result is more likely to be correct than a negative one.
Seeing a doctor or family planning centre/clinic
Your doctor or a family planning centre/clinic will be able to let you know if you are pregnant. They also are able to talk to you about the best ways to look after yourself if you do happen to be pregnant. To find out more about confidentiality read the ‘Confidentiality‘ fact sheet.
What next?
Once you know if you are pregnant or not, you can start making decisions about what to do. There are a number of options for you if you are pregnant and not sure you’re ready to have a baby just yet.
The most important thing either way is to have a support network you can talk to. If you don’t want to talk to people you know about what you’re going through, you can contact one of the many support services available, or go and see a health professional who can talk you through it.
