Definition of Pregnancy symptoms

Stages of Pregnancy Slideshow

Pregnancy symptoms: A symptom or sign of pregnancy. These symptoms and signs depend upon the time in pregnancy. In the first trimester of pregnancy, the first sign of pregnancy is most often a missed menstrual period. If a sexually active woman's periods are generally regular, missing a period for a week or more is presumptive evidence of pregnancy.

Early symptoms of pregnancy also include feelings of breast swelling and tenderness and of nausea sometimes with vomiting. Morning sickness is not always in the morning. Many women become fatigued early in pregnancy, and some may feel abdominal enlargement (bloating).

Early in pregnancy, the woman may feel she has to urinate frequently, especially at nighttime, and she may leak urine with a cough, sneeze or laugh. This is normal, and later in pregnancy it is not a problem.

Other changes characteristic of pregnancy include the deepening color of the areola (area surrounding the nipple), increased body temperature, the mask of pregnancy (darkening of skin on the forehead, bridge of the nose, or cheekbones), and a dark line going down from the middle of the central abdomen area to the pubic area.