Believe it or not, there are some signs of pregnancy that may show up before a HPT will give a positive test result. For example, some women might experience a very small amount of spotting when the embryo implants in the lining of the uterus. The problem with these very early pregnancy signs is the fact that they can be attributed to any number of other things. In retrospect, one could look back and say, “oh yeah, I was so tired because I was pregnant.” However, symptoms like fatigue are so common and caused by so many different things, there’s just no way to confirm it. There is no symptom that is exclusive to pregnancy other than, perhaps, a growing bump. And even that can be attributed to bloating, tumors growing in the reproductive area, etc. If you really want to get technical, the only way to 100% confirm a pregnancy is to view the baby’s beating heart on an ultrasound. If you really want to be practical, though, a combination of all the classic symptoms is a fairly reliable indication of pregnancy. But that’s beside the point, the question that nearly every woman who is trying to conceive wants to know is, “how soon can I find out?”
I’ve told you about the two week wait, sometimes abbreviated on forums as 2WW. Women are always looking for ways to turn that two week wait into a one week wait or a ten day wait. There are so many old wives’ tales and theories surrounding the topic of early pregnancy detection. I’m sure you’ve heard stories about women finding out they were pregnant through intuition. Is it really possible? Some swear it is. It’s not just women either, it’s the companies catering to those pursuing parenthood as well. You’ve probably read about First Response’s new early detection test by now. Everyone is always trying to find out one day sooner.
I’m staging my own little protest. I am protesting my own impatience, the tendency to test every morning beginning at 8 or 9 days past ovulation, and the mind games that come along with it. I don’t want to over analyze every little thing. I want to prove to myself that I am able to be patient and not allow the TTC process to drive me crazy. The next time around I am purposefully not going to officially “try.” I’m hoping that chasing around a little toddler will distract me from the manic behavior of trying to get pregnant. I am not going to chart my symptoms. I don’t want to find out via means of a home pregnancy test. I am going to allow myself to be totally and completely surprised by the news.
In my ideal scenario, I will wake up one morning sick to my stomach and think I have the flu. Then the flu will not go away. Then my pants will suddenly get really tight and I won’t make it through a whole day without a nap, and that is when the light bulb will go off. Then, without peeing on a stick, I will confidently announce to my husband that we are pregnant, and after a few weeks I will visit my doctor only to find out I am already eight weeks along, past the scary part of pregnancy and just seven months away from meeting my joy instead of eight and a half. Then I will not tell anyone. I will wait for someone to notice I am forming a bulge. It will be the fun little secret between me and my husband. I will secretly laugh at the way they keep staring and wait for someone to finally get up the nerve to ask. It will be fun to say “why yes… I am.” Hey, celebrities do it all the time… why can’t I?