Pregnancy is a natural process in a woman’s body, which is accompanied by changes in the functioning of almost all body systems. Individual characteristics and differences both in the general state of health and during pregnancy also determine the differences in the sensations that the expectant mother experiences over the course of 9 months. The first weeks of expecting a baby are especially exciting, when the female body is just getting used to the new “tenant”. The body of some women reacts very violently, and some pregnant women do not notice any special changes in their condition. Can the signs of pregnancy disappear and what can these changes be associated with?
Signs of early pregnancy disappeared
Deterioration in well-being, which often occurs in the first weeks after conception, on the one hand can significantly disrupt a woman’s usual rhythm of life, but on the other hand, most often indicates a progressing pregnancy. That is why negative manifestations not only do not upset, but on the contrary, even calm the expectant mother. Much more worrying are situations when a woman notices all the symptoms of successful conception, and then some of the signs or all of them at once become less pronounced or disappear altogether. First of all, don't panic.
Why did the signs of pregnancy disappear? Signs of pregnancy before missed period
The most reliable sign of pregnancy, of course, is the absence of monthly bleeding on time. However, planning mothers do not often wait until “day X”, but carefully listen to their body almost immediately after ovulation. What signs can they notice between ovulation and delay?
- Atypical sensations in the mammary glands.
The breasts may hurt, increase in size, and become more sensitive. This factor is very individual, because similar sensations are often noted by non-pregnant women during PMS. When assessing this symptom, the determining role is played by the difference from the usual sensations in the chest. If on the eve of menstruation a woman never experiences pain in the mammary glands, then the appearance of discomfort can be considered a “symptom” of successful conception. Similar conclusions can be drawn if during the period of PMS the breasts became painful and sensitive, but this time they are “silent”. But darkening of the halo in most cases is observed during pregnancy.
- Increase in basal temperature.
Basal temperature readings can be considered a fairly reliable sign of pregnancy. The established norm for the second phase of the menstrual cycle is considered to be at least 37 - 37.1°C. At the same time, it is important not to evaluate the numbers on the thermometer in isolation, but to compare them with the data of the first phase. A favorable picture is considered to be a difference of 0.4 °C or more between the average temperature of the first phase and the same value of the second phase.
- Changes in taste preferences, nausea, mood changes.
The hormonal changes that occur in a woman’s body with the onset of pregnancy can indeed lead to the above-mentioned factors. However, the appearance of these symptoms before at least the sixth gestational week is rarely associated with the appearance of a toddler in the womb of a woman.
- Frequent urge to go to the toilet.
Attributing this sign, as well as the previous one, to a manifestation of pregnancy, at least in the early stages, will be unfounded. If such discomfort occurs and pregnancy occurs, most often these events are a coincidence.
Why did the signs of pregnancy disappear before the delay?
Having figured out what symptoms women often mistake for possible manifestations of pregnancy, you can understand whether you should worry if these signs disappear.
1. The most significant sign of successful conception before the onset of delayed menstruation is the basal temperature numbers. A decrease in indicators most often indicates the absence of pregnancy. An exception may be a one-time drop in numbers, after which the column returns to its previous or higher values. A decrease in temperature is also possible in the case of a non-developing pregnancy. If a woman does not control this factor monthly, she may not be aware of the presence of a biochemical pregnancy, which ends even before the onset of menstruation.
2. Other subjective manifestations, which include the “behavior” of the mammary glands, nausea and changes in taste preferences, acute reactions to smells, frequent mood changes, may disappear for several reasons:
- if pregnancy has begun and is developing successfully (at least you can monitor basal temperature), the disappearance of these symptoms indicates that the woman’s body has already adjusted to work “in a new way”, the hormonal levels have stabilized. There should be no cause for alarm, but additional control will not hurt;
- if the signs disappear and at the same time menstruation begins, most often there was no pregnancy, and specific sensations are nothing more than self-hypnosis of a woman who wants to get pregnant;
- if suspicious symptoms have disappeared, but menstruation has not begun, and the basal temperature readings are around 37 °C, it makes sense to conduct additional examinations. Perhaps the pregnancy is at risk, and the woman’s body requires medicinal support (most often progesterone).
How the belly gets bigger during pregnancy
In the first month of pregnancy, the belly grows slowly, since the blood vessels of the uterus grow gradually, and it is due to them that the belly increases in the initial period. A little later, an increase in the size of the abdomen occurs due to the growth of the fetus and an increase in the volume of amniotic fluid.
Already at the end of the first month, the uterus resembles a chicken egg in size, in the 2nd month it almost doubles in size, and by the end of the third month it increases to the size of a man’s fist.
During the entire period of waiting for the baby, the doctor measures the height of the uterus and the circumference of the abdomen. If in the fourth month of pregnancy the fundus of the uterus is located in the middle between the navel and the womb, in the fifth month it rises by about 5 cm, and by the sixth month it is approximately at the level of the navel.
Using special measurements, the doctor monitors the woman’s condition. If the height of the uterus and the size of the abdomen do not correspond to each other, it is necessary to find out the reason. So, a very large belly indicates excessive weight gain, polyhydramnios or edema. To normalize the weight and size of the abdomen, the gynecologist usually recommends that a pregnant woman not drink a lot of liquid at night and limit the amount of salt in dishes. For polyhydramnios, in especially dangerous and difficult cases, he may prescribe pumping out the water using amniocentesis.
A small belly during pregnancy may indicate malnutrition (underdevelopment) of the fetus or oligohydramnios.
Signs of pregnancy suddenly disappeared
When “day X” arrived and menstruation had not started, the hope for a successful conception became even stronger. In this case, new facts are added to the previously listed subjective characteristics.
Signs of pregnancy disappeared after missed period
Of course, the most important signal indicating a possible pregnancy is a delay in menstruation. It is this fact that most often forces a woman to go for a pregnancy test and consult a gynecologist. What signs indicate successful conception in this case?
- Pain in the lower abdomen.
There can be many reasons for this kind of discomfort. Some of them are associated with pregnancy, for example, gradual stretching of the uterus or its tone, active work of the corpus luteum (if the pain is localized on the side) or the threat of pregnancy failure, and some are not. So pain can be caused by approaching menstruation, appendicitis or gynecological diseases. This sign (pain) is very subjective, even if there is a delay in menstruation.
- Positive pregnancy test.
The appearance of two lines on the test is an impressive argument in favor of the birth of a baby in the womb of a woman. At the same time, it is not always possible to observe 2 equally thick and bright stripes on the indicator strip, as on the sample, but the pregnancy will be uterine and developing. In this case, it is best to conduct a dynamic study - in a day or two (after 48 hours).
- Confirmation of pregnancy by additional studies.
This category includes reliable and most common methods for diagnosing pregnancy in the early stages - taking a blood test to determine the level of the β-hCG hormone and performing a transvaginal ultrasound. The research results are almost always unambiguous and leave no doubt about the success or failure of conception.
Important! The appearance of bloody discharge from the genital tract in the early stages of pregnancy is not normal. This situation requires seeking medical help to determine its cause.
Why did the signs of pregnancy disappear after a missed period?
It is worth mentioning right away that the absence of specific sensations does not indicate the absence of pregnancy or problems with its development. Most often, anxiety is caused by the sudden disappearance of all manifestations of a “special situation” - nausea in the morning, frequent urge to go to the toilet, breast tenderness. In this case, there are 2 options:
- The disappearance of signs of illness may be due to the body’s adaptation to pregnancy.
- Pregnancy has stopped developing or is at risk. In this case, the active production of progesterone stops, which is the “culprit” of the lion’s share of the pregnant woman’s ailments.
To dispel your fears and doubts, you need to conduct additional examinations:
- The simplest and most accessible is to conduct several pregnancy tests, which react to the concentration of β-hCG in the urine, with an interval of 2 days. If the second line is still bright and distinct, panic can be postponed. If the control line turns pale, there is a high probability that we are talking about problems with pregnancy. This can be either a threat of failure or fading of pregnancy.
- Another way is to take a test to determine the content of the hormone β-hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) in the blood, again over time with an interval of 48 hours. If pregnancy develops normally, this figure doubles every 2 days.
- The third option is to perform a transvaginal ultrasound. This study is informative for a period of more than 6-7 obstetric weeks. It makes no sense to do it earlier, because... the maximum that can be established is the fact of the presence and location of pregnancy. The heartbeat will not be audible yet. If signs of pregnancy have disappeared after 7 weeks or more, it makes sense to do an ultrasound and dispel doubts.
Even if all the signs of pregnancy disappear in an instant, very often a woman notes that after a few days some of them return again. Carrying a toddler is a delicate process that has many features in each individual case. Improvement in the well-being of the expectant mother does not always indicate a threat of pregnancy or a stop in the development of the latter. If a woman has doubts or concerns, it is recommended to undergo additional examinations.
Is there a norm for fetal movements in the second trimester?
When the pregnancy is up to 28 weeks, it is impossible to determine the well-being of the fetus or its state of health by the number of tremors that the mother can feel. Before this time, the child’s nervous system is not yet mature enough for movements to become regular. The mother's constant worry about the baby's health is not the best for the baby, because he reacts to the state of the mother's body. In the meantime, the expectant mother, for her part, can contribute to the healthy development of the little body if she eats regularly and properly, gets enough sleep, spends time in the fresh air more often and does not succumb to stress and depression.
Characteristic symptoms
There are a number of characteristic symptoms that indicate a possible pregnancy: Changes in basal temperature (temperature associated with the release of sex hormones).
After conception, the basal temperature does not become the same as in the normal position. Its value increases sharply after ovulation. Normally, it decreases after ovulation.
Remember that during a short delay, this symptom may mean illness, so other signs should be taken into account.
Delayed menstrual cycle. Every woman should know the principle of operation of the mechanism of her reproductive system. The mucous membrane of the uterus has a need to renew itself, changing regularly in the absence of fertilization of eggs. After their fertilization, the mucous membrane is not renewed throughout the entire preservation of the fetus on it.
Prolonged absence of menstruation is one of the exact symptoms.
Frequent urination. The urinary system plays an important role in changing the body of a pregnant woman. The embryo develops gradually, so the blood flow is directed to the pelvis. The walls of the bladder begin to contract more often, which causes the desire to relieve need. This symptom is true if it is not accompanied by pain.
Do not forget that each symptom must be treated with common sense, because sometimes people confuse pregnancy with some kind of disease.
Should you trust tests and which ones?
Nowadays, the accuracy of most tests is hardly questioned. There are definitely those who make mistakes, but the likelihood that the test is correct is high.
How accurate the result is depends on the type of test.
Test strip
Its advantages are that it is cheap and can be bought at any pharmacy. Its reliability is about 90% on the first day of the delay and about 94% in the first week. This test is very easy to use, but some people make mistakes and ruin the strip. In the morning, you need to collect urine in a completely clean glass or plastic vessel and dip the test into it along a certain border marked on it.
Tablet test
This device is more modern and accurate. In order to find out the answer, you need to take morning urine into a pipette and drop it into a special hole. The result is shown next to it. It's convenient and reliable.
Jet test
To find out the result, just urinate on the end of the test. It is easy to use, it can be carried out in any conditions, and it is also the most reliable.
These are the main types of pregnancy tests. Since a woman buys this device to accurately determine pregnancy, she should choose a more expensive option. If a test is expensive, it means its mechanism is complex and precise.
