Are You Pregnant?

Let me guess...you think there's a chance you're pregnant and before you go and buy a test, you're searching online for the early symptoms. Am I right? Well, you sound like a lot of women we know! And it's women like you who've inspired us to write this blog. We want to give 'suspected' mums-to-be some solid information on the early signs of pregnancy. 

In order to research this topic thoroughly, we at Cadenshae decided to survey around 350 of our amazing customers/mothers. We asked them about their early pregnancy symptoms, and not surprisingly, nearly half of the women questioned said missing their period was their first indication of pregnancy. Followed by tender breasts, nausea and extreme fatigue.

We hope you find out what you need to know from our case study, and you test positive! Good luck!

Here's what you'll learn:

1. First signs of pregnancy.
2. How many were trying to conceive? 
3. How long did it take to get pregnant?
4. When did you find out you were pregnant? 
5. How do you know if you’re pregnant?
6. How many pregnancy tests should I take?
7. When is the best time to take a pregnancy test?
8. How likely is a false negative pregnancy test?
9. Pregnancy test brands.
10. Can you get pregnant when you’re taking birth control?
11. Advice about conceiving and early pregnancy from our mamas.

1. First signs of pregnancy.

Every mother's body and pregnancy is different, so the early signs of pregnancy will vary from woman to woman. Of the 350 mothers we surveyed, their first signs of pregnancy were:

• 40%    Missed period.
• 15%    Tender breasts.
• 10%    Nausea.
•   7%    Fatigue.
•   6%    Blood or pregnancy test.
•   3%    Cramps.
•   3%    Food cravings or dislikes.
•   3%    Change in mood.
•   2%    Intuition.
•   2%    Dizziness.
•   2%    Headaches.
•   2%    Bloating.
•   1.5% Other.
•   1%    Bleeding.
•   1%    Increased urination.
•   0.5% Heaviness in the pelvic area.
•   0.5% Heightened sense of smell.
•   0.5% Thrush.

Other, less common signs included: heartburn, acne, constipation, continuous burping, elevated heart rate, weird dreams, oily skin, shortness of breath or chronic abdominal pain.

Three per cent thought they may be pregnant due to a change in mood. This is how they felt:

• I felt 'off.'
• Increased energy and feeling 'buzzed.'
• Frustrated with anyone who spoke to me.
• Cranky and mean.
• Extremely short tempered and very emotional.
• I was so moody!
• Tired.

2. How many were trying to conceive?

Seventy-nine percent of our mums were trying to get pregnant, while 21% were not.

 3. How long did it take to get pregnant?

We asked the 79% that were trying to conceive, how long they had been trying before they got pregnant. We discovered that more than 60% of couples took three months or less to get pregnant.

• 34%  1 month (within 1 cycle).
• 20%  2 months (within 2 cycles).
• 11%  3 months (within 3 cycles).
•   6%  4 months (within 4 cycles).
•   4%  5 months (within 5 cycles).
•   7%  6 months (within 6 cycles).
•   8%  6-12 months (within 6-12 cycles).
•   7%  1-2 years (within 12-24 cycles).
•   3%  2 years + (24 cycles or more).

4. When did you find out you were pregnant?

Over 60% of our mums found out they were pregnant four weeks or less after conceiving. Once you discover you're pregnant, the very next question is always 'how far along am I?' This is how many weeks pregnant our group of mothers were when they found out they were with child.

•   1%       1 week.
• 10%       2 weeks.
• 16%       3 weeks.
• 37%       4 weeks.
• 22%       5 weeks.
•   9%       6 weeks.
•   2%       7 weeks.
•   2%       8 weeks.
• 0.25%    9 weeks.
• 0.25%  10 weeks.
• 0.25%  11 weeks.
• 0.25%  12 + weeks.

5. How do you know if you’re pregnant?

Often, the first indicators of pregnancy don't show up straight away. Most women miss their period at week four before they begin to feel any different. However, some women experience signs of pregnancy in the first weeks after conception. In this case study, 98% of mothers took a pregnancy test to determine if they were pregnant or not, followed by a visit to their doctor for confirmation.

How many of our mums took a pregnancy test?

Only 2% didn't!

6. How many pregnancy tests should I take?

When we analysed the results from our mamas we learned that 40% of women take one test to find out if they're pregnant, 33% take two, while 27% take three or more tests, just to be absolutely sure!

7. When is the best time to take a pregnancy test?

A pregnancy test is best taken first thing in the morning when the highest concentration of the pregnancy hormone (HCG) can be detected in your urine. During very early pregnancy if the test is taken later in the day results are less accurate as your body is more hydrated.

8. How likely is a false negative pregnancy test?

We asked our mums if they ever got a false negative result at the time they were actually pregnant...and we found that 11% of them did! Just under half of these women went on to take another test because they got a faint line, or it didn't read clearly enough.

9. Pregnancy test brands.

Below are the most popular brands of home pregnancy tests our mothers used.

• 51%     First Response.
• 35%     Clearblue.
•   3%     Pregnosis.
•   1%     Dollar Store Brand.
•   1%     Easy@Home.
•   1%     Wondfo.
•   1%     Crystal Clear.
•   1%     Life Brand.
•   0.2%  Accu-Clear Early Pregnancy Test.
•   0.2%  CVS Digital Pregnancy Test.
•   0.2%  Freedom Mid Stream.
•   0.2%  ClinicalGuard.
•   0.2%  Baby4You.
•   0%     New Choice.
•   0%     Fact Plus.

10. Can you get pregnant when you’re taking birth control?

Five per cent of our 350 mothers did get pregnant whilst on birth control.

What type of birth control were the 5% using when they got pregnant? 

Eighty per cent were using 'the pill,' 13% used and Intrauterine Device (IUD) and 7% had their partners use a condom. Interesting stats...

11. Advice about conceiving and early pregnancy from our mamas.

"I found out I was pregnant four days before I was supposed to get my period and my period before that one was extremely light and not normal. I was thinking I was pregnant then but kept getting a negative test? Then one morning I was looking at my Fitbit and my resting heart rate was elevated by 6 + bpm which I had read can be a sign you're pregnant, so I took one more test and the result came back clear as day positive without waiting for the full two minutes."

"I knew I was pregnant before I tested because I HATED my morning coffee. That never happens. I got a positive test two days later."

"Wait until your expected period to take a pregnancy test. I had taken the 'First Response' pregnancy test six days before my missed period as advertised, but the test was negative. Tested on the day of my expected period and tested positive with a Clearblue pregnancy test."

"I had four urine sticks say I was pregnant, but when I went to the doctor's their test was negative. I was sure I was, and the blood tests came back positive. I’ve heard lots of women say that the home pregnancy tests are in fact more accurate than the GP urine tests and I found this to be true! So if you're testing early at home (prior to your expected period date) keep this in mind!"

"Trust your gut! I felt different and knew I was pregnant so I took a test."

"In my first pregnancy, my breasts were really sore, that was the giveaway. For my next two, it was nosebleeds that were the definite sign."

"Track your cycles with an app! It makes everything so much easier if you're wondering if you’re pregnant."

"No pregnancy is the same and the signs and symptoms vary with time and intensity. Pregnancy tests aren’t accurate until AFTER you have missed your period so don’t get down too fast if you initially get a negative!"

"Read the box of each test as they are all different. I mistook the ‘rapid response’ tests for being the early detection ones (First Response), so kept getting negative results despite having that feeling I was pregnant! Oops."

"My advice would be if you're trying, wait until you miss your period so you don’t waste your money on tests."

"I was feeling exhausted, but I didn’t want to rush to take the test. I’d had too many heartbreaks. I waited until my period was one week late and then I tested. Be patient. It’s so, so hard but waiting until you can get the clearest result is best."

"It’s very exciting but try and hold off on taking pregnancy tests, because if it’s too early it could turn out negative when you actually could be pregnant! I was obsessed with taking tests and wasted so much money! I took two tests and typically if you're pregnant the line will appear pretty quick and I knew this because I had miscarried previously. So I took one test at home in the afternoon and one that night (worst time to do it too but I was very impatient!) both turned out negative...BUT I didn’t wait for the allocated time, I only gave them about one minute and then binned them! So the test I did that night at home I chucked in the drawer with anger and walked away. I later came back to dispose of it, and it was positive. Then the next day at work I checked the test in the bin and sure enough, it was positive too! So I then re-tested at the end of the week and was further along and two lines appeared and I was...totally pregnant."

And just for a bit of fun, check out the most accurate am I pregnant quiz we've found to see if you might be pregnant! Good luck!

Written by Nikki Clarke.