Health Conditions
PMS or Pregnancy
Have you been experiencing irritability, a nagging sore back, insatiable hunger pangs, and low energy? These unpleasant symptoms may result from either premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or pregnancy at the early stage. This symptomatic similarity may make it challenging to discern whether you are pregnant or merely coming up to menstruation. This article will help you to discover the true cause of your symptoms.
Fatigue
Fatigue is a common sign of both PMS and pregnancy. This exhaustion normally occurs during both the first and third trimesters of pregnancy. It is therefore possible to experience this fatigue before realizing you are pregnant, which might lead you to believe you are simply suffering from PMS. Pregnancy fatigue is caused by elevated levels of the hormone progesterone combined with reduced blood sugar and low blood pressure.
Food aversions or cravings
Food aversion is a common sign of early pregnancy. The once beloved scent of frying bacon will suddenly evoke nausea, due to an increase in the beta-hCG hormone. While these food aversions are only symptomatic of the early stages of pregnancy, food cravings can result from either pregnancy or PMS. While salty or sweet food cravings indicate PMS, cravings of a stranger nature typically appear during the first trimester of pregnancy. A common example of such a craving might be peanut butter and pickles eaten together.
Increased urination
This annoying physical symptom is exclusively experienced during pregnancy. To add insult to injury, this frequent urination typically occurs at night.
Tender and swollen breasts
This is a common symptom of both PMS and pregnancy. During PMS, women experience tender and slightly enlarged breasts, referred to as "cyclical mastalgia," or "cyclical mastodynia". This symptom in PMS disappears during menstruation, while pregnant women will experience markedly swollen and tender breasts 1-2 weeks after conception.
Morning sickness
This is perhaps the most distinctive and iconic symptom of early pregnancy. Morning sickness is an unpleasant feeling of nausea, which is sometimes accompanied by vomiting. Not all women have morning sickness during the early stages of pregnancy, but those who do may experience it as early as three weeks after conception. Morning sickness is not a symptom of PMS.
Slight bleeding or cramping
This can be a sign of either PMS or pregnancy. Cramping during PMS is a common occurrence and will vary in severity for each woman. Not all women will experience cramping during early pregnancy, but some will feel mild abdominal cramping. Spotting or slight bleeding may actually be the first sign of pregnancy. This spotting is known as implantation bleeding and is caused by the fertilized egg being embedded into the uterine wall.
Below I have outlined the symptoms experienced with PMS, pregnancy, or both. I have also detailed the slight differences for symptoms inherent to both PMS and pregnancy.
|
Symptoms |
PMS |
Pregnancy |
|---|---|---|
|
Swollen and tender breasts |
This will disappear once your period begins |
This will manifest 1-2 weeks after conception and remain during the pregnancy |
|
Morning sickness |
This is not experienced during PMS |
This is a common and distinctive sign of pregnancy |
|
Spotting |
Spotting is not experienced during PMS, just menstruation |
Slight spotting is normal during early pregnancy |
|
Cramping |
This will differ in severity with each woman |
Mild abdominal cramping may occur in early pregnancy, but not always |
|
Food cravings |
Cravings for sweet and salty food |
Cravings for odd food combinations |
|
Food aversions |
Does not often occur during PMS |
Aversions to certain food smells, sights, and tastes |
|
Fatigue |
Occurs during the days preceding menstruation |
Experienced during the 1st and 3rd trimesters |
|
Mood swings |
Involves bouts of crying, anger, irritability, and sadness |
Heightened emotions |
|
Increased urination |
Not experienced during PMS |
Increased urination |
|
Bowels |
Constipation or diarrhea |
Constipation |
|
Missed period |
You will experience your normal menstruation |
You will miss your period |
|
Menstruation |
Menstruation |
Menstruation will not be experienced |
|
Back pain |
PMS back pain is often radiated from pelvic or abdominal pain. |
Lower back pain |
|
Darkening of areolae |
Not experienced during PMS |
Darkening of areolae |
Hopefully after reading this article you are now able to discern which of these two female conditions you are experiencing. If you are still unsure, you should either visit a doctor or take a home pregnancy test.
Discussions(11) Add New
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Before I prepare to have a baby, I wonder how to differentiate pms versus early pregnancy symptoms. Now, I am pregnant, and I know morning sickness is an obvious indicator. During the early pregnancy, I fell very sick. This article’s content is very reasonable.
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After reading this article, I also know how to differentiate pregnancy symptoms and pms? Anyway, I have to take a pregnancy test before my husband comes back. I will give him a surprise. We want to have a baby for more than one year!
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Good article on pregnancy vs pms. It helps me to identify the symptoms. Thanks!
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According to my cycle, it will be my period. But I am preparing to have a baby. In the past two days, I have some pain in my abdominal, just like cramps. Many mommies tell me that they experience period like symptoms in early pregnancy. But what’s the difference between period pain and early pregnancy pain? After reading this article, I understand that PMS is very similar to pregnancy. The only way that I can do it is to take a pregnancy test.
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I have searched many topics on “pms versus early pregnancy” from Google. But I cannot find any useful information before I read this article. Clinictime.net is an excellent website providing professional content for lay persons. I have one suggestion for you. If you can show us the writer of this article and tell us the contact method, it will be better for us. I am willing to ask some questions after reading an excellent article like this.
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I am pregnant. I took both home pregnancy test and blood test. In recent days, I feel period like symptoms in early pregnancy. After reading this article, I know the PMS and pregnancy symptoms are so similar that my period symptoms are absolutely normal.
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Are period and pregnancy symptoms the same? This article tells us the differences from fatigue, food aversions, urination, tender, etc. I think the most important difference is morning sickness which is not experienced during PMS. Good article. I love the table of this article.
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The table of pms vs pregnancy symptoms in this article is very clear. According to the table, I can easily know how to discern pms symptoms and period symptoms. Thanks!
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How are pregnancy symptoms different from pms? After reading this article, I know it. Following the suggestions in this article, I just take a pregnancy test! I am pregnant! I am very glad!!!
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Frequent urination prior to menstruation is possible and does occur. Also back pain is common during pms. This info is not accurate!
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Thanks for your suggestion! We are continually contributing and welcome futher feedback on our new knowledge posts. Frequent urination prior to metruation is possible but not common, so we don\'t list in the table. Back pain is common among some women, but it is radiated from other pain. We have use a more accurate description. Thanks!
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At one month it is possible for tests to come back negative, because the levels of pregnancy hormone aren't high enough in some people to make a positive test result (this happened to me when I was pregnant with my little girl). By two months the tests should be coming back positive.Symptoms could be breast tenderness, cramps, morning sickness, irritability different things for different people.