How do you know if your period is coming or you are pregnant? Signs of pregnancy or menstruation (PMS) are usually similar to each other. Both pregnancy and menstruation can cause signs such as breast tenderness and abdominal cramps. Maybe that’s what makes you so anxious as soon as your next period is near. So, How to know if your period is coming or you’re pregnant?
Come on, find out the difference between you being pregnant or your upcoming period, which often causes errors in the following review.
Why are the signs of pregnancy and menstruation similar?
Signs of pregnancy and upcoming menstruation are indeed similar because they both start from the same process, namely ovulation. Ovulation is the period when the ovaries (ovaries) release mature eggs that are ready to be fertilized by sperm.
Also known as the fertile period is a natural process experienced by healthy adult women every month.
Ovulation generally occurs about 12 to 14 days before menstruation. The process of producing and releasing eggs during ovulation is regulated by a part of the brain called the hypothalamus.
Well, after the ovaries produce eggs, the body will begin to release special enzymes. This enzyme is in charge of forming a hole to make it easier for the egg to descend into the uterus through the fallopian tube (the tube that connects the ovaries and uterus).
The average egg can survive up to 24 hours after being released. If you have sex within 12-24 hours of ovulation, you have a high chance of getting pregnant.
The reason, in this period time the egg can successfully meet the sperm to be fertilized. Fertilization occurs in the fallopian tube and lasts about 24 to 48 hours after sexual intercourse.
However, if no sperm enters to fertilize, the egg will die and shed in the uterus. In this process, the vagina will bleed a sign of menstruation or menstruation.
Read also: Can You Have A Miscarriage And Not Know
How to tell if your period is coming or you are pregnant?
Distinguishing signs of pregnancy or menstruation is not too difficult. However, not everyone knows what the signs of menstruation or pregnancy are like and correctly.
For more details, consider some of the differences between the following signs of pregnancy or menstruation.
1. Different breast pain
Signs of pregnancy or menstruation generally make the breasts swollen and painful. You will also notice that your breasts feel heavier and denser or firmer to the touch. In addition to pain in the breast, some women can also experience pain around the nipples.
This sign of impending menstruation or pregnancy is caused by an increase in the hormone progesterone in the body to prepare for conception.
Here are the differences in signs of pregnancy or menstruation seen from breast pain, namely:
Signs of pregnancy:
Breast pain, a sign of pregnancy, not menstruation, usually lasts 1 or 2 weeks after you conceive. You can even feel this pain throughout your pregnancy and only stop after giving birth.
Menstrual signs:
On the other hand, breast pain is a sign of non-pregnancy menstruation that only lasts briefly or during menstruation. Reporting from Healthline, symptoms first appear 1-2 days before your period, and stop on the first day of your period.
2. Different stomach cramps
The most common sign of pregnancy or menstruation is stomach cramps. Almost every woman experiences these signs of menstruation or pregnancy when her period is about to come or during pregnancy.
However, it does not mean that the signs of cramps that occur during menstruation or pregnancy are the same. To be more sure to distinguish between signs of pregnancy or menstruation, pay attention to the location and intensity of the pain.
Signs of pregnancy:
Abdominal cramps that lead to pregnancy characteristics that are not a sign of menstruation cause the process of implanting an embryo or zygote. This is why the pain tends to be centered on one side and feels like the skin is being pinched. For example, if the fertilized egg attaches to the right side of the uterus, the cramping will be more pronounced on that side rather than on the left.
Cramps or abdominal pain signs of pregnancy, not menstruation also tend to heal faster. Usually, these cramps during pregnancy begin to feel immediately after ovulation and will subside in a matter of hours.
Signs of menstruation:
Abdominal cramps, a sign of non-pregnancy menstruation, are generally caused by the uterine muscles spasming or tightening. This makes the pain centered at the bottom, and it feels like your stomach is being squeezed hard now and then. The pain also generally radiates to the back.
If the cramps last for a day or two, you may just want your period, not a sign of pregnancy. Menstrual pain can continue until the last day of your period, unlike longer pregnancy pains.
3. Different blood spots that appear
Abdominal cramps, a sign of pregnancy, are generally accompanied by the appearance of blood spots. This spotting of blood that occurs early in pregnancy is called implantation bleeding. But unfortunately, this sign of pregnancy is often mistaken for spots or menstrual spots on the first day.
Well, to find out where your period will come or you are pregnant? you have to know how many blood spots come out.
Signs of pregnancy:
Spots that are a sign of pregnancy generally appear only 1 or 2 drops, not much like menstruation. Blood spots that are signs of pregnancy that come out are also not blood red like menstruation but tend to be bright pink or yellowish.
Bleeding or spotting signs of pregnancy instead of menstruation is called implantation. This can occur anytime within 10-14 days after conception and lasts only 1-2 days.
Bleeding as a sign of pregnancy will not occur continuously for more than 5 or 7 days, slightly different from menstruation that stops on the third or fourth day.
If this bleeding continues for more than that time, it is a sign that something is not normal with your health. You should immediately consult a doctor, as well as ask more deeply about the differences in signs of pregnancy or menstruation.
Signs of menstruation:
Unlike pregnancy, menstruation will not make you experience signs of spots or spots. This is what distinguishes the signs of pregnancy from PMS symptoms or menstruation in every woman. New bleeding will come out after your period starts, not before.
You are said to be menstruating if the blood flow feels heavier and lasts up to a week. The color of menstrual blood also tends to be thick and dark red or dark brown, in contrast to the condition of the signs of pregnancy.
In addition to different colors, menstrual blood is also often accompanied by blood clots or blood clots, unlike pregnancy spots.
Read also: What Does The Color Of Your Period Blood Mean
4. Different cravings
Higher appetite and desire to eat something specific can also confuse women, is this a sign of pregnancy or menstruation? Changes in appetite as a sign of pregnancy or menstruation occurs because your body is experiencing an increase in hormones.
But if you’re still not sure if this is a sign of pregnancy or menstruation, pay attention to what you’ve eaten the past few days.
Signs of pregnancy:
Cravings are referred to as a sign of pregnancy, not menstruation, but rather a very specific or unusual change in appetite. For example, suddenly want to drink jackfruit juice or duck satay.
You either never eat it or don’t like it. In addition, you feel these cravings must be fulfilled immediately.
Cravings for signs of pregnancy also make you no longer interested or interested in your favorite food so far, unlike cravings during menstruation. Maybe you used to like salted eggs, but hated them when you were pregnant because they made your stomach queasy.
Some mothers-to-be may experience signs of pregnancy instead of menstruation, so they avoid or are more sensitive to certain smells or scents. For a more definite difference, cravings during pregnancy can last as long as.
Signs of menstruation:
Meanwhile, cravings for foods that tend to be sweet or salty, such as chocolate, potato chips, or fried foods, are most likely a sign of menstruation, not pregnancy.
These cravings for non-pregnant periods tend to make you want to eat chocolate or cake today. However, the next day you want to eat something salty and savory.
One more difference between the signs of pregnancy or menstruation is the length of time it lasts. Cravings or increased appetite for food occurs because menstruation is usually only briefly. After menstruation appears, the cravings are gone.
5. The difference between nausea and vomiting
Some women report morning sickness and vomiting before testing positive for pregnancy. While others also experience the same thing when their period is near. So, is this a sign of pregnancy or menstruation?
Signs of pregnancy:
Nausea or vomiting in the morning leads to the most classic and undeniable sign of pregnancy than menstruation.
This sign of pregnancy is known as morning sickness. Complaints of nausea and vomiting usually have started a month after conception until before the 9th week of pregnancy.
In pregnant women in the second trimester, this sign of nausea or vomiting gradually subsides. Some pregnant women can sometimes continue to experience it throughout pregnancy. However, some pregnant women do not experience morning sickness at all.
Even though it’s called morning sickness, this condition can occur at any time of the day, whether it’s day, afternoon, or night.
Signs of menstruation:
Menstruation rarely makes you nauseous or vomits, on the contrary, it is more often a sign of pregnancy. However, PMS symptoms can sometimes make digestion uncomfortable, such as nausea, bloating, and diarrhea.
6. Different back pain
Both signs of pregnancy or menstruation both cause back pain. To distinguish them more clearly, distinguish from when the time started and how long the pain occurred.
If you are confused with back pain related to menstruation or pregnancy, pay attention to the following differences.
Signs of pregnancy:
Not a few of the expectant mothers complain of back pain during pregnancy. However, back pain is not a sign of early pregnancy.
Back pain generally appears in the second to third trimester when the weight gains a lot as the fetus also grows in the womb.
Signs of menstruation:
Back pain is one of the more common symptoms or signs pointing to menstruation instead of early pregnancy. The pain is centered in the lower back area and feels dull or achy throbbing that radiates to the calf.
Some women who have menstrual pain are severe enough to even report the pain is like being shot.
If your back starts to feel sore and sore near your regular period, it’s most likely just a sign that you’re getting your period.
7. Different weakness
By the time your period arrives, your body will feel more tired than usual. It turns out that this can also be felt in early pregnancy so that it makes you confused whether this is a sign of pregnancy or menstruation.
The sign that you complain of tiredness and weakness during menstruation or pregnancy is due to an increase in the hormone progesterone.
To distinguish which is a sign of pregnancy or menstruation, you have to see how long you feel tired.
Signs of pregnancy:
Persistent or long-term fatigue is a sign that is more likely to indicate pregnancy than menstruation. It can even continue throughout the pregnancy until finally giving birth.
A pregnant woman can experience extreme fatigue even though she is only 1 week pregnant.
Signs of menstruation:
While tiredness or tiredness, the signs of menstruation usually disappear immediately after menstruation, it is lighter than what pregnant women feel.
The key to overcoming menstrual fatigue or pregnancy is to give your body more time to rest optimally and adjust your diet well before your period.
8. Different mood swing
Drastic mood changes can be a sign of pregnancy or menstruation. Both are equally able to make your mood easily change. You may become more irritable, irritated, angry, and often cry than before.
Let alone for big things, even trivial problems can easily ignite your emotions that were previously in good condition. In an instant, you can feel so sad that you burst into tears.
Differences in mood changes, signs of pregnancy or menstruation, you can check in the following explanation.
Signs of pregnancy:
Mood changes are triggered by pregnancy hormone levels that go up and down to adjust to body changes. Mood or mood as a sign of pregnancy is different when you are menstruating, which can occur for a long time. It may even really subside after giving birth.
Signs of menstruation:
Mood swings or changes in mood due to menstruation that is not a sign of pregnancy usually do not last long and will soon disappear. Generally, these mood swings are felt a few days before menstruation and on the first day of menstruation.
9. Late period
It is undeniable that late menstruation is the most important sign of pregnancy. On the other hand, late menstruation can also be caused by other things outside of pregnancy.
So how to tell which is a late period which is a sign of pregnancy or menstruation?
Signs of pregnancy:
Late menstruation at least 1 to 2 weeks from the date that should be accompanied by other signs of early pregnancy, can be a positive sign of pregnancy, not menstruation or menstruation. Especially if all this time your menstrual schedule is regular, it’s never too late.
Menstrual signs:
If after 5 days or more you have not menstruated from the due date. Especially if this menstrual sign is not followed by the characteristics or symptoms felt by pregnant women.
This missed period can be caused by ongoing stress, illness, the effects of medications, extreme weight loss, or dietary changes.
Missing your period isn’t the surest sign that you’re pregnant. Especially if your menstrual cycle has never been regular.
How to confirm positive pregnancy?
Making sure you are pregnant is not enough just to look at the characteristics, not like the signs of menstruation or menstruation.
The various changes in the body above are often misunderstood as a sign of pregnancy or menstruation. But on the other hand, these symptoms may also be signs of certain health conditions other than pregnancy or menstruation.
That’s why if you suspect you are pregnant, you should immediately check with a test pack. The goal is to ensure that the signs experienced are true signs of pregnancy, not menstruation or other conditions.
Test packs can obtain at the nearest pharmacy, drug store, or supermarket without a doctor’s prescription. The test pack results are generally quite accurate, around 97-99 percent.
However, a new pregnancy can detect with a device at least 10 days after a missed period. On the test kit, a line will appear indicating whether you are pregnant or not.
In addition to knowing the signs of pregnancy or menstruation, make it a habit to record your menstrual schedule every month to find out the pattern. That way, you can find out the cause and anticipate it if it’s too late.
In addition to the test pack, you can also check with your doctor to make sure you are pregnant or not. Knowing the signs of pregnancy or menstruation more deeply helps you get an obstetrician consultation on time. This is very important for young pregnant women because it is very risky to miscarry.
In addition, knowing the signs of pregnancy or menstruation better can also anticipate certain health problems that may cause similar symptoms.