PMS or premenstrual syndrome and pregnancy symptoms are almost similar. Most women would anxiously wait for a good fortnight to know whether or not they are pregnant. Planned conception is always better than accidental or unplanned conception but any woman who has experienced and lived through that fortnight of expectation, anticipation and anxiety would know what exhaustion means. It doesn’t help that PMS and pregnancy symptoms are almost the same.
Many women have mistaken PMS symptoms to be signs of pregnancy only to be disheartened in a matter of few days. Thus, what is needed is an understanding of the difference between PMS and pregnancy symptoms.
Similarities Between Pregnancy and PMS
First, you must know the similarities so you know how to look for signs of pregnancy and how not to be misled by your PMS symptoms. In both cases, you would experience tender breasts. You would crave for food and may feel tired and slightly nauseous. Sensations of nervousness, anxiety and feeling irritated are also common as PMS and pregnancy symptoms.
Differences Between Pregnancy and PMS
The first major difference between PMS and pregnancy symptoms are in the severity of the signs. Ideally, every woman should be conscious of the changes that her body goes through during periods and during other days of the month. Anyone who notices the bodily changes, hormonal differences and mood swings would know how to distinguish between PMS and pregnancy. The main difference between PMS and pregnancy symptoms are that the latter would be more severe and exhausting than the former.
If you have a tendency to nauseate during period then this tendency would worsen if you are about to or have become pregnant. The degree to which you feel tired would also be more during pregnancy. You may want to take two to three short naps through the day if you are getting pregnant, which may have been restricted to one nap or no nap at all during ordinary periods. Every PMS symptom that you have experienced in your life till date would have the likelihood of becoming more obvious if you have conceived.
Another major difference between PMS and pregnancy symptoms, is that the body temperature would rise sharply after ovulation if you have conceived or are conceiving. During periods, you may have a slight rise in temperature but it wouldn’t be consistent. If you have conceived then the rise in your body temperature would be consistent for more than a fortnight after ovulation.
