PMS vs Early Pregnancy
PMS and pregnancy (the early part) have many similarities. It is in these similarities that many women become confused whether they’re just experiencing PMS or if they’re already an expectant mom.
PMS, completely known as premenstrual syndrome, is about a week (in other cases, just a few days) prior to a woman’s actual menstruation. Along with this, the woman will experience many symptoms most of which are complaints. These uncomfortable symptoms are said to be brought about by fluctuating hormone levels.
Serotonin is one of the culprits in PMS. A decrease in this hormone (such as what’s happening during PMS) will induce frequent mood swings and the surfacing of aggressive behavior. The woman also becomes more irritable and easily gets angry. Because of such an unstable emotional state or mood, the woman with PMS often has a hard time concentrating which is coupled with other manifestations like a sudden increase in appetite and sleep problems. Other hormonal shifts lead to the tenderness (soreness) of the breasts, frequent migraines, backaches, and possible rapid weight gain. Although such symptoms are not true for all women, generally the above-mentioned manifestations are present in most cases.
Pregnancy, on the other hand, has that most obvious and suspecting sign of missing one or more menstrual periods consecutively. But you should not consider pregnancy immediately after noticing this because there can be some other scientific explanation for the cessation.
In most cases of early pregnancy, the term “morning sickness” has already been immortalized. All mothers know what this is. Morning sickness is more than just feeling nauseated or experiencing frequent episodes of vomiting because, like with PMS, your breasts and nipples also become sore. But with regard to breast tenderness, the pain in early pregnancy is more intense and even throbbing in nature. The woman experiencing these symptoms will really have a hard time being comfortable. By the way, nausea is less frequently seen in PMS.
Moreover, the usual mood change also kicks in. The early pregnant woman will crave for certain types of food while feeling an aversion to other foods and smells. Increased urination is also to be expected during early pregnancy. Another typical early pregnancy sign is tiredness. In this case, this sign is more uncontrollable and will require more rest than the fatiguepresent in women with just PMS.
Because of the irregularity in the menstrual cycle for some women, discerning simple PMS from early pregnancy becomes even more difficult. Nevertheless, if you’re a woman having regular period intervals and you suddenly missed one while having the symptoms of breast tenderness, fatigue ,and nausea then you are most likely pregnant.
Summary:
1.Nausea is less observed in PMS than in early pregnancy.
2.Breast tenderness is far more discomforting during early pregnancy than in PMS.
3.Tiredness is more profound in early pregnancy than in PMS.