Orlando Health Physician Examines Unusual Signs of Pregnancy

The following content is sponsored by Orlando Health

In June of 2020, Winter Park welcomed a new generation of women’s health care with the opening of the Orlando Health Women’s Pavilion – Winter Park. Located at 1111 W. Fairbanks Ave., the 20,800-square-foot, two-story facility is the first of its kind in Central Florida with female physicians accounting for approximately 90% of its staff.

As its third anniversary approaches, the facility continues to further its focus on the importance of women’s health and bring more convenient care options to the Winter Park area. Services span a broad range at all ages and stages of life including internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, imaging, cardiology and urogynecology.

Here, board certified obstetrics and gynecology physician Jessica Auffant, MD, discusses some early pregnancy signs that might be overlooked.

Vivid Dreams

In pregnant women, hormone changes bring on interesting side effects. Not only can hormone changes disrupt sleep, but they can also cause vivid dreams. The degree of hormone change can vary woman to woman — as well as pregnancy to pregnancy. Many women say that they knew they were pregnant because of the outlandish dreams they started having.

Heightened Senses

Yes, heightened senses are common for a lot of women. They start to smell things they wouldn’t normally have noticed. You may smell another woman’s hair dye, for example. Noticing these smells can cause nausea, but that tends to be a symptom that appears later in a pregnancy. It’s also not unusual to notice that your taste buds have become more sensitive. Foods you used to enjoy may become repulsive. For example, many women — even those who are not vegetarian — develop an aversion to meat even in the first few weeks of their pregnancy.

Excessive Fatigue

Even in the first few weeks of pregnancy, you might feel exhausted from normal activities, but this symptom doesn’t always mean you’re pregnant. Fatigue also can signal that you’re about to get your period. In this case, it can help to take a pregnancy test. If the test is negative, wait for the next cycle to start or take another test.

Mood Swings

Pregnancy can bring on mood swings that can have noticeable effects on behavior. For those women experiencing mood swings, it’s common that they will say that they don’t feel like themselves. You may feeling upset over things that would normally not be upsetting or become tearful when you don’t normally cry easily.

The biggest thing to keep in mind is that there are no hard-and-fast rules as to which symptoms a woman will experience in the earliest stages of her pregnancy. A woman may experience all, some or none of these symptoms and still be pregnant. However, a handful of these symptoms may be occurring, and she is not pregnant. If your symptoms persist, it may be time to take a pregnancy test, followed by a trip to your gynecologist to confirm the pregnancy.

Until you know for sure, get as much rest as possible, stay hydrated, say no to any foods that are inducing sickness or nausea, and avoid over-the-counter medication.

For more information on services, specialists, and to schedule appointments, check the Orlando Health Women’s Pavilion website.