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lives—and yes, now you have a preconception to-do list to get busy on before you actually get busy on making baby. But don’t forget to take the time to relax, too. Stress doesn’t just affect your libido and performance, it also affects your testosterone levels and your sperm production. The less you worry, the more easily you’ll conceive. So relax and enjoy trying!

CHAPTER 2

Are You Pregnant?

    M AYBE YOUR PERIOD’S JUST A day overdue. Or maybe it’s going on three weeks late. Or maybe your period isn’t even slated to arrive yet, but you’ve got a gut feeling (literally, in your gut) that something’s cooking—like a brand-new bun in your oven. Maybe the only heads-up your body’s given you so far is that missed period. Or maybe you’ve already developed every conceivable symptom of conception. Maybe you’ve been giving baby making everything you’ve got for six months or longer. Or maybe that hot night two weeks ago was your very first contraceptive-free encounter. Or maybe you haven’t been actively trying at all. No matter what the circumstances are that have brought you to this book, you’re bound to be wondering: Am I pregnant? Well, read on to find out.
What You May Be Wondering About

Early Pregnancy Signs

    “A friend of mine said she knew she was pregnant even before she took a pregnancy test. Is there any way to figure out whether or not I’m pregnant that early on?”
    The only way to be positively positive that you’re pregnant—at least this early on—is to produce that positive pregnancy test. But that doesn’t mean your body is staying mum on whether you’re about to become a mom. In fact, it may be offering up plenty of conception clues. Though many women never feel any early pregnancy symptoms at all (or don’t feel them until weeks into pregnancy), others get lots of hints that there’s a baby in the making. Experiencing any of these symptoms or noticing any of these signs may be just the excuse you need to run to the store for a home pregnancy test:
    Tender breasts and nipples. You know that tender, achy feeling you get in your breasts before your period arrives? That’s nothing compared to the breast tenderness you might be feeling postconception. Tender, full, swollen, tingly, sensitive, and even painful-to-the-touch breasts are some of the first signs many (but not all) women notice after sperm meets egg. Such tenderness can begin as early as a few days after conception (though it often doesn’t kick in until weeks later), and as your pregnancy progresses, it could get even more pronounced. Make that a lot more pronounced.
    Darkening areolas. Not only might your breasts be tender, but your areolas (the circles around your nipples) may be changing colors. It’s perfectly normal for the areola to darken in hue during pregnancy and even to increase in diameter somewhat in the weeks after conception. You can thank the pregnancy hormones already surging through your body for these and other skin color changes (much more about those hormones in the coming months).
    Goose bumps? Well, not really, but early in pregnancy you may notice an increase and enlargement in the tiny bumps on the areola (called Montgomery’s tubercles)—bumps you may have never noticed before. They’ll resemble goose bumps but are actually glands that produce oils to lubricate your nipples and areolas—lubrication that’ll certainly be welcome when your baby starts sucking on your nipples if you’re nursing. Another sign your body is planning ahead.
    Spotting. Some (but certainly not all) women experience spotting when the embryo implants in the uterus. Such so-called implantation bleeding will likely arrive earlier than your expected monthly flow (usually around five to ten days after conception) and will probably appear light to medium pink in color (rarely red, like a period).
    Urinary frequency. Has the toilet become your seat of choice lately? Appearing on the pregnancy scene fairly early