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5 Signs Your Late Period Means Pregnancy

by Kristina Johnson

For a woman trying to have a baby, there's no more agonizing time than the two week wait— the days in between when you ovulate and when you find out if you're pregnant. Many women find themselves obsessing over their body, looking for any symptoms that could mean a bundle of joy is on the way and hoping their period stays away. Every day without Aunt Flow can get your hopes up higher. If you're trying to figure out how to tell if your late periods mean you're pregnant, there are some signs that could mean more than others.

Of course, there's no definitive way to know that you're pregnant without taking a test. Some women feel convinced that they're feeling pregnancy symptoms, only to realize that they're confusing them with the extremely similar symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). But there are some subtle differences between the signs that you're period is on the way and the signs that there's a bun in the oven.

Here are five signs that could very well mean you're pregnant and not just late.

1

You Period Has Always Been On Time Before

A late period doesn't mean as much if you've always had irregular cycles. According to Kids Health, unpredictable cycles are pretty common and often don't pose much of a problem. But if your periods have always arrived like clockwork, however, a late one could be significant.

2

You're Getting Nauseous

A late period alone isn't necessarily reason to believe you're pregnant. But when it's accompanied by nausea, another super common sign of pregnancy according to the Mayo Clinic, your chances of getting a positive test could be higher.

3

You're Peeing A Lot

Running to the bathroom constantly is a common sign of pregnancy, according to The Bump. If the urge to pee all the time hits you when your period is still nowhere in sight, a baby could be on the way.

4

Your Appetite Changes

When you're waiting on your period, you may find yourself craving specific foods like chocolate or sweets. That can be a sign of PMS, but according to Healthline cravings can also be a sign of pregnancy. Cravings might be more likely to mean you're expecting if they're also accompanied by food aversions. One day very early on in my pregnancy with my daughter, I absolutely had to have a tuna sandwich, but I was absolutely repulsed by thought of washing it down with a soda as I normally would have done.

5

You're Super Tired

If you're finding yourself super sleepy while waiting for your period to arrive, that could mean that you're pregnant according to Cafe Mom. Dr. Robert Atlas told the website that feelings of fatigue are much more commonly associated with pregnancy than with PMS.