If you are using the Pill you should stop taking it a few months before you wish to become pregnant. It takes at least a month for your menstrual cycle to get back to normal.

It can take a while to fall pregnant but most couples will conceive within one year. You should try to relax as stress can affect your fertility and upset your menstrual cycle although this is easier said than done. However, if you have failed to become pregnant after 12 months of actively trying then maybe you should consider seeing your GP who can refer you to a fertility specialist.

• Even before a missed period you may experience breast tenderness, due to the high pregnancy hormone levels.
• Food cravings (not fully understood but evident nonetheless).
• Tiredness is very common and is due to all the changes the body has to make to accept a developing pregnancy.
• Frequent urination. This is very common and is caused by the growing uterus pressing on the bladder.
• Darkening of the areola (area immediately around the nipples). This is due to a change in skin pigmentation during pregnancy and can also affect the line between the tummy button and the pubic bone.
• Morning sickness. This is not always in the morning and does not always cause sickness. Nausea or just a strange taste may be noted.
  It may continue throughout the whole pregnancy or may not occur. Normally, it settles in the fourth month when the placenta takes over the work of producing pregnancy hormones.
• Basal body temperature (BBT). This will remain high following fertilisation and can be a sign that pregnancy has occurred ifassociated with other signs.
• Missed period. If your period is late and you have had unprotected sex then there is a chance you could be pregnant.
• Implantation bleed or crampy pains. Even if you have cramps and spotting of blood when your period is due, you could still bepregnant. Sometimes, when the embryo is becoming implanted into the uterine wall, a small amount of bleeding is experiencedand is quite normal.

The first few weeks of pregnancy are critical to fetal development, so early prenatal care is important to healthy birth weight and baby survival. In addition, couples who are keen to conceive will wish to know as soon as possible so they can take steps to make sure the woman is in optimum health and in the best possible state to carry a pregnancy to term. An early result could help to reduce any stress which can occur in the days leading up to finding out if the pregnancy is ongoing or not. This in itself should produce a more conducive environment for a potential pregnancy to proceed.

With continued advances in infertility treatment many women are having assisted conception which, in itself, can be highly stressful. An early test would be beneficial if only to give them the pleasure of knowing they are pregnant before anyone else finds out (an early window of knowledge). The sooner you know you’re pregnant, the sooner you can begin making healthy choices for yourself and your baby that include, diet, nutrition and limiting your exposure to hazards.

You should make an appointment to see your doctor to confirm you are pregnant and advise your next steps.

Now that you are pregnant, it is essential that you have a healthy lifestyle. You should stop smoking, avoid alcohol as much as possible and eat a healthy diet.

A positive answer means you had enough hCG hormone at the time of testing to be detected by FIRST RESPONSE™. It may lead to a successful pregnancy but it is important to note that there can be complications, and up to 25% of embryos do not survive and are shed afew days later (this is known as a miscarriage).¹

Common causes of false-positive results include:

• Recent birth or miscarriage, because a woman’s blood and urine may still contain detectible levels of hCG for afew weeks afterwards

We advise you to test again a few days later to confirm the result.