It is commonly believed that women instinctively know when they are pregnant. That's only part of the truth. The onset of pregnancy is marked by a series of changes in their bodies. Women who are sensitive to these symptoms-especially if they have been pregnant before-correctly interpret them as signs of pregnancy.

# 1. Nausea. Symptoms of nausea are a very common sign of pregnancy. Popularly termed 'morning sickness,' the symptoms may be felt at all times of the day. Many women also develop an intense aversion to certain smells or tastes, of food items for instance, that they liked earlier. Symptoms of nausea may continue to be felt even into the second semester.

# 2. Abdominal bloat. Soon after conception, hormonal changes cause the abdomen to feel distended. Your spouse may complain that her clothes are getting tighter. This pregnancy sign is similar to the feeling of bloat she experiences when she has her periods.

# 3. Tender breasts. If your spouse complains that her breasts pain when you touch them, you may have reason to rejoice. Tenderness or soreness of the breasts is another obvious sign of pregnancy. The pain is similar to, but usually more intense than, what women experience during periods. A related pregnancy symptom is a feeling of fullness in the breasts. The appearance of the breasts may also change with veins becoming visible under the skin.

# 4. Montgomery's tubercules. Somber as the phrase sounds, it simply refers to the wart like projections that form around the areolas-the dark area surrounding the nipples- of the breasts.

# 5. Missed periods. A very likely sign of pregnancy is when your spouse misses a period. The scanty menstrual-like flow that sometimes appears at the time of implantation-around ten days after conception-is not a period, and, in fact, indicates a pregnancy.

The presence of some or all of these signs of pregnancy indicates that your spouse should go in for a .