Chadwick's Sign (or why your cervix might be blue)

Sore boobs, nausea, mood swings, fatigue - no, these are not lyrics to a clever rap song (that I'm aware of), rather these are classic symptoms of early pregnancy. If you have these symptoms, possess functional female reproductive organs, and have had vaginal intercourse with a sperm-bearing partner in the recent past, you could always pee on a stick to find out if there is an embryo inhabiting your uterus. But, wait, there's another early pregnancy indicator that you might not be aware of: Chadwick's sign!

Under usual circumstances, the cervix is pink (cervical pink, now there's a new crayon color just waiting to be invented). With pregnancy, blood flow to the uterus dramatically increases, resulting in the cervix developing a bluish tint. This color change is referred to as Chadwick's sign, which can appear as soon as 6 weeks after conception . Ok, ok, so maybe this is not the most convenient way to gauge whether you might be pregnant, unless you are hypermobile, or have an exceptionally curious partner, but still, it's quite fascinating. Plus, cervical self-exams are completely possible (more info available at: http://www.beautifulcervix.com/participate/).

A woman's total blood volume actually increases 30-50% during pregnancy, so it's no wonder that this can make your cervix a little blue.