Not all people experience the same early pregnancy symptoms. And the early symptoms can differ for every pregnancy. The only way to know for sure if you’re pregnant is to take a pregnancy test.
Early Signs of Pregnancy
The early signs or symptoms of pregnancy likely won’t begin until your fourth week. Keep an eye out for some of these early pregnancy indications.
1. Missed period
Once conception occurs, your body produces hormones that stop ovulation and the shedding of your uterus’ lining (your period).
You will be period-free for the rest of your pregnancy.
2. Urinating frequently
The pregnancy hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) increases blood flow to your kidneys. This helps them eliminate waste from your body more efficiently, causing you to urinate more frequently.
Because of this, you will make frequent trips to the bathroom for your entire pregnancy as your uterus grows.
3. Swollen, tender breasts
An increase in hCG and progesterone contributes to breast changes and sensitivity. Discomfort typically subsides after a few weeks as your body adjusts to hormonal changes.
4. Nausea and sometimes vomiting
Nausea and vomiting are two signs of morning sickness. Pregnancy hormones are the likely culprit.
Morning sickness usually appears around four weeks of pregnancy and peaks at nine weeks. Most often, it goes away by the second trimester. However, it can linger throughout pregnancy for some women.
5. Spotting
When the fertilized egg implants itself into the uterus wall, some women notice a small amount of blood spotting.
Spotting from implantation occurs right around the time you might be expecting your period. Spotting itself can happen at any point during pregnancy. Call your health provider right away if you have more significant bleeding.
6. Fatigue and tiredness
A rise in progesterone can cause fatigue and tiredness.
Tiredness and fatigue from hormonal changes tend to lessen by the start of the second trimester.
7. Abdominal bloating, feeling full, constipation, and gas
Your gut empties slower with a rise in progesterone, causing bloating, constipation, and gas. You might feel like you’re full all the time. You could have this sensation even before you miss a period.
Fortunately, bloating from hormonal changes usually resolves itself by the second trimester.
8. Abdominal pain and cramping
Implantation can cause cramps that feel similar to menstrual cramps. You may confuse the two.
The cramping pain from implantation lasts only a few days.
9. Nipple darkening
Pregnancy hormones affect the cells or melanocytes in your nipples that control color. Your nipples may grow larger, too. They will likely remain darker, larger, and more sensitive throughout your pregnancy.
10. Changes in eating habits, food aversions, and sensitivity to smell
Many ob-gyns believe that fluctuating hormones change appetite and cause both food aversions and a heightened sense of smell.
Usually, food aversions and sensitivities to smell are less intense by the second trimester. Changes to your appetite and eating habits will continue throughout your pregnancy.
11. Raised temperature
Your temperature can be slightly elevated during pregnancy (about 0.2 degrees F) because blood volume increases to meet the demands of the growing fetus.
The slight increase in basal body temperature will decrease as your pregnancy progresses.
12. Heartburn and indigestion
If you’re not prone to getting heartburn, it could be an early sign of pregnancy. An increase in progesterone is to blame.
Heartburn and indigestion can come and go throughout pregnancy as your baby begins pressing on your stomach and hormones relax the muscles between your stomach and gullet, allowing stomach acid to come back up.
13. Melasma
Melasma (“the mask of pregnancy”) is hyperpigmentation that makes skin around your upper lip, nose, forehead, or cheeks darken. An increase in estrogen and progesterone triggers pregnancy melasma.
Melasma typically goes away on its own after pregnancy when hormones return to normal.
14. Headaches
Headaches caused by fluctuating hormones are a common symptom early in pregnancy. Unlike migraines, pregnancy headaches don’t impact your vision and usually affect only one side of the head.
Headaches typically improve as pregnancy progresses.
15. Dizziness
As blood flow increases during pregnancy, blood pressure can decrease and lead to dizzy spells. Dizziness is often a second-trimester symptom, but some women notice it early on.
16. Mood swings
Fluctuating hormones affect you both physically and emotionally, so mood swings are a common occurrence.
This can last throughout your pregnancy as hormonal fluctuations continue to impact your mood.
17. Nasal congestion
Hormonal changes increase blood flow, causing swollen nasal passages and more mucus production.
Congestion can last just a few weeks into your pregnancy or continue all the way up to delivery.
When to Take a Pregnancy Test
The best time to take a pregnancy test is on or after the first day of a missed period.
Some of the more expensive pregnancy tests are slightly more sensitive. They may show a positive before a missed period.
How Do Pregnancy Tests Work?
Pregnancy tests measure the rise in hCG after the fertilized egg implants in the uterus. At first, the amount of the hormone may be too low for a urine test to detect.
Pregnancy test accuracy increases as time goes on, depending on how quickly your hCG levels rise.
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on , and was last reviewed on .