Early Pregnancy Symptoms

Although each of these are considered typical early symptoms of pregnancy, they may happen earlier or later than the order in which they appear on the following list.
Remember, some of the earliest signs of pregnancy may be subtle, not obvious. Whenever there is any question that you might be experiencing early signs of pregnancy, do a home pregnancy test.

Tender, swollen breasts

One of the first symptoms of pregnancy is sensitive, sore breasts caused by increasing levels of hormones. The soreness may feel like an exaggerated version of how your breasts feel before your period. As early as two weeks after conception, hormonal changes may make your breasts tender, tingly or sore. Or your breasts may feel fuller and heavier.

Fatigue

Feeling tired all of a sudden? No, make that exhausted. No one knows for sure what causes early pregnancy fatigue, but it's possible that rapidly increasing levels of the hormone progesterone are contributing to your sleepiness. At the same time, lower blood sugar levels, lower blood pressure and increased blood production may team up to sap your energy.

Slight bleeding or cramping

For some women, a small amount of spotting or vaginal bleeding is one of the first symptoms of pregnancy. Known as implantation bleeding, it happens when the fertilized egg attaches to the lining of the uterus — about 10 to 14 days after fertilization. This type of bleeding is usually a bit earlier, spottier and lighter in color than a normal period and doesn't last as long.

Some women also experience abdominal cramping early in pregnancy. These cramps are similar to menstrual cramps.

Nausea with or without vomiting

If you're like most women, morning sickness won't hit until about a month after conception. (A lucky few escape it altogether.) But some women do start to feel queasy a bit earlier. And not just in the morning, either — pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting can be a problem morning, noon, or night.
Nausea seems to stem at least in part from rapidly rising levels of estrogen, which causes the stomach to empty more slowly.

Food aversions or cravings

When you're pregnant, you might find yourself turning up your nose at certain foods, such as coffee or fried foods. Food cravings are common, too. Like most other symptoms of pregnancy, these food preferences can be chalked up to hormonal changes — especially in the first trimester, when hormone changes are the most dramatic.

Headaches
Early in pregnancy, increased blood circulation caused by hormonal changes may trigger frequent, mild headaches.

Heartburn and/or Constipation

Constipation is another common early symptom of pregnancy. An increase in progesterone causes food to pass more slowly through the intestines — which can lead to constipation. This pregnancy symptom is caused by the uterus starting to swell and pushing against the stomach and other organs as it grows. Also, increasing levels of hormones may slow down digestion and bowel functions to allow the body to absorb as much vitamins, minerals and nutrients as possible from foods. Taking a quality prenatal multi-vitamin-mineral supplement is important to help your body get the nutrients it needs for your growing baby.
The slower emptying of the stomach may also cause the release of increased stomach acid to aid digestion, leading to a feeling of heartburn. Soda crackers and sparkling water can help. Smaller more frequent meals are easier to digest. Drink plenty of water and eat fruits, vegetables and perhaps some raisin and bran cereal to help regularity. Some daily vitamin formulas also contain digestive enzymes (from pineapple and papaya fruits). These can help with digestion.

Mood Swings and Irritability

With all of these symptoms of pregnancy to deal with, along with raging hormones, is it any wonder you may experience some mood swings and irritability? There is also the emotional adjustment period to your new responsibility. Your world has changed. Even when your pregnancy is carefully planned, it is normal for your mind to suddenly be filled with questions about the timing, your career, finances, insurance, labor and delivery, motherhood, even the future costs of college.
It is perfectly normal to feel mixed emotions, excitement and depression, joy and sorrow, laughter and tears. Your partner may be very confused by this and may not seem to be supportive. Explain that your mood swings are very normal signs of pregnancy and that you need support and understanding.

Faintness and dizziness

As your blood vessels dilate and your blood pressure drops, you may feel lightheaded or dizzy. Early in pregnancy, faintness may also be triggered by low blood sugar.

Raised basal body temperature

Your basal body temperature is your oral temperature when you first wake up in the morning. This temperature increases slightly soon after ovulation and remains at that level until your next period. If you've been charting your basal body temperature to determine when you ovulate, and you see that your temperature has stayed elevated for 18 days in a row, you're probably pregnant.

Increased sensitivity to odors

If you're newly pregnant, it's not uncommon to feel repelled by the smell of a cup of coffee and for certain aromas to trigger your gag reflex. Though no one knows for sure, this may be a side effect of rapidly increasing amounts of estrogen in your system. You may also find that certain foods you used to enjoy are suddenly completely repulsive to you.

Abdominal bloating

Hormonal changes in early pregnancy may leave you feeling bloated, similar to the feeling some women have just before their period arrives. That's why your clothes may feel snugger than usual at the waistline, even early on when your uterus is still quite small.

Frequent urination

Shortly after you become pregnant, you may find yourself hurrying to the bathroom all the time. Why? Mostly because during pregnancy the amount of blood and other fluids in your body increases, which leads to extra fluid being processed by your kidneys and ending up in your bladder.

A missed period

If you're usually pretty regular and your period doesn't arrive on time, you'll probably take a pregnancy test long before you notice any of the above symptoms. But if you're not regular or you're not keeping track of your cycle, nausea and breast tenderness and extra trips to the bathroom may signal pregnancy before you realize you didn't get your period.

Hi Girls!

Just thought I'd let you know... When I was in the 2ww I probably looked at this post at least once a day. (if not more!)

The only symptom I had was heartburn. Nothing else. For weeks - nothing else... I know everyone's different & experience her own symptoms.

Just thought I'd let you know...

Good luck & baby dust to all!!

Love!

Good day all im also new on this site, i just neede to share my story with you ladies im also 13 days late with my periods and im always regular but what puzzles me is i have done 2 HPT first when i was 4 days late and another last nite and they all negative, and the only symptoms i have is sore breasts which comes and go and a week ago i had some low back aches and some cramping and and they all faded so i think my last option is a blood test, so is there any body who had the very same things as me neg test and whiles preggers?

Thanks for you response

Hi and welcome!!

I think everybody is different, but I just got my BFP and my only symptom was that it felt as though AF was on her way. Dont trust the hpt's. They are not always reliable!

Thanks Eve

i think i just have to do the blood test just to put my mind at ease...

I think so. Let us know what your result is!

Good morning

im so dissapointed after 13 days being late i got my period yesterday and when it started i thought maybe it was implatation bleeding because it was spots and very light and as time goes it went a bit heavy and darker , i still dont know why i was late but will keep on trying till i get it right, so now my cycle is mixed up i dont know when will i be ovulating again.

Hopefully we will be lucky and get it right before the end of the year....


take care

Maybe have a look at your chemist and see if you can find the fertilefocus microscope (I found one at dischem) this way you can test everyday or many times in a day as it is reuseable. It is a little pricy initially but for the fact you can use it everyday and not have to throw it away it makes sense in the long run. All you do it out a drop of saliva on the lense and wait about 5 mins then look through with the light to see what patterns are showing, if it is starting to create fern type crystals you are most likely about to ovulate in the next few days and if you see the whole thing is crystals then you are ovulating.

You can use it from the day AF shows up till the next time she shows there is no limit as to how many times you can use it to test with as long as you clean it afterwards and keep it safe so the lenses don't get broken but I have even dropped mine a few times and the lenses are still fine.

Thanks B-Bat

will go buy it today at Dischem

Nice! Thank you!

My pregnacny symptoms starting from 6dp5dt i got hungry and thirsty at the same time around 2am and i will wake up for 2 glassess of milk i new that this was not normal but did'nt want to put my hopes too high