If you are trying to get pregnant, you might be wondering if you are pregnant while you are waiting to see if you have missed your period. While you play the waiting game, here are 17 early signs of pregnancy to look for!
Early Signs of Pregnancy
There are many different early signs of pregnancy. These can include symptoms you are feeling. Of course, the proof is in the pudding that you are pregnant once you get a positive pregnancy test!
Do all women have early pregnancy signs?
No, every woman is different, so everyone experiences pregnancy differently. Some women might not ever experience first-trimester pregnancy symptoms, especially very early in their pregnancy.
Just remember, just because you don’t have pregnancy signs does not mean you aren’t pregnant or that something is wrong with your baby. The best way to know if you are pregnant is by taking a pregnancy test.
Do you have these 17 early pregnancy signs?
- Spotting and Cramping
When a baby is conceived the egg attaches to the uterine wall. This can cause some very light spotting and some mild cramping. This is known as implantation bleeding. It happens anywhere from 6-12 days after the egg is fertilized.
More often than not, women mistakenly take this spotting and cramping as a light period and the cramping as menstrual cramps that they experience every month.
- Body Temperature
If you have been taking your basal body temperature to try and get pregnant, you might find yourself with a higher basal body temperature. If you do after ovulation, you could be pregnant as your body temperature tends to rise a bit with pregnancy.
- Missed Period
The most obvious sign of early pregnancy is a missed period. If you are trying to get pregnant, this might make you jump for joy inside, but be sure you take a test prior to celebrating, especially if you have irregular periods.
- Heartburn
Heartburn is a normal side effect of early pregnancy because your hormones go crazy. It is caused when your value in between your stomach and your esophagus begins to relax, which causes your stomach acid to start leaking.
If you are experiencing heartburn, be sure to eat several small meals instead of three big ones, and sit up after eating to allow your food to digest prior to laying down.
- Mood Swings
Are you feeling more emotional than normal or a little bit more cranky? An early sign of pregnancy is more irritability and cranky with some major mood swings. This is caused because your estrogen and progesterone levels are on the rise.
- Bloating
Bloating can occur in early pregnancy. This is another one of those signs that you can easily be misdiagnosed as side effects of your period. The bloating is caused by hormone changes.
- Headaches
If you find yourself with more headaches than normal, you might be pregnant. These headaches are normally caused by an increase of blood in your body as well as an increase in hormones.
- Nausea
If you are trying to get pregnant, you might feel a little nauseous after you have sex with your partner. You might think this nausea is due to you being pregnant, but this is way too early to tell if you are pregnant.
Nausea usually sets in about 3 weeks at the very earliest following conception.
- Tender Breasts
Are your breasts feeling more tender than normal? If you find them to be sore a few weeks before your period, you might be pregnant.
Women often report that their breasts feel heavier than normal, so they even start to see the blue veins running through them early on.
- Morning Sickness
Nausea can quickly lead to morning sickness if you are pregnant. This can happen in the morning, mid-day or at night, or be brought on by certain things like brushing your teeth.
With morning sickness, you usually feel like you are going to vomit or you are vomiting. This can be an early pregnancy sign as early as three weeks. It is caused by your hormone levels rising quickly.
- Peeing
Another sign that may occur is the feeling or having to use the bathroom all the time. This is especially true at night. If you have to pee often, be sure that you do not cut back on your water consumption because if you are pregnant, your body needs to stay hydrated.
- Being Tired
Of course, if you find yourself always running to the bathroom, especially in the middle of the night, you are going to be more tired than normal.
That is, of course, only one of the reasons why you can be tired; the other is that your progesterone levels are on the rise, which is making you feel exhausted. Your body’s working overtime making more blood, and is starting to get your body ready for the next 10 months.
If you find yourself more tired than normal, be sure that you are getting enough sleep and try and rest throughout the day.
- Metallic Taste
Some women report that an early sign of pregnancy is feeling like they have a metallic taste in their mouth as if they have money sitting in their mouth. This can happen when you are eating or throughout the day.
- Food Smells
Does your favorite food now make you want to vomit? Food sensitivity is a sign that you could be pregnant with a little one. If you find yourself not loving the foods and the smells right now, just know that you will love them again. In the meantime, try to avoid them as they can make you feel nauseous or bring on the vomit and no one wants that!
- Weight Gain
Although bloating or constipation might be why you initially gain weight in the early weeks of pregnancy, some women make experience weight gain early on. Although you do not need to increase your calorie intake for several weeks naturally, you will gain weight. You can thank your breasts increasing in size and weight, your uterus growing, your placenta, the amniotic fluid, the increase of blood in your body, and your increased fat to help your baby grow for your weight gain.
In the first few months, you will only gain about 1 to 4 pounds. It is in the later months when you will have more substantial weight gain.
- Pregnancy Glow
Has someone said you are glowing recently? Perhaps you have the “pregnancy glow”. You can thank extra blood and more hormones for your oil glands, making you glow!
- Pregnancy Test
The best way to tell if you are pregnant is with a pregnancy test. Of course, you need to wait until you have missed your period, or right around there to know for sure if you are pregnant. The most accurate results will come from a urine pregnancy test or a blood test from your doctors.
- Overcoming the Two Week Wait
Many women start to feel a little anxious about being pregnant during the two-week wait. This is the period between when you ovulated and when your period is set to arrive. It is too early to take a test, so women start to analyze how they are feeling in hopes that they could be pregnant.
During the two week wait, you could experience signs like:
- Bloating
- Mood swings
- Headaches
- Being more hungry
- More tender breasts
FAQS of Early Pregnancy
Q1. How early do pregnancy symptoms start?
Usually, a missed sign is the first sign to most moms that they are pregnant. Usually, about 5 weeks, you may start seeing signs that you are pregnant.
Q2. What is some of the first signs of pregnancy?
One of the most common early signs of pregnancy is nausea. This can be with or without vomiting. Some will start to feel a little queasy around 3-4 weeks pregnant.
Q3. When can I take a pregnancy test?
Because pregnancy tests measure your hormone hCG, you don’t want to take a test too early. Taking it too early can cause a false negative because you don’t have enough of the hCG hormone yet. It is best to wait until you have actually missed your period before taking a pregnancy test.
Q4. Can I have pregnancy symptoms and not be pregnant?
Yes, you might find yourself with several of these early symptoms of pregnancy and still not be pregnant.
Many of these symptoms are also signs of your menstrual period coming as well.
The best way to know if you are pregnant is by taking a pregnancy test.
Q5. I am pregnant, when should I call the doctor?
Congrats! You are officially pregnant!
The first thing you should do is take a pregnancy test or two to ensure that you have a positive pregnancy test. Once you get a positive test, you will want to contact your doctor and schedule your first appointment.
More often than not, you will go in to see the doctor when you are about 8 weeks pregnant.
You want to be sure to start taking your prenatal vitamins right away if you are not already taking them.
What are signs of pregnancy are you experiencing? Share in the comments!