There are certain signs and symptoms that may indicate you’re in the early stages of pregnancy.
Although early pregnancy symptoms can vary for everyone, there are some common ones that many women get. These symptoms may begin within the first six weeks of your pregnancy and can last throughout the first trimester, which consists of the initial 12 weeks of your pregnancy. Most women also find that their pregnancy symptoms change over the time that they’re pregnant.
Common Early Pregnancy Symptoms
Here are some of the most common early pregnancy signs and symptoms:
— A missed period. There can be other causes of a missed period, such as stress or rapid weight loss. However, this is often a telltale sign associated with pregnancy.
— Nausea with or without vomiting. If you’ve ever had nausea and vomiting while pregnant, you know how challenging these symptoms can be. The wrong smell may trigger a run to the bathroom. Sometimes, the symptoms seem to happen for no particular reason. Although often referred to as morning sickness, nausea and vomiting could strike any time of day.
— Spotting. This symptom can be confusing as the spotting may lead you to think you’re having a period. Instead, the spotting may occur when the embryo attaches to the wall of the uterus, says Dr. Jessica A. Shepherd, an OB/GYN affiliated with Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas.
— Breast tenderness. This common early pregnancy sign is associated with surging hormones.
— Weight gain. During the first trimester, you may put on 1 to 5 pounds, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. However, some women gain no weight.
— Feeling more tired. You feel more wiped out because the body is working so much harder to protect the fetus.
— Having to urinate more often. This is also related to changing hormones.
— Having cravings for certain foods. Pickles and ice cream, anyone? Food cravings may provide a clue to being pregnant.
— Weight loss. Perhaps surprisingly, weight loss can be a symptom of early pregnancy if you also have nausea and vomiting. That’s because those symptoms make it hard to hold down your food, leading to weight loss. Most women who lose weight in early pregnancy gain weight normally in the second trimester.
If you don’t have the typical pregnancy symptoms, it doesn’t mean your pregnancy is abnormal, says Dr. Kelli Burroughs, an OB/GYN with Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston. Also, if your symptoms improve unexpectedly, don’t be alarmed. It’s normal for symptoms to ebb and flow. Of course, reach out to your health care provider if you have any questions.
[READ: 7 Things to Know About Home Pregnancy Testing.]
Less Common Early Pregnancy Symptoms
There are other symptoms associated with early pregnancy that may be less common or less noticeable. Again, every pregnancy is different, but here are those sometimes less common signs and symptoms:
— Having that glowing pregnancy skin. “Skin changes like that ‘pregnant glow’ are caused by the body’s increased blood circulation, which can cause skin to be shiny and rosy,” says Dr. Tochi Iroku-Malize, a family physician in Long Island, New York, and president of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
— Feeling lightheaded. This can happen as the body makes more blood to support the fetus.
— Getting a stuffy nose. Your congestion may not be caused by a cold or allergies, it could mean you’re expecting due to changes in estrogen levels, Iroku-Malize says..
— Constipation. Constipation may occur in early pregnancy because of the hormonal impact on your digestive system.
— Heartburn. Some women experience heartburn in the second or third trimester, while others find it starting in the first trimester.
— Having symptoms that may seem like something else but turn out to indicate you’re pregnant. Female patients without diabetes may experience low blood sugar, lightheadedness and sweating — all of which could be associated with diabetes — during pregnancy, says Dr. Anita N. Lwanga, an assistant professor of general internal medicine at the University of Saskatchewan and a general internist at the Saskatchewan Health Authority.
— Having an autoimmune condition and noticing that it’s getting better for no specific reason. Patients with autoimmune conditions, like rheumatoid arthritis, may find their condition suddenly gets better, which could be a clue that they’re pregnant. A 2022 report from Medscape found that 50% of pregnant women with rheumatoid arthritis had low disease activity while pregnant. There are theories about why these conditions get better during pregnancy, but it’s not completely clear.
[READ: Pregnancy and Body Image in a Post-Roe World]
Tips to Help Cope With Early Pregnancy Symptoms
Early pregnancy symptoms can be frustrating. Fortunately, there are some ways to cope with them.
— Make sure you’re getting enough rest. Do what you can to change your schedule so you’re getting enough sleep at night. Or, plan for a short nap during the day. Let your health care provider know if you’re resting a lot but are still tired. “In some cases, I might order blood work to rule out anemia,” Lwanga says.
— Try natural treatments for nausea and vomiting. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommends individual use of or a combination of vitamin B6 and doxylamine, an over-the-counter sleep aid, for nausea. Some doctors also recommend trying ginger, Iroku-Malize says.
— Plan to eat smaller, more frequent meals to help with nausea.
— Keep crackers or other snacks on hand. Nausea can be worse on an empty stomach.
— Avoid acidic, greasy and spicy foods to help with heartburn.
— Hydrate but reduce your liquid intake closer to bedtime. Staying well hydrated is important during pregnancy. The end result is you’ll end up urinating more often, and that can be particularly hard at night when trying to sleep. Cut down on liquids after 7 p.m. for a better night’s sleep.
— Indulge your cravings — with limits. You can give in to your cravings so long as they’re safe and you still plan to eat healthy overall. One caution is that some women have cravings for non-food items, a phenomenon called pica. This could mean cravings for baking soda, dirt or chalk, for example. Let your health care provider know if you’re experiencing pica as it could be a sign of a nutritional deficiency.
— If you’re feeling bloated, decrease carbs and increase your water consumption.
— Practice overall good habits like eating healthy and getting regular exercise.
When to Take a Pregnancy Test for Accurate Results
A pregnancy test measures your level of the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) hormone, which increases when you are pregnant. Over-the-counter pregnancy tests are based on levels of the hCG hormone in your urine.
For the most accurate results, the best time to take a pregnancy test is after you have missed your first period. If possible, take the test first thing in the morning, when your urine is more concentrated, Shepherd advises.
There are also pregnancy tests you can use up to six to eight days after ovulation.
The accuracy of pregnancy tests increases the further along you get in your pregnancy, so it’s possible to take a test early on and get a false negative result. That would mean that your body didn’t have enough of the hCG hormone to detect a pregnancy.
A blood test is another option a health care provider can order to confirm a pregnancy. This can be helpful if you’ve previously had:
— An ectopic pregnancy.
— Difficulty getting pregnant.
Once you know you’re pregnant, set an appointment with a health care provider. Typically, they will like to see patients at six to eight weeks of pregnancy, as that’s also when you can hear the baby’s heartbeat. Of course, reach out to a health care provider anytime you’re pregnant and have a question. Let your provider know if you have any vaginal bleeding. Seek emergency care if you have heavy or painful bleeding.
[READ: Checklist for Choosing a Maternity Hospital.]
Tips If You Plan to Get Pregnant or You’re in Early Pregnancy
There are a few tips to follow that can help improve your outcomes for a healthy pregnancy, whether you want to get pregnant in the near future or you’re already in the first few weeks of your pregnancy.
“Becoming healthy and living a healthy lifestyle can really help lead to a healthy pregnancy, baby and family,” says Dr. Lauren Demosthenes, senior medical director of Babyscripts, a virtual maternity care company in Washington, D.C.
In other words, if you can aim for healthier choices all or most of the time, that will lead to better odds if or when you do get pregnant.
Here are some tips to help prep for pregnancy:
— Avoid alcohol, tobacco and cannabis, as these can hurt your baby and cause complications.
— Start using a prenatal vitamin with folic acid, which has been shown to help prevent birth defects.
— Talk with your health care provider about any medications you should or shouldn’t use, including over-the-counter supplements. Use this time to also discuss what type of exercise might be best for you while trying to conceive or are pregnant.
— Get updated with any vaccinations you might need.
— Try to limit caffeine.
— Avoid raw meat and fish, which may contain parasites and bacteria more frequently than fully cooked meat and fish.
— Try and maintain a healthy weight to lower the risk for high blood pressure and diabetes.
Some Final Words on Early Pregnancy Symptoms
While making it through the first trimester may feel like you’re running through an obstacle course, take heart in knowing that the second trimester is easier for many women and is often called the honeymoon period. In the second trimester, many — although not all — pregnancy symptoms resolve.
More from U.S. News
Tips to Keep Your Bones Healthy and Strong
13 Healthy Desserts That Are Tasty
Healthy Carbs to Eat on a Diet
What Are the Early Signs of Pregnancy? originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 06/16/23: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
