Pregnancy Symptoms (2023)

FAQs

Can you be pregnant with barely any symptoms? ›

No symptoms.

For some women, the physical tip-offs of pregnancy, like weight gain, morning sickness, heartburn, or fatigue, don't happen. Or they're so mild that a woman just doesn't notice them. Depending on their body type, “it's reasonable for a woman to make it to 30 weeks without looking pregnant,” Cackovic says.

The most common early signs and symptoms of pregnancy might include: Missed period. If you're in your childbearing years and a week or more has passed without the start of an expected menstrual cycle, you might be pregnant. However, this symptom can be misleading if you have an irregular menstrual cycle.

When a woman feels an intense desire to get pregnant, which may be because of infertility, repeat miscarriages, impending menopause, or a desire to get married, their body may produce some pregnancy signs (such as a swollen belly, enlarged breasts, and even the sensation of fetal movement).

Things like missing your period, sore or tender breasts, feeling more tired and nausea (morning sickness) are common symptoms of early pregnancy. Some people have symptoms of pregnancy before they miss their period. Take an at-home pregnancy test if you think you might be pregnant.

Not every pregnant person has every pregnancy symptom, so it's possible to be pregnant without having sore breasts or throwing up. The only way to know if you're pregnant is to take a pregnancy test after a missed period.

While breast soreness is one of the earliest signs of pregnancy, not every person experiences the same degree of soreness. So having no or decreased breast soreness in early pregnancy should not be interpreted as a sign of miscarriage.

If you do start having cravings, it'll probably be in your first trimester (it could be as early as 5 weeks into pregnancy). They'll get stronger in your second trimester, and then eventually stop in your third trimester. Cravings come in all shapes and sizes. Some women crave fatty foods like chips.

If you're one of the many pregnant women who experience morning sickness, you may start feeling nauseous somewhere around the sixth week of your pregnancy, typically two weeks after your first missed period. Symptoms may appear gradually or seem to happen overnight.

When does pregnancy fatigue start? Pregnancy fatigue can start as soon as one week after conception, which means it may be an early sign of pregnancy before a test can tell you for sure. It's also common to start feeling tired any time during the first 12 weeks.

Many people experience what seem to be pregnancy symptoms shortly before their period arrives. This happens because the hormone progesterone rises both during early pregnancy and in the premenstrual period.1 In short, PMS symptoms and early pregnancy symptoms can sometimes be exactly the same.

Can overthinking cause false pregnancy symptoms? ›

Experts suspect that most phantom pregnancies happen due to a mind-body feedback loop, in which a strong emotion causes an elevation of hormones, in turn resulting in physical symptoms that mimic those of a true pregnancy.

Sooo...is pooping a lot one of the signs of early pregnancy? Actually, this is a bit of a myth, says Temeka Zore, MD, a board-certified ob-gyn and reproductive endocrinologist at Spring Fertility. Pooping a lot isn't linked to the beginning of most pregnancies. In fact, constipation is more likely.

Lower abdominal pain is normal during pregnancy and is most common between 18 and 24 weeks. Your growing uterus is pulling and straining the muscles that support it. You may feel sharp pains or just a mild pulling sensation. It often occurs when you cough, sneeze, stand up, sit down, roll over, or during sex.

You cannot diagnose a pregnancy by merely looking at a woman's eyes. This is a historical and outdated method of detecting pregnancy.

Symptoms of rising hCG levels can include fatigue, nausea/vomiting (aka morning sickness), dizziness or light-headedness, breast tenderness, and feeling emotionally sensitive.

In and of itself, the lack of nausea and vomiting doesn't mean anything is wrong. It's estimated 70 to 80 percent of pregnant people experience nausea and/or vomiting. So that's still 20 to 30 percent who don't have morning sickness at all!

Breast tenderness comes and goes in early pregnancy. It may even continue through the latter part of the gestation for some women. Just know that you now have the tools to get through this uncomfortable part of the pregnancy period.

While the entire breast may be sore, the nipples may hurt the most—or at least be the most sensitive. Breast soreness during this time may be greater than what you may usually experience just before your period. These symptoms may go away as your body acclimates to your pregnancy.

Can you have a miscarriage without bleeding? Most of the time, bleeding is the first sign of a miscarriage. However, a miscarriage can occur without bleeding, or other symptoms may appear first. Many women prefer the term pregnancy loss to miscarriage.

When do pregnancy cramps stop? ›

"The majority of pregnancies will have some mild (light) cramping intermittently during the first 16 weeks," says Chad Klauser, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.

How does a pregnant belly feel in early pregnancy? For most of your first trimester, you may not feel much, if any, difference in your belly. It will probably be soft and look a little bigger – similar to when you get bloated during your period or after you've eaten a large meal.

Pregnancy: Early in pregnancy, you may experience mild or light cramping. These cramps will probably feel like the light cramps you get during your period, but they'll be in your lower stomach or lower back. If you have a history of pregnancy loss, don't ignore these symptoms.

While you won't be able to tell that you're pregnant by physically touching your stomach in the early stages of pregnancy, there are some early pregnancy symptoms which you may feel internally in your abdomen area, and these could give you an early sign that you're pregnant.

Bleeding or spotting

Spotting in your underwear or on toilet paper when you wipe could indicate implantation, which means the embryo has implanted into the lining of your uterine wall. Mukherjee says that some spotting or bleeding a week after embryo transfer may be a good sign.

It's a necessity — especially when you're pregnant. In fact, women who are pregnant need a few more hours of sleep each night or should supplement nighttime sleep with naps during the day, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Pseudocyesis, or false pregnancy, is when a person thinks they are pregnant when they are not. People with pseudocyesis have pregnancy symptoms, but tests will confirm there's no pregnancy. Healthcare providers believe psychological and hormonal factors may cause it.

Why do I keep worrying about pregnancy? ›

It's normal to feel some anxiety during pregnancy. The most common fears relate to childbirth, the baby's health, and the ability to take good care of the baby. If your anxiety is causing you significant distress or preventing you from functioning, see a doctor.

It's the kind of advice well-meaning friends and family offer if they know you are struggling to conceive: “Just stop worrying about it, and it will happen”. While it's true that stress can reduce fertility, stopping worrying about conceiving unfortunately won't guarantee a positive pregnancy test.

Are toothpaste pregnancy tests accurate? No, a toothpaste pregnancy test isn't accurate, nor is it a reliable way to confirm a pregnancy. There also isn't any evidence out there to suggest that toothpaste can detect the pregnancy hormone in a woman's urine.

Pregnancy sign: Increased gas

Unfortunately, it's one of the more common early pregnancy signs. Expect flatulence during not only the first few weeks of pregnancy but also the next nine months.

Unusual poop colors during pregnancy

Normal stools are usually light to dark brown, but during pregnancy, your poop could turn green. Again, don't be alarmed. A lot of times this is triggered by an increase in fiber intake, or more specifically, eating more vegetables and leafy greens.

You may notice that your skin looks more rosy and shiny. Some people call this a “pregnancy glow.” It is caused by increased blood circulation. Pregnancy hormones can cause extra oil on your skin. It may cause you to have flares of acne.

During pregnancy, it's possible to notice a change in the smell of urine. This could be due to a few things, including a change in vitamins, diet, and the fact that many pregnant women may find themselves dealing with UTIs more often . This is often due to the compression of the uterus on the bladder.

In and of itself, the lack of nausea and vomiting doesn't mean anything is wrong. It's estimated 70 to 80 percent of pregnant people experience nausea and/or vomiting. So that's still 20 to 30 percent who don't have morning sickness at all!

It's possible not to notice any symptoms at 4 weeks pregnant, but if you do, you'll likely experience common things like bloating, breast tenderness, fatigue, or spotting—all exciting signs that you're pregnant!

Is it normal to have no symptoms 5 weeks pregnant? ›

Pregnancy symptoms at five weeks

It's still early days, so you may not feel pregnant at all yet. This is perfectly normal. Some pregnancy symptoms, such as morning sickness, won't kick in for another week or so. On the other hand, you may already have started noticing some tell-tale signs that you're expecting.

"Not everyone experiences morning sickness, just like not everyone gets motion sickness." If you don't experience morning sickness, your body just might be better able to handle the rapid rise in levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), estrogen, and other hormones that come during the first trimester.

When you're pregnant, it's normal to have more discharge than before. Healthy vaginal discharge is usually thin, clear or milky white, and should not smell unpleasant.

In many cases, you might get a positive result from an at-home test as early as 10 days after conception. For a more accurate result, wait until after you've missed your period to take a test. Remember, if you take a test too soon, it could be negative even if you're pregnant.

If at 6 weeks pregnant I have no symptoms, should I be worried? You're not the only one asking this question! The good news is that it's possible to be 6 weeks pregnant with no symptoms whatsoever. Every pregnancy is different, so you might just be someone who can enjoy these symptom-free days without worry.