Pre Pregnancy Symptoms (16 Early Signs of Pregnancy)

Although the only reliable way to know whether a lady is pregnant are ultrasounds and pregnancy tests, there are many pre pregnancy symptoms to help you. You may think that missed period is the only sign of getting pregnant, but it is false.

In this article on Hipregnancy, we will cover all pre pregnancy symptoms that you may experience, especially in weak 1 of pregnancy. Read this article to the end to learn more about these symptoms, and what you should do after having these signs.

When do pregnancy symptoms start?

Pregnancy symptoms differ from person to person and pregnancy to pregnancy. It means there is no specific time for showing up these symptoms of pregnancy. It is good to mention that some women do not notice any symptoms until several weeks. In contrast, some ladies face with pre pregnancy symptoms soon after conception.

Symptoms such as tender breasts and sensitivity to smell can show up a few days after conception, even before missed period. Other symptoms may appear later; for example, spotting may show up on 1 week after conception and urinary frequency a few weeks after that.

Those who experience symptoms like spotting, missed period, morning sickness, and fatigue should take a home pregnancy test and then make an appointment with a doctor to take more reliable tests, such as blood tests.

Also Read: Pre Pregnancy Test

16 Common Pre pregnancy symptoms and signs

If you want a cute, lovely baby, you need to say hello to pre pregnancy symptoms. Usually, most ladies experience at least a few first signs of pregnancy, but women will never face one of these signs and symptoms.

The followings are some common pre pregnancy symptoms that may happen in any pregnancy;

• Missed period

Do you want to know what causes a missed period after conception? HCG hormone! Human chorionic gonadotropin hormone is released after the end of implantation. This hormone tells the ovaries to stop releasing mature eggs each month, leading to miss period.

Those with typically regular periods will experience a missed period 4 weeks after conception. You can take a home pregnancy test 8 days after missed period to test whether you are pregnant.

Also Read: pre pregnancy planning

• Fatigue

You may feel very tired in early pregnancy, especially because of hormonal changes related to pregnancy. During this period, the level of progesterone hormone increases and makes you feel tired and sleepy.

If you want to be full of energy, you should get enough sleep, besides eating protein and iron-rich foods. In addition, you can keep your bedroom cooler than before you got pregnant; this makes you feel fresh!

• Cramping and spotting

Another common pre pregnancy symptom is spotting and sometimes mild cramping. These symptoms are also known as implantation bleeding. This kind of bleeding can appear 6-12 days after fertilization.

Usually, mild cramping is mistaken for a light period because it appears when you are waiting for your period and menstrual cramps. Here are some points that help you determine implantation bleeding;

1- It is very light, much less than the usual menstrual cramps, and never turns into a flow.

2- It will appear with red, pink, or even brown episodes.

3- Usually, it will cause mild pain, not as severe as your usual period pain.

4- The duration of implantation bleeding is shorter than period, and usually it lasts from a few hours to 3 days.

Also Read: zika in pregnancy

• Frequent urination

This symptom starts between 6-8 weeks after conception. It happens due to hormonal changes and increasing the amount of blood your body pumps. When your body pumps more blood, your kidneys will process more fluid.

• Temperature changes

The other type of pre pregnancy symptoms is raised body temperature. Usually, ladies experience high body temperature during exercise or warmer seasons. Drinking more water helps you make your body temperature low and feel better.

Also Read: lasik and pregnancy

• Nausea

Morning sickness, vomiting, and nausea are common among ladies approximately 4-6 weeks after conception, and they will be improved to high levels around week 9. These symptoms usually happen due to hormonal changes. Although we call them morning sickness, they can appear at any time, during day or night.

This symptom can make you dehydrated. So, remember that you should drink plenty of water and pregnancy-safe fluids. In addition, you should contact your if you suffer from severe nausea or vomiting.

Also Read: pre pregnancy diet

• Breast changes

Hormonal changes can cause another pre pregnancy symptom. Aching, tingling, growing breast, and even darkening the area around the nipple can be signs of getting pregnant.

If you have pain in your breast or nipple during this period, wear a comfortable bra, e.g. cotton, underwire-free bra, to reduce your pain and relieve breast tenderness.

• Mood swings

Feelings of anxiety, depression, euphoria, and irritability are known as mood swings during pregnancy. These happen due to increasing levels of estrogen and progesterone in your body when you get pregnant.

Despite the fact that it is not unusual to experience these feelings, you should make an appointment with your doctor or health care provider if you are suffering from severe cases of such feelings.

• Smell sensitivity

Despite there is only little scientific evidence about this kind of pre pregnancy symptoms, it is very common during the first days of pregnancy. This symptom can be categorized into two groups; lessened or heightened sense of smell. Smell sensitivity falls into the category of pre pregnancy symptoms before a missed period.

Smell sensitivity can lead to nausea and vomiting, followed by dehydration. Therefore, you need to be cautious about it.

Also Read: genetic testing before pregnancy

• Bloating and constipation

These two issues are common types of pre pregnancy symptoms which might happen to you. The reason behind bloating and constipation is hormonal changes related to pregnancy. Hormonal changes can slow the digestive system of expecting mothers and result in passing gas more than before getting pregnant.

It is good to mention that you might face constipation as one of the pregnancy symptoms at other stages of pregnancy, like the second trimester or third trimester.

Unfortunately, constipation may happen even after pregnancy, which can be annoying. But the news is that there are some ways to get rid of constipation, like eating fiber-rich foods or taking stool softeners. For more on this, see the best stool softener for post pregnancy.

• Heartburn

It is not abnormal to feel heartburn during early pregnancy due to pregnancy-related hormonal changes. Feeling heavy, feeling a pain in your chest, bringing up food, a burning sensation are common symptoms of heartburn or indigestion that you might get as a pre-pregnancy symptom.

It is better to consult your doctor if you feel severe heartburn in the early stages of pregnancy. Your doctor might prescribe antacids for you to ease your heartburn and acidity. However, mild heartburn can be controlled by simple changes in diet and lifestyle.

For example, having several small meals per day is better than three large meals. In addition, you should not lay down right after eating your meals and, preferably, walk for a few minutes after food consumption to help digestion.

• High blood pressure

Hypertension or high blood pressure can happen during the early stages of pregnancy, which may lead to a feeling of dizziness. High blood pressure must be controlled and treated; otherwise, it can result in serious issues, including kidney failure and heart attack in mom and slow growth in the baby.

There are some general guidelines to help you control your blood pressure, like having a balanced diet, lowering your salt intake, and staying active. Your doctor can help you choose the best method to controll your blood pressure.

• Increased heart rate

Overall, pregnancy can change your normal blood flow. In other words, you might experience increased blood flow during pregnancy, leading to increased heart rate. In such a case, your heart will pump faster and harder.

It is not abnormal to face increased heart rate during pregnancy or as one of pre pregnancy symptoms, but it is more advisable to consult your doctor whenever you face this symptom. It can help you keep everything in control and prevent any possible issues during pregnancy.

• Skin changes, including acne

You might experience skin changes or acne in the early stages of pregnancy, but why? Let’s talk about it in detail.

Increased blood volume and higher hormone levels are two common causes of skin changes during pregnancy. These two factors push more blood through the pregnant woman’s body, followed by increasing the activity of the body’s oil glands.

Whenever your body’s oil glands work overtime, you will also experience glossy skin and acne. So, acne and skin changes can be signs of pregnancy.

•  Nasal congestion

Pregnant ladies may experience nasal congestion due to increasing hormone levels and blood. A stuffy or ruby nose annoys for everyone, and pregnant ladies are no exception. You can consult your healthcare provider and seek help to get relief or use home remedies.

Drinking plenty of fluids to stay hydrated and using a humidifier at night to open your nasal passages is good. Consider you don’t need to be worried about nasal congestion, as it will go away after pregnancy. However, the mentioned remedies help you to manage and control this issue.

• Headache and dizziness

Getting a headache and dizziness is common in the early stages of pregnancy due to hormonal changes and increasing blood volume. Therefore, when you feel lightheaded after trying for a baby, you can assume it is one of pre pregnancy symptoms.

You should not be worried about your headache and dizziness while pregnant, but whenever you feel serious symptoms, including shortness of breath or blurred vision, make an appointment with your doctor to talk about your symptoms.

When to take a pregnancy test?

Ladies should take a pregnancy test at the right time to get reliable result. There are two types of pregnancy tests; urine test and blood test. Both of these tests measure the amount of HCG hormone in your urine or blood.

You can take this test soon after a missed period, but the best time to take this test is one week after a missed period (better in the morning). You can take a urine test at home, and if you get a negative result, you can repeat it again 1 week later.

Also, you can choose lab blood tests to ensure whether you are pregnant. This test can be taken a few days earlier than the urine test, but you must wait at least 48 hours to get results.

Are home pregnancy tests the best way to check for an early pregnancy?

According to Hipregnancy teams’ investigations, home pregnancy tests usually show accurate results, but blood tests are more reliable than them.

We recommend you take a home pregnancy test first. If your test is positive or negative, while you are sure about being pregnant and having pre pregnancy symptoms, go for a pregnancy blood test.

Keep in mind, you should be very careful while taking home tests and follow the product’s instruction; this will make your test accurate and reliable. Also, check the product expiration date to make sure it works well.

Pregnancy symptoms week by week

Hipregnancy provided you with the earliest signs of pregnancy in previous parts. Here we want to discuss what symptoms you might experience week by week during pregnancy.

Week	Symptoms
First week of pregnancy symptoms	a missed menstrual period, nausea with or without vomiting, headache, breast changes, frequent urination, tiredness
2 week pregnant symptoms	a missed period, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, increased urination, moodiness, tender and swollen breasts
3 week pregnancy symptoms	smell sensitivity, heartburn, bloating, gassiness, breast changes, and implantation bleeding
4 weeks pregnant symptoms	abdominal pressure, tender breasts, a heightened sense of smell, nausea, and bloating
5 weeks pregnant symptoms	fatigue, spotting, morning sickness, breast tenderness, headache, food cravings, constipation, and increased vaginal discharge
6 weeks pregnant symptoms	fatigue, sore breast, nausea, mood swing, bloating, cramping and spotting

Could I have the pre pregnancy symptoms and not be pregnant?

Yes, it may happen.

Usually, most of these symptoms during this period are similar to a typical menstrual cycle. Therefore, you may make a mistake about being pregnant or not.

Many of you think that a missed period only means you are pregnant, but this idea is false. You may experience a missed period due to weight gain, weight loss, extreme amounts of exercise, stress, and even breastfeeding. As you see, there are many reasons for a missed period.

The only way to show whether you are pregnant is a pregnancy test. Take this test to make your mind free!

When should I call a doctor about a new pregnancy?

The best time to visit a doctor is before pregnancy because your doctor can help you prepare for a better pregnancy. For example, your doctor may determine that you must take folic acid before pregnancy.

Don’t worry if you didn’t talk to your doctor before getting pregnant. As soon as you get your pregnancy test’s positive result, you should make an appointment with your doctor. If you don’t know what to say to your provider, check our article about what to ask a doctor before pregnancy. The doctor will help you to have a healthy pregnancy and give birth to a cute, lovely baby.

Conclusion

Pre pregnancy symptoms are words of your baby. At first, you may suffer from these symptoms, but your baby helps you to fight against all problems and makes you patient with their love.

These first month of pregnancy symptoms differ from pregnancy to pregnancy, but some of them, like a missed period, sensitivity to smell, and breast changes, are common among most ladies. Hipregnancy recommends you consult your doctor as soon as you experience the early signs of conception to start the pregnancy journey with extra care.

Now tell us your pre pregnancy symptoms. What did you experience as early signs of pregnancy before missed period? How did you find you are pregnant? Comment on the interesting stories of your signs of pregnancy.

FAQ

What are 72 hours of pregnancy symptoms?

Nausea, vomiting, fatigue, mood swing, breast changes, and spotting and cramping are 3 days pregnant symptoms.