Pregnancy symptoms can be different from woman to woman, and even from pregnancy to pregnancy. One of the most obvious pregnancy symptoms is a missed period. It is important to understand the signs of pregnancy because each symptom may actually be a sign of something other than pregnancy.

Please keep in mind that some women may experience some early pregnancy signs within a week of conceiving, while other signs of pregnancy may not show up until a few weeks into pregnancy. Some women don’t experience any pregnancy signs or symptoms at all!

The following list displays some of the most common pregnancy signs and symptoms:

Fatigue

One of the very early pregnancy signs is a feeling of exhaustion. Being tired is related to the rapid change in hormones in the body. Make sure that your fatigue is not related to something else, such as illness or stress.

Tender/Swollen Breasts

Many women experience tender breasts/nipples as a symptom in much the same way they would during their period. This discomfort should decrease after the first trimester as your body adjusts to the changes in hormone levels.

Darkened Areolas

This may be a sign of pregnancy.

Nausea

One of many first month pregnancy symptoms is nausea. Some women may feel sick even earlier. Some lucky women don’t experience it at all! Nausea can last part of the pregnancy, and sometimes during the entire pregnancy. It can strike at any time of the day as well.

Sensitivity To Smells

A pretty common pregnancy symptom is the sensitivity to certain smells. Certain smells you used to enjoy may actually repulse you when you’re newly pregnant.

Implantation Bleeding

When the fertilized egg burrows into the lining of your uterus, it can sometimes cause slight bleeding. This can happen a few days after fertilization, or right around when your period would start. The bleeding is very light (more pinkish than red), and only lasts about a day or two.

Frequent Urination

If you are pregnant, you may find yourself running to the bathroom more frequently than usual. This is mainly because during pregnancy the amount of blood and other fluids in your body increases.

This leads to extra fluid being processed by your kidneys and winding up in your bladder. This may start around the 6-week point, and may get worse as the baby grows and starts to put pressure on your bladder.

Missed Period

A missed period is one of the most obvious signs of pregnancy, especially if you are regular. Don’t confuse a missed period with other possible causes, such as stress or illness.

Elevated Body Temperature

If you have been keeping track of your basal body temperature, and it has remained elevated for more than 18 days, this could be a possible sign of pregnancy.


If you are experiencing many of the above pregnancy symptoms, it would be a good idea to take a pregnancy test.

If you use a home pregnancy test , it is best to wait until a few days after your missed period to ensure a high enough level of hormones in your system for the test to measure. There are many high quality home pregnancy tests on the market.

A blood test can actually detect pregnancy days before a home pregnancy test would. A blood test will measure the amount of hcg (short for human chorionic gonadotropin) in the blood to determine pregnancy, and if the pregnancy is progressing at a normal rate.

You may experience most or all of the pregnancy symptoms listed above, while some lucky ladies may experience almost none of the pregnancy signs! If you have a lot of these pregnancy symptoms, and the test comes back negative, wait a week and try it again in case you tested too early.