The most classic symptoms of pregnancy are the absence of menstruation, morning sickness, mood swings, excessive tiredness and increased willingness to urinate. However, there are many other signs that can arise during the first few weeks, especially if the woman is very attentive to her own body.
The first symptoms of pregnancy that may arise are:
14 first pregnancy symptoms (week by week)
- Pink vaginal discharge;
- Thicker discharge;
- Colic and/or abdominal swelling;
- Easy tiredness and/or excessive sleep;
- Sensitive breasts and/or darkening of the areola;
- Delay or lack of menstruation;
- Pain in the back;
- Aversion to strong smells;
- Mood variations;
- Morning sickness and/or vomiting;
- Desire for strange foods;
- Dizziness and headache;
- Increased willingness to urinate;
- Pimples and oily skin.
These symptoms are arising over the first 4 weeks of gestation and should be taken into consideration especially after menstrual delay. This is because, in some cases, they can also arise due to other situations, such as PMS, for example, not necessarily being a symptom of pregnancy.
If you think you may be pregnant, answer this online test to find out what your chances are:
Regardless of the result of this test, the best way to confirm if you are pregnant is by taking a pharmacy pregnancy test, which can be done from the 1st day of menstrual delay or 14 days after sexual intercourse.
Week-to-week symptoms
According to the week of gestation, the most common symptoms are:
First 7 days
The typical symptoms of the first days of pregnancy are the most difficult to perceive, being usually identified by women who can notice very subtle differences in their own body:
1. Pink vaginal discharge
When the egg is fertilized, there may be a slight pink discharge, which is actually the normal discharge that the woman presents monthly, but with traces of blood that may have been caused by the implementation of the fertilized egg in the uterus.
This discharge may arise a few minutes after the relationship or up to 3 days later. Sometimes this discharge is only observed when the woman will clean up after urinating.
See other causes for the appearance of pink vaginal discharge.
2. Thicker discharge
Due to the large hormonal changes that occur from the moment of conception, it is normal for some women to present a thicker vaginal discharge than normal. This discharge does not need to be rosy and most often presents a slightly whitish coloration.
When this discharge is accompanied by bad smell or symptoms such as pain or itching, it is very important to consult a gynecologist, as it may also indicate a vaginal infection, especially candidiasis. Understand that changes in discharge may indicate health problems.
3. Colic and abdominal swelling
Abdominal swelling is also one of the first symptoms of pregnancy arising most often in the first 7 days to 2 weeks. Increased blood flow and adaptation to uterine growth are the major causes of this abdominal swelling, which can be confused with a menstrual colic of weak to medium intensity. In addition, the woman may still have a small blood loss, similar to menstruation, but in a smaller amount.
Primeiras 2 weeks
Symptoms that begin to appear around the 2nd week are some of the most typical of pregnancy:
4. Easy tiredness and excessive sleep
Tiredness is one of the most common symptoms of pregnancy that may be present throughout pregnancy, beginning to appear around the 2nd week. It is normal that this tiredness increases during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, while the body adapts all its metabolism to provide the energy needed for the development of the baby.
The woman begins to feel that the tasks she did previously are becoming very exhausting and that she needs to sleep more than 10 hours a night to recharge the energy she spent during the day.
5. Sensitive breasts and darkening of the areola
In the first two weeks of pregnancy, the woman may feel that the breasts become more sensitive and this is due to the action of hormones that stimulate the mammary glands preparing the woman for breastfeeding. There is also an increase in breast volume, which begins to have more developed mammary glands to support the baby’s needs after birth.
In addition to the increase and sensitivity of the breasts, the woman may also notice changes in the areolas, which tend to become darker than normal by increasing blood flow in the region.
6. Delay or lack of menstruation
The lack of menstruation is usually the most obvious symptom of pregnancy, since during pregnancy the woman ceases to have the menstrual period, to allow the fetus to develop properly in the uterus.
This signal is due to increased production of the beta hormone hCG, which prevents the ovaries from continuing to release mature eggs. Lack of menstruation can happen up to 4 weeks after conception and is more easily identified in women with regular period.
7. Pain in the back
Although back pain is almost always considered a frequent symptom of the last weeks of pregnancy, some women may develop this type of pain from the beginning of pregnancy, being related to the changes that happen in the woman’s body to receive the baby.
In some cases, back pain can be confused with an abdominal colic and therefore some women may find that it is menstruation coming, however, with the lack of the period begin to realize that it is, in fact, pain in the back, not being related to menstruation.
8. Aversion to strong smells
It is very common that at the beginning of pregnancy the woman has an aversion to strong smells, even if they are apparently pleasant, such as perfume. Most pregnant women may even vomit after smelling a strong smell, such as gasoline, cigarettes or cleaning products, for example.
In addition, as smell is altered, some women may also report that there is a change in the taste of food, which becomes more intense and nauseative.
9. Mood variations
In the first two weeks of pregnancy, the woman may notice some mood variations, with no apparent cause. It is very common for pregnant women to cry over situations that would not make her cry before she is pregnant and this symptom should remain throughout her pregnancy.
This is because the strong hormonal changes, normal of pregnancy, can cause an imbalance in neurotransmitter levels, leaving mood more unstable.
1st month of pregnancy
After the first month of gestation, after the delay of menstruation, many women begin to have other characteristic symptoms, such as:
10. Morning sickness and vomiting
Seasickness and vomiting are common, especially in the morning, and these are some of the most well-known pregnancy symptoms, which usually arise after the 6th week of gestation and can last throughout the pregnancy. See in what situations morning sickness may arise.
However, nausea does not always need to be accompanied by vomiting, and it is even more frequent for nausea to arise and disappear without the woman vomiting, especially during the morning.
11. Desire for strange foods
Typical pregnancy cravings can begin as early as the first month of pregnancy and remain throughout pregnancy, and it is common for some women to want to eat strange foods, try different mixtures or even want to eat foods they have never tasted before.
In some cases these cravings may be related to nutritional deficiencies in some type of mineral or vitamin, especially if they are for something very different from what the woman usually eats. In these situations it is recommended to consult a doctor, to understand what may be the cause.
12. Dizziness and headache
Dizziness is a symptom that occurs because of the drop in blood pressure, the reduction of blood glucose and poor diet due to frequent nausea and vomiting. They appear in the first 5 weeks of pregnancy, but tend to decrease from the 20th week of pregnancy.
Headache is also common during pregnancy due to hormonal changes, but it is usually weak, although persistent and often the woman may not even associate this discomfort with pregnancy.
13. Increased willingness to urinate
With the advancement of pregnancy, the pregnant woman’s body needs to produce various hormones, such as progesterone, to ensure that the baby develops healthily. When this happens, the bladder muscles become more relaxed and therefore it is more difficult to completely empty the urine that is inside the bladder and therefore the woman may feel a more frequent urge to go into the bathroom to urinate.
14. Pimples and oily skin
Hormonal changes can lead to the appearance or worsening of blackheads and pimples, scientifically called acne, and therefore, after the first month of pregnancy, the woman may notice an increase in the oilof the skin, which can be controlled with the use of proper skin cleansers and personal hygiene.
What to do if you suspect pregnancy
In case of suspicion of a pregnancy it is advised that the woman take a pharmacy pregnancy test, which can be done from the first day of menstrual delay. If the result is negative, one can wait another 3 to 5 days, and if menstruation remains delayed, a new pregnancy test can be done.
If the result is negative again, one can evaluate the possibility of taking a blood test for pregnancy, as it is more reliable and shows the amount of the hormone Beta HCG, which is only produced during pregnancy. This test also helps to inform how many weeks of gestation you are with:
- 7 days after fertilization: up to 25 mIU/mL
- 4 weeks after the Date of Last Menstruation: 1,000 mUI/mL
- 5 weeks after the Date of Last Menstruation: 3,000 mUI/mL
- 6 weeks after the Date of Last Menstruation: 6,000 mUI/mL
- 7 weeks after the Date of Last Menstruation: 20,000 mUI/mL
- 8 to 10 weeks after the Date of Last Menstruation: 100,000 mUI/mL
However, if even after 10 days of delayed menstruation the pharmacy pregnancy test is negative, the woman should not be pregnant, but should make an appointment with a gynecologist to check the cause of menstrual delay.
Watch this video to learn what are the symptoms of early pregnancy that may go unnoticed for some women:
In case of psychological pregnancy all these symptoms may be present and the only way to prove that there is no fetus developing is through examinations. If you think this may be your case, what to do if the pharmacy test is positive
After confirming the pregnancy through the pharmacy urine test, it is advised to consult the gynecologist to do a blood test for pregnancy, as this test indicates the amount of HCG Beta hormones and is more reliable.
When to do the ultrasound
From 5 weeks of pregnancy the doctor can do a transvaginal ultrasound to observe the gestational sac and check if the pregnancy is developing inside the uterus, because in some cases, ectopic pregnancy can occur, which is when although the woman is pregnant the baby is developing in the tubes, which is very serious and puts the woman’s life at risk.
If the doctor has not had an ultrasound before, between 8 and 13 weeks of gestation should ask for this examination to also confirm the gestational age and when the baby should turn 40 weeks, which should be the expected date of delivery.
In this exam the baby is still very small and little can be seen, but it is usually very exciting for parents. It’s still too early to know the sex of the baby, but if the doctor is suspicious that it is a boy, it is likely to be, but it is still necessary to confirm in the next ultrasound, in the second trimester of pregnancy, around 20 weeks.
