Early Signs of Pregnancy

What to Look for When You *kinda-maybe-sort-of* Think You’re Expecting

Whether you’re looking to become pregnant, or are anxious that you are pregnant, ‘early signs of pregnancy’ is a frantic Google search that many uterus-having people have done at least once. Period late? Just feeling a bit funky? Knowing early indicators may save you some stress.

You missed your period!

This one’s kind of a no-brainer, right? The immediate response might be to take a test immediately after the first day of your missed period, but you may want to hold off for a smidge:

It’s suggested to take a pregnancy test about a full week after the first day of the missed period to avoid false negatives, although some tests will show a positive earlier.

Signs of Implantation in Early Pregnancy

The first possible indicators of early pregnancy revolve around the implantation of the fertilized egg in the uterus. After the egg is fertilized, it can take anywhere from 6 to 12 days for the egg to implant.

The difficult part of looking at telltale signs this early is that most of them resemble classic menstrual period symptoms. The signs most often associated with implantation include:

• Light bleeding or spotting
• Cramps

While these are the first possible signs one could have of a potential pregnancy,the majority of pregnant people never experience implantation symptoms.

Signs in the first week of pregnancy

One week after implantation occurs, more obvious signs may start to appear. Some of the classics include:

• Nausea
• Tiredness
• Swollen and/or tender breasts
• Mood changes
• Frequent urination

Some not-so-obvious signs of early pregnancy are:

• Bloating
• Changes in bowel movements
• Congestion
• Sensitivity to taste and smell

Many of the above symptoms linked with pregnancy are associated with other conditions. If you suspect you could be pregnant, it’s best to consult your physician.