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.
You may feel your body making changes before you know you're pregnant or you may not notice any symptoms at all. Symptoms of early pregnancy include a missed period, needing to pee more often, tender breasts, feeling tired and morning sickness.
There's only one way to find out for sure if you're pregnant: take a pregnancy test. But it's normal to wonder if you need a test or not.
It usually starts at about 6 weeks of pregnancy and is at its worst at about 9 weeks. Most women feel better in their second trimester, but some have morning sickness throughout pregnancy. If you have morning sickness, tell your health care provider. Mild morning sickness doesn't harm you or your baby.
Early pregnancy (first trimester) abdominal symptoms include nausea/morning sickness, cramping, constipation, heartburn, bloating, and gas. Pregnancy begins when a fertilized egg attaches to the wall of the uterus, and pregnancy symptoms may begin in some people as early as a week after implantation.
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.
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.
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).