Top 10 signs of pregnancy

Early pregnancy symptoms can vary a lot from person to person (and from pregnancy to pregnancy). Morning sickness, tender breasts and needing to pee more often are just a few of the classic symptoms.

If you’re very tuned in to your body’s rhythms, you may start to suspect you’re pregnant soon after you conceive. You may even notice when the fertilized egg attaches to the wall of your uterus. This event (called implantation) occurs about 8-10 days after you conceive. 

On the other hand, you may not notice any changes for weeks, only thinking about it when you miss a period. 

Here's a list of the 10 most common pregnancy symptoms, starting with the very first one you might notice. You may get all, some, or none of these first symptoms of pregnancy:

1. Prickling, tingling nipples

This can be one of the very first signs of pregnancy, kicking in within a week or so after implantation. 

You may feel a tingling, as pregnancy hormones increase the blood supply to your breasts, and around the nipples. Once your body gets used to the hormone surge the feeling will usually subside.

2. Spotting and cramping

It’s common to have some pink, red, or brown-ish spotting when you pee, or on your panties. You may also notice some cramping. Spotting in very early pregnancy can be caused by the egg implanting in your womb.

A little bleeding around the time you’d expect to have your period may be caused by the hormones that control your periods.

3. Feeling sick

Morning sickness is probably the most known symptom, as well as one of the most common. It often starts when you’re four to six weeks pregnant. You may feel just queasy, or even vomit. Despite its name, morning sickness can affect you morning, noon or night. 

4. Tender, swollen breasts

From about six weeks of pregnancy, your breasts may become more tender to touch. It’s like how they feel before your period, only worse. Tenderness tends to be most common in the first trimester, easing as you progress through the pregnancy. 

You may also notice that your breasts are larger and swollen, with blue veins showing just below the skin.

5. Fatigue

Feeling unusually tired? You may find yourself diving for your duvet, as your body gears up to support your baby, right from the early stages of pregnancy.

Though fatigue is not a sure-fire symptom on its own, it’s a common pregnancy symptom. You may find it wipes you out most in the first and third trimesters.

6. Needing to pee... a lot

From the time you’re about six weeks pregnant you may notice that you’re going to the bathroom more often.

This is caused by pregnancy hormones, a larger volume of blood in your system, and your kidneys working extra hard. Later in pregnancy, pressure on your bladder can make it even worse. Watch out for pain or a burning feeling when you pee, though. This might be a urinary tract infection (UTI).

Blood in your urine is always abnormal and should be checked out.

7. Darkening of your nipples

Skin changes are common in pregnancy. One of the first ones you may spot is the circle of skin round your nipples (your areolas) getting darker. This can happen from about eight weeks in.

You may also find that the bumps around your nipples become more pronounced, or your nipples are more erect. At this time, your vulva and vagina may change to a deeper colour, too.

8. Altered sense of taste

You may be put off by some foods but start to crave others (hello dill pickles!)  Some women report a metallic taste in their mouth, others say they can’t stand the taste or smell of coffee, tea or certain foods they usually like.

Food cravings or aversions can be a sign of pregnancy. If they come with some of the other symptoms on this list then start counting the days from your last period.

9. A missed period

This is a big indicator. If you tend to be regular, and your period doesn’t start on time, you’ll likely take a pregnancy test before you notice any other symptoms. A missed period is one of the surest signs of pregnancy.

But if your periods are irregular or you lost track of when your next one was due, you may not realize your period is late. In this case, tender breasts, feeling queasy and needing extra trips to the toilet may be early clues that you’re pregnant.

And finally...

10. The proof: A positive home pregnancy test

Most home tests will give you a reliable result if you wait about a week after you’ve a missed period. (They work by detecting a certain level of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in your pee, so taking a test too soon can result in a false negative if there isn't yet a high enough level of the hormone to be detectable.) Carefully read the instructions with your kit to make sure you're interpreting it correctly. Make an appointment with your healthcare provider. They can take a blood sample to test for pregnancy and confirm whether you are pregnant for sure and help you with the next steps.