8 Early Signs of Pregnancy

Tired? Nauseous? Could you be pregnant?

Are you wondering if you're pregnant? Some signs may start early.

Fatigue, frequent urination, and breast tenderness are examples of more subtle first signs of pregnancy, and they may occur even if it is still too soon to take an at-home pregnancy test.

Of course, those symptoms can happen for other reasons. They aren't enough to tell if you're pregnant. You'll ultimately need to take a pregnancy test or see your doctor to find out. 

Still, "nothing except abstinence is 100%," says Xavier Pombar, MD, an obstetrician at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. "The earlier you know, the better prenatal care you can get. So it's always important to watch out for the early signs of pregnancy."

If you are pregnant, it's never too early (or too late) to make important lifestyle changes -- such as cutting out nicotine, sushi, and alcohol. And if you are not already doing so, you should take prenatal vitamins. "You may also be taking medications to treat other conditions that will need to be stopped or adjusted if you are pregnant," Pombar says. 

Here are eight early signs of pregnancy that you should be aware of.

1. Fatigue.

"Extreme, unexplainable fatigue is probably the most common sign of early pregnancy," says Gil Gross, MD, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

"Don’t treat fatigue with excessive caffeine if there is a chance you may be pregnant." Instead, "listen to your body, take it easy, and try to keep well-rested," says Donnica Moore, MD, a women's health expert in Far Hills, N.J.

2. Food aversions.

If opening the refrigerator makes you wince, and if you can’t even walk past the local Chinese restaurant without gagging, you could be pregnant. Many women report that such intense food aversions are one of the first signs of early pregnancy. These can be caused by rising levels of beta-hCG hormone, Moore says. The best thing you can do to help yourself through this is to steer clear of triggers.

3. Sensitivity to smells.

Scents that were never pleasant (like cigarette smoke) and even ones that were pleasing (like your partner's cologne) can also make you queasy during pregnancy's early stages. "For some women, this can be a tip-off that they are expecting," Moore says. This is likely a result of rising hormone levels. Unfortunately, "there is really nothing you can do except avoid them where you can," she says, "especially cigarette smoke, which is not good for you or the baby."

4. Nausea and vomiting.

 Nausea and vomiting can be some of the first indications that you're pregnant. Blame it on rising levels of hormones in early pregnancy.

"One of the things that help expectant moms get through first trimester is the reassurance that the nausea and vomiting will likely pass by 12 weeks," Moore says. "It also helps to know that morning sickness can be a good thing," because rising levels of the beta-HCG hormone, which may cause morning sickness, indicate a growing pregnancy. 

When you eat may matter. "The key is not to let your stomach get too empty," Moore says. "Keep crackers by your bedside and have them before you get out of bed in the morning." 

Prenatal vitamins can also trigger nausea for some expectant moms. "Don't take your vitamins on an empty stomach," Moore says. "A lot of people feel better if they take them at nighttime or with dinner."

5. Breast swelling and tenderness.

Breast changes may be another early sign of pregnancy. "The best thing to do about breast tenderness is to get a better bra," Gross says.

6. Frequent urination.

"In early pregnancy, the uterus grows and pushes on the bladder, triggering the urge to urinate more often," Pombar says. This sensation usually goes away by the second trimester, but not for long. "In your third trimester, it recurs again because of your enlarged uterus and the pressure of the fetus's head on your bladder," he says. 

There is no way to avoid this, but going to the bathroom right before bed may allow you to get a little more sleep. "You will probably still have to get up at least once in the night to use the bathroom," Pombar says.

7. Shortness of breath.

Some women feel mildly short of breath when they first become pregnant. "This is because you need extra oxygen due to the growing fetus," Pombar says. "The further along you are, the worse this gets. Tell your doctor if there is a sudden onset of shortness of breath that is not associated with exercise, you also have pain, or it is worse when you are lying down. These can be signs of something more serious."

8. Physical changes.

If you think that you may be pregnant because you have been sexually active without contraception, make an appointment with your doctor. There are changes in the vagina's color and the softness of the cervix that a good clinician can identify during a pelvic exam, Pombar says.

Although all of these may be some of the first signs of pregnancy, they are by no means definitive.

"Remember that while these are early signs of pregnancy, these are also the symptoms of other things, including premenstrual syndrome (PMS)," Moore says. "The most reliable early sign of pregnancy is your first missed period if you have regular periods."