Early Pregnancy Symptoms: the Good, the Bad and the Pukey

If you think you might be experiencing some early pregnancy symptoms, we've got you covered.

If you’ve been trying to conceive, you’ll no doubt be watching your body like a hawk for any tell-tale early signs of pregnancy. The odd boob ache, a gurgly tummy or some weird-coloured discharge could all be signs of something exciting. They could also just be a sore boob, too much takeaway or a particularly potent part of your cycle.

When you want to definitively know if you’re pregnant, a pregnancy test is the place to start. But we’re sure if you’re here, reading this blog post, that you’ve already ticked that box. If your body is a pretty curious, changing place right now, you can expect to experience a few of these symptoms.

When do pregnancy symptoms start?

Annoyingly, when you experience pregnancy symptoms will vary from person to person. We’d love to report that twinkly music will sound and soft lights will float around you at conception, but that only happens in the Sims. Some people report a somewhat Sims-adjacent experience and know they’re pregnant within a few days of babymaking. Other people don’t feel pregnant for weeks after they’ve taken a positive pregnancy test.

Whenever you start experiencing symptoms, you can look forward to some (or maybe all!) of these signs that you’ve got a bundle of joy on their way.

I’m having early pregnancy symptoms with a negative pregnancy test

Generally, if taken correctly, a pregnancy test is the best way to confirm if you’re pregnant or not. But that doesn’t mean they’re always 100% accurate. There’s such a thing as a false negative (and a false positive, too) - just to keep you on your toes. If we had to guess, these are a few reasons why you could be receiving a false negative:

1. You’re testing too early

No matter what the pregnancy test box is promising, you always have to wait until after your expected period to start testing. We’d recommend waiting a little longer (a hard ask, we know!) until you’re comfortably past your usual period date to re-test.

2. Your hormone levels are too low

If you’ve managed to restrain yourself until the aforementioned missed period day, there still might be a teeny tiny issue - the teeny tiny amount of hormones in your wee. A pregnancy test is picking up on a hormone called hCG (aka the hormone that’s produced when you’re growing a placenta), and if you’ve only just started whipping up your own home-grown placenta, your hCG could be on the lower side. Especially if you’re testing later in the day, when you’ve already got a lot of liquid going around your body to dilute it. The one time ever in your life that being TOO hydrated is an issue, we know.

3. You misused the test

In the excitement of doing a test, you might have enthusiastically weed a little too much, or maybe peed on the wrong end - or any number of mistakes! Although it’s a pretty straight-forward process, making a mistake is easily done when your brain is racing at a million miles an hour.

4. You’re not pregnant

It’s tricky having a uterus because it just comes with so many symptoms. And, annoyingly, the venn diagram of ‘pregnancy symptoms’ and ‘period symptoms’ has a lot of overlap. It’s all a bunch of hormones racing around, so you can expect a lot of similar stuff. Keep on waiting until your usual period is due, and then wait a week longer, and then try taking a test to see.

There’s also a few very uncommon reasons you might be pregnant while also testing negative, like an ectopic pregnancy, a cryptic pregnancy or a later-state pregnancy, but don’t worry. These are very few and far between and very unlikely.

But you know your body better than anyone. If things feel off, a blood test or ultrasound from your doctor is the best way to check if you’re pregnant or not.

Early pregnancy symptoms before a missed period

If you’re actively trying for a baby, you’re probably looking for even the smallest twinge to illuminate the mysterious state of your uterus. Pregnancy symptoms start cropping up and different times for different people, so there’s no one size fits all. Generically though, these are a few symptoms you could maybe start to feel before you’ve missed a period:

Fatigue
Raised body temperature
Heightened sense of smell
Tender, swollen breasts
Spotting
Cervical mucus changes
Heartburn
Excess saliva

You could also start experiencing any of the symptoms we’re about to get into! With all those hormones running around, you never know what to expect…

Early pregnancy symptom: Missed period

The most obvious and telling sign that you’re pregnant! If you made it mid-month without reaching for your usual period product of choice, it’s likely time to grab a pregnancy test instead.

This isn’t a hard and fast rule, though. Sometimes cycles can just be funny for a number of reasons. A week past your usual period-arrival-day (the most beloved day of the month) is a good amount of time to give it.

You could also be pregnant and still have a very light period and cramping. Sucks, right? Surely one of the perks of pregnancy is not having to deal with all that. Not to worry, it won’t stick around for long. A light period right at the start of pregnancy is known as ‘implantation bleeding’ and can happen when a fertilised egg attaches itself to the lining of your uterus.

Early pregnancy symptom: Cramps

Feeling some stomach pain is always sure to feel alarming, but don’t panic! You can generally expect some mild cramping during early pregnancy as it’s a very common symptom. Typically a trip to the loo or a change of position will sort them out. However, if you’re ever worried, don’t hesitate to contact your GP.

Early pregnancy symptom: Discharge

Your pants have probably seen all kinds of different discharge if you menstruate. One to keep an eye out for if you’re looking for early pregnancy symptoms is white, milky discharge. (‘So, like the discharge I’ve always got knocking around my underwear?’ We hear you cry. We know, we know. The period-pregnancy venn diagram is basically a circle.) Once you’ve conceived, your vagina’s walls thicken, which causes a white, milk discharge which might continue throughout your pregnancy.

Early pregnancy symptom: Breathlessness

Later on in your pregnancy, you’ll find yourself huffing and puffing due to your uterus expanding and pushing up your abdomen. But, while your baby is still the size of a sesame seed, that won’t be the cause of your breathlessness. An extra dose of progesterone in your hormone smoothie is the cause. High progesterone levels makes you breathe faster, even without your organs being shifted around.

Early pregnancy symptom: Tender, swollen breasts

There are plenty of glorious things that may happen to your boobs in early pregnancy. They could get bigger (Wahey!) and feel more sore or tingly than usual (Boo!) You could also potentially look forward to veinier boobs and/or darker nipples.

Early pregnancy symptom: Feeling nauseous - with or without actually being sick

Morning sickness, misleadingly named, can happen at any time of day. Morning or night. But all-the-time-sickness probably wasn’t the PR spin that the human race needed to keep going - so morning sickness it is!

Some pregnant people experience morning sickness from 4-6 weeks, continuing up to the second trimester. Others don’t report feeling poorly at all. It’s all a hormonal luck of the draw, so fingers crossed you’re not feeling like chucking up your avocado toast.

Early pregnancy symptom: Feeling tired

We all get a little sleepy in a 4pm meeting that’s dragging its feet, but when you’re growing a tiny human inside you, you can bet you’re going to need an emergency pillow for all the naps you’ll be taking. A feeling of fatigue is very common in your first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Grab a blanket and curl up - you’ll never have a better excuse for a snooze!

Early pregnancy symptom: Needing to wee more

Get ready for some midnight loo trips. When you’re pregnant, even in the early stages before you have a little person pressing against your bladder, you’ll notice your toilet trips have increased a lot.

This is because your body is pumping a lot more blood around your body. That means your kidneys are working harder than usual. (Even harder than after that historic night out when you somehow managed to mix every alcohol known to man.) As a result, your kidneys produce more fluid, which means more fluid in your bladder and more trips to the toilet.

Early pregnancy symptom: Weird tastes, smells and cravings

Suddenly put off by your favourite coffee and your go-to lunch is making your stomach turn? During the early stages of pregnancy, you might find that food and drink you previously loved makes you turn green. Alternatively, you may have found yourself ADORING pickles even though you always used to pick them out of your burgers. You might fancy other food too - not just vinegary cucumbers.

On top of changing taste buds, you might find there’s a strange, maybe metallic, taste in your mouth. Smoking might appeal to you less too. (A win when you’re pregnant and can’t anyway!) Certain smells might really put you off your dinner too. All your senses are going haywire, basically.

Early pregnancy symptom: Bloating and constipation

Just to balance out all the extra time you’re spending weeing, you might find yourself more constipated than usual. You can thank all the new hormones racing around your body for that. And because of all the constipation, you’ll probably find yourself getting bloated too. It’s a joyous time! Just imagine how glowy and fabulous you’ll feel in the second trimester though.

Early pregnancy symptom: Mood swings

You know those days when you can’t find an outfit that you like, an advert for loo roll has made you cry, and all of a sudden everyone is on a mission to infuriate you? And you’re scratching your head wondering what the hell is going on. Then, knock knock. Who’s that? It’s your period! You can anticipate a very similar experience when you’re pregnant because of your higher levels of oestrogen and progesterone.

With all these symptoms you might be having, this whole pregnancy thing is probably feeling incredibly overwhelming. We’re here to lend a helping hand and sympathetic ear at LittleList! Your personally assigned Baby Brain is ready to chat any time you need help organising your thoughts.