Week 4 – your 1st trimester
What's happening in my body?
You probably don't look pregnant yet. If it's your first pregnancy you might not start showing until at least week 12. However, if this isn't your first baby, you may start showing sooner, as the muscles in your uterus (womb) and belly may have been stretched from your last pregnancy.
Pregnancy is dated from the first day of your last period. Read about you and your pregnancy at 1 to 3 weeks on the NHS website.
Am I pregnant?
Wondering when to take a pregnancy test? Some of the home tests can tell you if you're pregnant after about 3 and a half weeks – and are 99% accurate.
Early pregnancy symptoms (at 4 weeks)
To start with, you may not have any symptoms at all. When the pregnancy hormone “human chorionic gonadotrophin” starts to kick in, you may experience early pregnancy symptoms.
During your 1st trimester, which is up until week 12, you may experience:
- a missed period (often one of the first signs of pregnancy)
- a metallic taste in your mouth
- sore breasts
- nausea - also known as morning sickness, although you can experience it at any time (read about morning sickness in week 6)
- tiredness
- new food likes and dislikes
- a heightened sense of smell
- needing to pee more frequently
- a milky white pregnancy discharge from your vagina
- light spotting as the fertilised egg burrows into your uterus (see your doctor if you get bleeding during pregnancy)
- cramping, a bit like period pains
- darkened skin on your face or brown patches – this is known as chloasma faciei or the “mask of pregnancy”
- thicker and shinier hair
- bloating (read about dealing with bloating in week 10)
If you think you could be pregnant but haven't noticed any symptoms, you still might be. Everyone's different and nobody else will have a pregnancy just like yours.
You received a positive pregnancy test, and now you're waiting for the telltale signs you're expecting. So when do you start having pregnancy symptoms like nausea, vomiting, bloating, constipation, and fatigue?
As it turns out, every person is different, says Marra Francis, M.D., an OB-GYN in Woodlands, Texas, and an author of the Mommy MD Guides. Some never experience the typical early signs of pregnancy, while others feel immediate changes in their body. And you can't use previous pregnancies as a guide either; symptoms might appear at different points in every gestation, adds Dr. Francis.
To give you a basic guideline, we rounded up nine common early pregnancy symptoms and their typical start time. Remember to take this estimated schedule with a grain of salt, though, and ask your doctor about any concerns.
Breast Tenderness
Thanks to an increase in estrogen and progesterone, your breasts may feel sore, sensitive, and tender in early pregnancy. This symptom usually starts about one or two weeks after conception—even before you miss your period!
Spotting and Cramping
Some people experience twinging cramps when the fertilized egg implants into the lining of the uterus. You might also notice light pink or brown spotting that lasts a day or so. These signs of implantation appear six to 12 days after conception, and many people mistake them for PMS.
Fatigue
Rising levels of the hormone progesterone, as well as your body's effort to support the pregnancy, may result in fatigue. Loss of energy appears as early as one week after conception. It often goes away in the second trimester but rears its head again as you approach delivery.
Mood Swings
Fatigue might partially contribute to another annoying pregnancy symptom: mood swings that start around week five. Unfortunately for many expectant parents, unstable emotions usually last through the first trimester.
Bloating
Do your pants feel tighter than normal? Blame pregnancy hormones for this abdominal bloating, which often appears soon after conception. Early pregnancy bloating often reminds people of PMS.
Morning Sickness
Up to 85% of pregnant people deal with the nausea and vomiting associated with morning sickness. Food aversions and heightened sense of smell may exacerbate symptoms, but eating small meals and other home remedies can help. Morning sickness starts between six and eight weeks into pregnancy. It peaks around week eight or nine, and it usually disappears by week 16.
Frequent Urination
Around four to six weeks after conception, some people feel a strong, frequent urge to urinate. Blame the pregnancy hormone hCG, your growing uterus, and extra blood flow. This symptom often reappears in the third trimester when your baby presses on your uterus.
Headaches
Increased blood volume might cause crippling tension headaches during pregnancy. Staying hydrated can keep this head-pounding symptom at bay.
Constipation
Pregnancy hormones slow down your digestive tract, triggering constipation around the second to third month of gestation. Control constipation by staying hydrated, incorporating fiber into your diet, and exercising regularly.