When will i start to feel pregnant

Early signs of pregnancy

If you have a regular monthly menstrual cycle, the earliest and most reliable sign of pregnancy is a missed period.

In the first few weeks of pregnancy you may have a bleed similar to a very light period, with some spotting or only losing a little blood. This is called implantation bleeding.

Every pregnancy is different and not everyone will notice all of these symptoms.

Feeling sick during pregnancy

You may feel sick or be sick. This is commonly known as morning sickness, but it can happen at any time of the day or night.

Morning sickness symptoms usually start when you’re around 4-6 weeks pregnant

If you're being sick all the time and cannot keep anything down, see a GP.

You may have hyperemesis gravidarum, a serious condition in pregnancy that causes severe vomiting and needs treatment.

Feeling tired is common in pregnancy

It's common to feel tired, or even exhausted, during pregnancy, especially during the first 12 weeks or so.

Hormonal changes in your body at this time can make you feel tired, sick, emotional and upset.

Sore breasts in early pregnancy

Your breasts may become larger and feel tender, just as they might do before your period. They may also tingle.

The veins may be more visible, and the nipples may darken and stand out.

Peeing more often suggests pregnancy

You may feel the need to pee more often than usual, including during the night.

Other signs of pregnancy you may notice are:

  • constipation
  • more vaginal discharge (without any soreness or irritation)

Strange tastes, smells and cravings

During early pregnancy, you may find you no longer like some foods or drinks you used to enjoy.

You might notice:

  • a strange taste in your mouth, which some describe as metallic
  • you crave new foods
  • you lose interest in certain foods or drinks you used to enjoy, such as tea, coffee or fatty food
  • you lose interest in smoking
  • you have a more sensitive sense of smell than usual – for example, the smell of food or cooking

If you're worried about any symptoms you're having, talk to a GP or your midwife.

If your pregnancy test is negative

A positive test result is almost certainly correct, as long as you have followed the instructions correctly.

A negative result is less reliable. If you get a negative result and still think you may be pregnant, wait a week and try again.

If you're pregnant, use the pregnancy due date calculator to work out when your baby's due.

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Video: what pregnancy symptoms are normal?

In this video, a midwife describes which symptoms during pregnancy are normal.

Media last reviewed: 20 March 2020
Media review due: 20 March 2023

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.

How soon can you start to feel pregnant?

It takes about 2 to 3 weeks after sex for pregnancy to happen. Some people notice pregnancy symptoms as early as a week after pregnancy begins — when a fertilized egg attaches to the wall of your uterus. Other people don't notice symptoms until a few months into their pregnancy.

How does your stomach feel in early pregnancy?

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.