Think might be pregnant

Think You Might Be Pregnant? Here Are Some Surprising Signs

Most Recent,Women,Pregnancy and Childbirth

April 22, 2022

We've all seen the movies where a female character suddenly has a strong aversion to a neutral smell — only to discover she’s pregnant.

In real life, those first few weeks when a woman may suspect she is carrying a baby tend to be far less dramatic. However, many early pregnancy signs may be surprising. Being aware of these symptoms can help you navigate the earliest stages of pregnancy.

Vivid Dreams

In pregnant women, hormone changes bring on interesting side effects. Not only can hormone changes disrupt sleep, they can also cause vivid dreams.

The degree of hormone change can vary woman to woman — as well as pregnancy to pregnancy. Many women say that they knew they were pregnant because of the outlandish dreams they started having.

Heightened Senses

Yes, heightened senses are common for a lot of women. They start to smell things they wouldn’t normally have noticed. You may smell another woman’s hair dye, for example. Noticing these smells can cause nausea, but that tends to be a symptom that appears later in a pregnancy.

It’s also not unusual to notice that your taste buds have become more sensitive. Foods you used to enjoy may become repulsive. For example, many women — even those who are not vegetarian — develop an aversion to meat even in the first few weeks of their pregnancy.

Excessive Fatigue

Even in the first few weeks of pregnancy, you might feel exhausted from normal activities — the body is working hard to build a baby, after all.

But this symptom doesn’t always mean you’re pregnant. Fatigue also can signal that you’re about to get your period. In this case, it can help to take a pregnancy test. If the test is negative, wait for the next cycle to start or take another test.

Breast Tenderness

This is another symptom that can mean you’re pregnant – or it can simply be PMS. If your beasts are tender for two or three weeks, it is worth paying attention and taking a pregnancy test.  If that comes back negative, you might want to see a doctor to get screened for breast cancer.

Mood Swings

Pregnancy can bring on big mood swings. This can look like:

• Getting in fights more easily
• Feeling upset over things that would normally not be upsetting
• Getting tearful at something, especially for women who don’t cry often

For those women experiencing mood swings, it’s common that they will say that they don’t feel like themselves.

Cramping

Some women experience slight cramping that feels much as it would if they were about to get their period. This makes sense as the uterus is expanding — which can feel like cramps. Sometimes women who already know in the early weeks that they are pregnant will see their doctor when they experience cramps, worried that it means trouble. But cramping is often just the uterus preparing to grow a baby.

The biggest thing to keep in mind is that there are no hard-and-fast rules as to which symptoms a woman will experience in the earliest stages of her pregnancy. A woman may experience all, some or none of these symptoms and still be pregnant. Or a woman may be dealing with a handful of these symptoms and not be pregnant.

Until you know for sure, if you suspect you’re pregnant, get as much rest as possible, stay hydrated, say no to any foods that are inducing sickness or nausea, and avoid over-the-counter medication.

If your symptoms persist, it may be time to take a pregnancy test, followed by a trip to your gynecologist to confirm the pregnancy.

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Early signs of pregnancy | Pregnancy Birth and Baby

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Most women will have some symptoms of early pregnancy within a few weeks of becoming pregnant.

The most common symptom of early pregnancy is a missed period. This may be less obvious to women with irregular cycles or who are using a type of contraception that affect their periods. These women may not notice a missed period. It’s also common to notice physical changes such as:

• morning sickness — nausea and/or vomiting that may come and go throughout the day
• tiredness
• food cravings and/or aversions
• needing to pass urine more frequently
• an increase in breast size
• sore breasts

Some women will experience many of these changes, while others won’t feel very different to usual. If you are having severe symptoms, ask your doctor about things you can do to help you feel better.

The hormonal changes in early pregnancy can also cause changes to your mood. You may feel more emotional and cry more easily. These feelings are very common in early pregnancy, but if they become severe and start to affect your daily life, it’s a good idea to discuss them with your doctor or pregnancy care provider.

What should I do if I think I'm pregnant?

If you think you may be pregnant, you can check using a home pregnancy test. Home pregnancy tests are easy to use and you can get them at most supermarkets and pharmacies.

If your home pregnancy test is positive, you should see your doctor to confirm your pregnancy with a blood test, and get information and advice about what comes next.

If your home pregnancy test is negative, but you still think you may be pregnant, you can see your doctor for a blood test to check whether you are pregnant.

To find a GP clinic near you that is open now, use the Service Finder tool.

While you are waiting to confirm whether you are pregnant, it’s a good idea to behave as you would if you were pregnant. This means you should avoid alcohol and cigarette smoke, and ensure you eat a healthy diet, including a folic acid supplement.

Early signs of pregnancy

Learn more about the most common signs of early pregnancy.

How do I work out my due date?

Most babies are born about 38 weeks after conception. Since many women ovulate (release an egg that may then be fertilised) and conceive about 2 weeks after their last period, this is often about 40 weeks since the beginning of their last period. That’s why people often talk about pregnancy lasting for 40 weeks.

Women with a regular 28-day cycle can calculate an estimated due date for their baby by counting 40 weeks from the first day of their last period. This may not be so simple or accurate in other situations, such as if you have long or irregular cycles, don’t remember when you had your last period, or if you became pregnant while taking contraception that affected your cycle.

Use the due date calculator to calculate your estimated due date.

If you’re not sure when you conceived, your doctor or midwife may refer you for a dating scan that uses ultrasound to estimate your due date based on your baby’s size.

What should I do if I didn't plan to fall pregnant?

Unplanned pregnancies happen to people of all ages and backgrounds.

If you are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, you may choose to:

• continue the pregnancy
• plan for adoption or foster care after the baby is born
• terminate the pregnancy (abortion)

Pregnancy is an emotional time, especially if your pregnancy was unplanned. It can be helpful to discuss your options with someone you trust, such as your partner, a family member or close friend. Your doctor or local family planning clinic can also give you information and advice.

You don’t need to decide what to do right away, but it’s still a good idea to see your doctor as soon as possible. If you choose to terminate the pregnancy, it’s best to have the procedure done as soon as possible. If you decide to continue the pregnancy, your doctor can give you information and advice to maximise your health and wellbeing, as well as your baby’s.

Speak to a maternal child health nurse

Call Pregnancy, Birth and Baby to speak to a maternal child health nurse on 1800 882 436 or video call. Available 7am to midnight (AET), 7 days a week.

Sources:

Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content.

Last reviewed: November 2021

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Related pages

• Due date calculator
• What are the early signs of pregnancy?
• Ovulation signs

Need more information?

Morning sickness - MyDr.

Many women experience morning sickness (nausea and vomiting) in early pregnancy, and the symptoms can actually occur at any time of the day or night.

Read more on myDr website