The 15 First Signs of Pregnancy You’ll Recognize Right Away

“Am I pregnant?”: this question is asked by women who want to have children during their cycle. No reliable answer without a blood test, but certain signs can point the way…

Are you on a baby trial and feel like your body is changing? Do you think you’re pregnant but don’t dare to rejoice? To be sure, you will need to take a pregnancy test and a blood test. Until then, analyze these symptoms shared by many pregnant women.

The most common signs

Here are the fifteen most common pregnancy signals along with testimonials from moms who have experienced them.

1. Sore breasts

Has putting on your bra become painful? The feeling of having a heavy chest, darker areolas and veins on the breasts more visible than usual are early signs of pregnancy. From the first months, your chest prepares for breastfeeding: the mammary glands intended to produce milk develop while the milk ducts multiply.

• Delphine says: “When we want to have children, the slightest sign is enough to make us believe that ‘she’s the one’. I, like many mothers, thought several times that I was pregnant when I was not. But the time the test came back positive, looking back, the signs were clear. Among them, the impression of having a fuller chest… A tightness felt while jogging with a friend. That time, I remember telling him, ‘It’s time I bought a proper sports bra.’ Visually too, I had told myself ten days earlier that my breasts had swollen. I was on vacation, I associated it with the fact that my bikini had perhaps shrunk in the machine”.

2. Fatigue

You didn’t have time to finish the first episode of your favorite series or the page of your novel that you fell asleep? If you’re suddenly exhausted, it could be a response to increased hormones in your body. Moreover, for many women, fatigue lasts for the entire first trimester.

• Gaëtane says: “As soon as I tried to watch a series, I fell asleep after five minutes. One day, I went to rest for a moment on my parents’ couch because I was feeling sluggish. Result? I slept soundly all afternoon! I’m not the type to take naps or sleep during the day, this was totally unusual. I told myself that it was my new job that was tiring me, that I was having trouble getting used to the rhythm. Except that I was coming back from vacation…”.

3. Nausea

Most pregnant women begin to experience nausea from the 6th week of pregnancy. But some expectant mothers may experience morning sickness earlier, which unfortunately can occur morning, noon and evening. Nausea usually subsides as you enter the second trimester. In the meantime, try to eat foods that will help regulate your digestive system. In this respect, ginger is an ally, whether in infusion, powder, in lemonade, or cooked (try this ginger jam).

• Élodie says: “I realized I was pregnant when I started feeling nauseous when I woke up. My stomach felt very heavy, as if I had poorly digested yesterday’s meal. I was disgusted at the mere sight of food, whether opening the fridge or watching TV. Even when it comes to foods I usually love. I didn’t want anything anymore.”

4. Frequent need to urinate

If you suddenly find yourself unable to sleep through the night without a trip to the bathroom, this might be a clue. This frequent need to urinate is due to chorionic gonadotropic hormone (HCG), which plays many roles during your pregnancy. During the first trimester, its action stimulates blood circulation to the pelvic region, which causes hypersensitivity in your bladder. Result: you often need to pee!

• Tatiana says: “I found out quite late that I was pregnant with my eldest, at nine weeks gestation. I remember that a few weeks before discovering it, I had wondered what was happening with my bladder, I was going to the toilet so much, even at night!”.

5. Headaches

Headache and congested sinuses can be a sign of possible pregnancy, linked to hormonal changes. Warning: when you are pregnant, you cannot take just any medication… Paracetamol is the painkiller recommended by doctors. Ibuprofen is contraindicated!

• Sophie says: “I had no symptoms that could indicate that I was pregnant. On the other hand, I started suffering from headaches shortly before my missed period. Unusual thing about me.”

6. Back pain

Usually you don’t suffer from back pain, but here your lower back is tight… This could mean that your ligaments are loosening due to pregnancy. If you are indeed pregnant, this pain may unfortunately persist throughout the gestation. In question? Weight gain and shift in your center of gravity.

• Victoria says: “With my partner, we wanted to start a second one, but there was no rush: I took it casually, saying to myself ‘It will happen when it happens’. It finally took a month for severe pain to appear in my back.”

7. Stomach cramps

Is it pregnancy or premenstrual syndrome? Difficult to say… But if you have cramps in your lower abdomen, it could be that your uterus is stretching to prepare for the baby’s development.

• Anne says: “For my second pregnancy, I had so many stomach cramps that I was convinced that my period was not going to be long, and that this delay was only a hormonal imbalance. It was my gynecologist who explained to me that some pregnant women experience similar pain at the start of pregnancy”.

8. Food cravings or aversions

Suddenly, you have an uncontrollable craving for citrus fruits, fish, juice, sparkling water… Or, on the contrary, do you feel that certain foods nauseate you? If you notice food cravings or concerns that weren’t there before, your body may be trying to tell you that you’re pregnant. Warning: certain foods are prohibited during pregnancy!

• Barbara says: “I suddenly had an aversion to 80% of the foods I encountered: almost all of them made me nauseous. I felt like I was being punished for a few weeks.”

9. Constipation and bloating

Last week, you fit into these favorite jeans without any problem. And today, it’s impossible to slip in? You may be bloated, one of the first signs of pregnancy! If you’re feeling a little bloated or constipated, it may be due to a spike in progesterone, which slows down your digestive system.

• Melissa says: “Since I became pregnant, I have been constantly constipated, although I had a completely normal transit until then.”

10. Mood changes

Do you feel more sensitive than usual or more irritable, or even downright moody? This could be a sign that your hormones are playing tricks on you and that you’re feeling tired due to pregnancy. Don’t panic: the emotional roller coaster often passes after a few weeks of pregnancy. You can reassure your other half!

• Aude says: “As soon as I am pregnant, I become irritable… Even unbearable. My husband was surprised the first time, but that’s also what tipped him off about my second pregnancy.”

11. High body temperature

Did you know? During ovulation, your body temperature rises until you get your period. She then falls back. But if you don’t have your period and you are pregnant, your body temperature will remain at least 37°C (or more). If your temperature stays around this range for two weeks after ovulation, it’s a sign of pregnancy.

• Inès says: “I have three children and I noticed that with each of my pregnancies, my late period went hand in hand with an increase in temperature, varying from 37.3°C to 37.7°C. I know this because I use the temperature measurement to calculate my cycles”.

12. Developed sense of smell

Do certain smells repel you? Is your sense of smell keen (can you spot smokers from 20 meters away)? This may be one of your first signs of pregnancy. Indeed, when pregnant, your hormone levels in the blood increase and dilate blood vessels, including those in the nose, which is then better able to absorb odors.

• Alison says: “My sense of smell is what immediately alerted me: the smell of cigarettes prevented me from staying in the same room as a smoker, my morning coffee disgusted me, whereas usually, I cannot start a day without! I also understood that a colleague had started smoking again on her breath, although she tried to keep it a secret, using chewing gum and other devices. My man, who loves raw onions, was banned from eating them. When he deviated from the rule, I noticed it immediately, and from afar.”

13. Dizziness or fainting

Hypoglycemia or low blood pressure can make you feel woozy. A drop in blood pressure caused by pregnancy is completely normal: hormonal changes weaken the blood vessels. But stay vigilant and talk to your doctor. Eat enough and stay well hydrated.

• Christel says: “For my first pregnancy, I experienced several episodes of dizziness. As I had a very irregular cycle at the time, I had absolutely no idea that I was pregnant… It was by taking a blood test to understand the cause of this dizziness and for which my doctor had asked to check the pregnancy hormone levels that we understood where these symptoms were coming from”.

14. Bleeding

If you notice the presence of small spots of blood, it may be implantation bleeding: the fertilized egg attaches to the uterine wall and sometimes causes slight bleeding, most often pink in color. If you have light periods, you may mistake this bleeding for your period.

• Awatef says: “I had a feeling something was going on and so I took a pregnancy test, which came back negative. Afterwards, I noticed that I was bleeding, which alerted me to the fact that the test must probably be a false negative. This was followed by severe pain which confirmed that I was pregnant”.

15. Late period

Most of the first signs resemble premenstrual symptoms (cramps, tender breasts, irritability, etc.). So how to tell the difference? The most reliable indicator is undoubtedly the absence of periods. Is your cycle usually regular and you are several days late? You should buy a test at the pharmacy.

• Nathalie says: “I have an incredibly precise cycle: 30 days. So when my husband and I tried to have a baby and four months later I didn’t get my period when I was due, I knew something was up.”

You may also like:

Recipes, fashion, decoration, sex, astro: follow our news on Facebook and Instagram. Excluded: our latest articles by email.