Pregnancy Symptoms List - First Trimester Pregnancy

Pregnancy is broken into three different trimesters.  The pregnancy symptoms you experience in each trimester can be different however every pregnancy is different and it is not uncommon for example to experience first trimester symptoms at other times throughout your pregnancy.

In general the symptoms of pregnancy that you experience in the first trimester of pregnancy can be quite uncomfortable because this is a period of time when there are a lot of changes going on in your body.  The second trimester is said to be the most comfortable of the three because it is a time when you do not develop many new pregnancy symptoms and are not as uncomfortable as in the first or third trimester.

The average pregnancy lasts 40 weeks, although technically your pregnancy is dated from the last day of your period meaning that for most women they do not actually conceive until they are two weeks pregnant.  This is because ovulation for most women occurs about two weeks after their menstrual period and because this is when you are most fertile it is easiest to conceive during this time.

Below we will look at all the possible first trimester pregnancy symptoms, remember that all women and all pregnancies are different and you may not experience the same symptoms as listed, you can have more or less and they will vary in severity.

First trimester pregnancy includes the first three months of pregnancy so we will break down the symptoms by month although you may or may not experience them in the order they are listed.

Pregnancy Month 1 - First Trimester - Weeks 1 to 4

At this stage most women do not even realize that they are pregnant and for the first two weeks of your pregnancy (by the doctors dates) you are not in fact pregnant.  However if you are pregnant when the embryo is only two weeks old you will be counting 4 weeks pregnant.  

In general the first signs that you have conceived and are pregnant are slight and can easily be mistaken as an upcoming period but if you have been trying to conceive and you think you might be pregnant then these are the symptoms to look out for.

• Sore or tender breasts are common early on and are often the first thing that women notice at an early stage.
• Missed period, although this will occur in most cases at the end of your first month, it is when most women suspect that they are pregnant and take a pregnancy test.
• Fatigue and sleepiness, most women feel extremely tired in the first month of pregnancy, this usually continues throughout the first trimester.
• Nausea and vomiting, some people say that this comes later, some women swear it happens within a week of conception, personally I think it can happen either way, it depends on the level of HCG, the pregnancy hormone.
• Food aversions and cravings, again this can happen at any time for women and while many say it disappears after the first trimester, this is not necessarily so and can last throughout pregnancy.
• Emotional, many women report feeling overwhelmed with emotions or overly emotional at various stages throughout pregnancy, particularly at the beginning.
• Frequent urination is another early sign of pregnancy that you might experience.

Pregnancy Month 2 - First Trimester - Weeks 5 to 8

By now many women will know they are pregnant and will have started to notice some slight changes occurring in their body.  Most women are still adapting to the news that they are pregnant at this stage and emotions tend to run slightly higher at this stage.  Below are some common pregnancy symptoms that you may be experiencing that were not listed in the first month.

• Constipation is common at this early stage of pregnancy.
• Heartburn, flatulence, indigestion or a feeling of bloating may also occur in the second month of pregnancy.
• Increase in breast size.
• Headaches, faintness or dizziness.
• Expanding waistline, although this is not your baby bump yet, rather it is everything moving around to accommodate your growing uterus.

Pregnancy Month 3 - First Trimester - Weeks 9 to 12

This is the month where most women begin to actually feel pregnant.  You can still be experiencing any of the pregnancy symptoms above or none at all if you  are lucky.  In addition your uterus will have expanded by week 12 of pregnancy and you will start to feel that you have a bump although it will not yet be noticeable to others.  You appetite may also increase at this stage as the feeling of nausea that are common in earlier months are hopefully lessening. 

Most women will notice weight gain at this stage and when you reach week 12 you may experience a little relief as you reach the end of the first trimester.  This is the stage when the risk of miscarriage decreases and things start to feel a little more real.  Most women feel comfortable to start sharing the good news once they have reached this milestone in their pregnancy.