A missed period, nausea or sore breasts can make you wonder whether you are pregnant. They can also have other causes. A pregnancy test is more useful than counting symptoms, and having few or no symptoms does not rule pregnancy out.
Common changes you might notice
Early pregnancy can bring several changes, often overlapping with what you notice before a period:
- A missed or unusually late period, especially if your cycle is normally regular.
- Breast tenderness or fullness, with changes around the nipples.
- Tiredness or needing more rest.
- Nausea, with or without vomiting, at any time of day.
- Needing to urinate more often.
- Food aversions, changes in appetite or sensitivity to smells.
- A different taste in your mouth, sometimes described as metallic.
- Bloating, constipation or changes in mood.
None of these is a reliable diagnosis on its own. Stress, illness, medicines and changes in your menstrual cycle can also affect how you feel. There is no required number of signs, and symptom timing varies. You do not need to wait until you feel pregnant before testing.
When to take a pregnancy test
Home urine tests detect the pregnancy hormone hCG. They can usually detect a pregnancy around the time your period is due or missed. Follow the instructions for that particular kit, including when to test and when to read the result.
A negative result taken early may be a false negative. If your period does not arrive, repeat the test according to the kit instructions or speak to your GP; Healthdirect advises repeating in about a week after a negative test with no period. Get advice sooner if your dates are uncertain, results conflict or you have symptoms that concern you.
A positive test is a reason to arrange care, but it does not show where the pregnancy is located or confirm that it is developing normally. Your clinician will decide whether blood tests or ultrasound are needed. Do not use the darkness of a test line to monitor a pregnancy.
Bleeding and pain need their own attention
Spotting can happen in early pregnancy, but its colour or timing cannot prove it is harmless “implantation bleeding”. Tell your doctor or midwife about any bleeding. Pain or bleeding should not be treated as reassuring proof that pregnancy has started.
Seek urgent medical assessment for one-sided or severe pelvic or abdominal pain, shoulder-tip pain, or pain with bleeding, dizziness or faintness. These can occur with an ectopic pregnancy, including before you have confirmed a pregnancy. In Australia, call 000 for severe pain with collapse or fainting, heavy bleeding, or feeling seriously unwell.
Do not wait for another home test if you have urgent symptoms. A negative result taken very early is not a reason to ignore them.
How much nausea is too much?
You can ask for treatment when nausea or vomiting is affecting eating, drinking or everyday activities. Seek urgent help if you cannot keep fluids down, are passing very little urine, feel faint or have blood in your vomit. Severe symptoms should not be dismissed as a necessary sign of a healthy pregnancy.
Passing urine more often can occur in pregnancy, but burning, pain or fever needs medical advice. New breathing difficulty, a severe headache or persistent pain also needs assessment rather than being added to a list of ordinary pregnancy signs.
What if symptoms fade or never appear?
Symptoms alone cannot establish the health of a pregnancy. Feeling better is not by itself a diagnosis of miscarriage, and continuing to feel nauseous is not proof that everything is well. Contact your clinician if you notice a change that worries you, particularly with pain or bleeding.
Your next step
If the test is positive, book a GP or midwife appointment to discuss care, medicines and supplements. Do not abruptly stop prescribed treatment without advice. If the pregnancy is unexpected or you are unsure what you want, you can ask for confidential, non-directive pregnancy-options support.
This is general information for Australian readers, not a way to diagnose pregnancy or its progress from symptoms.
Related reading
Read more about bleeding in early pregnancy and when to seek help.
Sources and further reading
- Healthdirect: early signs of pregnancy
- Queensland Government: finding out you are pregnant
- Better Health Channel: pregnancy signs and symptoms
- Healthdirect: hCG pregnancy tests
- Healthdirect: ectopic pregnancy
- Healthdirect: miscarriage and diagnosis
- Healthdirect: medicines during pregnancy
- Healthdirect: warning signs during pregnancy