What Week Do Pregnancy Symptoms Start?

If you landed here because you're pregnant for the first time and dying to know when you'll feel pregnant, welcome. You're not alone. 

If you landed here because you're unsure if you're pregnant and hoping to be able to tell by the symptoms you're experiencing, welcome. You too are not alone -- waiting is so hard!

The short and frustrating answer is: pregnancy symptoms show up at different times and in different ways for different people. Hope that helps! Enjoy the rest of your day!

Ok, fine. While the above remains true, there are some generalizations the majority of people experience.

When Do Early Pregnancy Symptoms Start?

3 weeks

Most people do not yet experience any or many symptoms at 3 week of pregnancy. This is due primarily because pregnancy hormones, which are responsible for many symptoms, are not yet present in high enough amounts. 

Some people at 3 weeks pregnant may experience the following:

• No symptoms
• Implantation bleeding (spotting)
• Nausea/queasiness
• Sore breasts
• Missed/late period if your cycle is shorter than 28 days
• Positive home pregnancy test (with more sensitive tests that measure lower hCG levels)
• Increased basal body temperature (noticeable if you've been tracking prior)

4 weeks

At around 4 weeks of pregnancy, which is also 4 weeks from the first day of your last period, you may miss or be late with your period. This is often a first and most obvious symptom of pregnancy. HOWEVER, you could just be late with your period. Many, many things can cause a delayed menstrual cycle outside of pregnancy. 

Some people at 4 weeks pregnant may experience the following:

• No symptoms
• Implantation bleeding (spotting)
• Mild cramping
• Nausea/queasiness
• Sore breasts
• Moodiness
• Fatigue/unusual tiredness
• Missed/late period 
• Positive home pregnancy test 
• Increased basal body temperature (noticeable if you've been tracking prior)

5 weeks

At 5 weeks of pregnancy, you've likely noticed you're late with your period (unless your cycle is typically long) and many people are able to see a positive home pregnancy test. Some people still may not experience many/any other noticeable symptoms. For others, 5 weeks pregnancy symptoms may include:

• No symptoms
• Spotting - from implantation or disturbance to the cervix, like sex
• Mild cramping
• Nausea/queasiness
• Sore breasts
• Moodiness
• Fatigue/unusual tiredness
• Bloating
• Missed/late period 
• Frequent urination
• Positive home pregnancy test 
• Increased basal body temperature (noticeable if you've been tracking prior)

6 weeks

By 6 weeks, most people know they are pregnant and are experiencing symptoms. Of course, some people fall outside of 6 weeks, so don't worry if you don't yet have symptoms! If you're concerned, you can always talk to your doctor. 

At 6 weeks of pregnancy, many people experience some or several of the following symptoms:

• Spotting 
• Mild cramping
• Nausea/queasiness
• Sore breasts
• Moodiness
• Bloating
• Fatigue/unusual tiredness
• Frequent urination
• Positive home pregnancy test 

One of the hardest parts of pregnancy is the waiting -- waiting for a missed period, waiting to take a home test, waiting for the positive, waiting to try again if it's negative, waiting for symptoms, waiting for the nausea to end, waiting to find out the sex of the baby, waiting for signs of labor, waiting to go into labor, waiting to push with each contraction. Then, just like that! Pregnancy is over. If you're in the stage of waiting for symptoms, hang in there. Distractions like socializing with friends, watching a good series, or reading a great book can help take your mind off the wait. Before you know it, you'll be feeling baby kicks. 

Looking to learn more about early pregnancy? Take a Lamaze class with an educator who teaches about what to know and do throughout your pregnancy to stay healthy and comfortable.