Patient education: Pregnancy symptoms (The Basics)

How much do pregnancy symptoms vary? — Symptoms during pregnancy are different for everybody. Also, it's possible to have different symptoms from 1 pregnancy to the next. Even so, there are certain symptoms that are common during pregnancy.

This article discusses symptoms that can happen during a normal, healthy pregnancy.

What symptoms are common early in pregnancy? — Early in pregnancy, sometimes even before someone knows they are pregnant, common symptoms can include:

●Nausea, with or without vomiting – This is called "morning sickness," but it can happen at any time of the day. For most people, morning sickness lasts only the first few months of pregnancy.

●The breasts getting bigger and feeling painful

●Needing to urinate more often than usual

●Feeling more tired than usual

●Mild cramping in the lower belly

What symptoms can happen later in pregnancy? — Many different symptoms can happen later in pregnancy. These can include:

●Heartburn or indigestion – This can feel like a burning feeling in your chest or throat, or pain in your stomach or chest.

●Constipation, which means trouble having bowel movements

●Hemorrhoids, which are swollen veins in the rectum that can be painful or itchy – They might bleed a little when you have a bowel movement.

●Stuffy nose and nosebleeds

●Feeling short of breath – This can get worse slowly as your pregnancy progresses.

●Low back pain

●Leg cramps

●Trouble sleeping

●Headaches

●Bleeding from your gums

●Needing to urinate more often than usual or during the night

●Feeling tired

●Your hair getting thicker

●Mild swelling in your feet or ankles

●Numbness or tingling in your hand, foot, or leg

●Varicose veins, which are swollen and twisted veins

●"False" contractions – Contractions are when the uterus tightens. This can cause pain and make the belly feel hard. "False" contractions, also called "Braxton Hicks" contractions, do not mean you are in labor. These are different than "true" contractions, which do mean you are in labor.

●Skin changes – Lots of different skin changes can happen during pregnancy. Some of these include:

•Skin color changes – Your palms might turn pink or red. Also, the skin on parts of your body can turn darker. This includes areas on your face or around your nipples (picture 1).

•A dark line on your belly – The line can go from your belly button to your pubic area.

•Stretch marks – These look like red lines and are most common on the belly, breast, and thighs.

•Spider veins – These look like tiny red spiderwebs on the skin. They are most common on the neck, face, upper chest, arms, and hands.

•Skin tags – These are small growths of normal skin (picture 2).

When should I call my doctor or midwife? — You should call your doctor or midwife if you:

●Have bleeding from your vagina

●Have fluid leaking from your vagina

●Don't feel your baby move around as much as it used to

●Have back or belly pain that doesn't get better with things you can try yourself, such as resting or changing your position

●Feel faint or dizzy

●Have heartburn that doesn't get better when you take an antacid medicine

●Have a headache that doesn't get better after you rest for an hour in a dark, quiet room

●Have pain when you urinate or blood in your urine

●Have a fever

●Have contractions that get stronger and more frequent

●Have pain when you breathe

●See dark spots or flashes of light, or have blurry vision

●Have concerns about a change in your health (for example, vomiting or a new rash)

More on this topic

Patient education: Constipation in adults (The Basics)
Patient education: Morning sickness (The Basics)
Patient education: Acid reflux and GERD in children and teens (The Basics)
Patient education: Taking medicines during pregnancy (The Basics)
Patient education: Hemorrhoids (The Basics)
Patient education: How to tell when labor starts (The Basics)

Patient education: Constipation in adults (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Hemorrhoids (Beyond the Basics)