How soon do pregnancy symptoms start? Here's what experts say.
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Preeclampsia: Symptoms, causes and treatments
Preeclampsia is a high blood pressure condition that develops during pregnancy.
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If you think there's a chance you might be pregnant, you want to know as soon as possible. But how soon can symptoms be attributed to a new pregnancy, rather than other ailments or conditions?
It's helpful first to know how to actually measure pregnancy duration: It's calculated from the first day of your last missed period, not the actual day of conception, says Dr. Karen Tang, author of "It's Not Hysteria: Everything You Need to Know About Your Reproductive Health (But Were Never Told)." And symptoms could begin to arise sooner than you might think.
Here's what gynecological experts want you to know about early pregnancy symptoms and detection.
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When does morning sickness start?
Pregnancy (or "morning sickness") symptoms can begin to show within four to eight weeks, experts say. Symptoms including nausea, fatigue, moodiness, breast tenderness, light bleeding and mild pelvic cramping. Food cravings or aversions are common.
But not everyone experiences those symptoms in that timeframe – and not everyone who experiences those symptoms is pregnant. It's rare, but in some cases, false negative tests occur.
"Some people never notice symptoms, which is why pregnancies are detected at all different gestational ages, even sometimes in the third trimester," Tang says. "Some of the symptoms of pregnancy can be the same as what people experience in PMS, because they're also caused by a hormone called progesterone that rises in both the luteal phase before your period, and as the placenta develops. You could also think you have a virus because of feeling nauseated, tired and achy."
Noted: Can you actually get pregnant during your period? What an OB/GYN needs you to know.
How early can you detect pregnancy?
The "most sensitive" drugstore tests can detect pregnancy as early as three or four weeks after your missing period date, Tang says. In those first few weeks, pregnancy hormones are on the rise every day. If you take a test early on that turns up negative but you still believe you may be pregnant, Johns Hopkins Medicine recommends testing again in a week. Getting a blood test done by a medical professional also may be helpful, as blood tests are able to detect pregnancy before urine tests and ultrasounds.
"You should take a test as soon as you are worried you might be pregnant, but most over-the-counter tests may not turn positive until around the time that you'd be due for or missing your period," she adds. "Pregnancy hormone (HCG) is most concentrated in the first morning urine, so that may have the best chance of showing a positive, but obviously take the test whenever in the day you're able to."
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