Early pregnancy symptoms and early signs of pregnancy

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Am I pregnant? The first symptoms of your pregnancy.

Pregnancy symptoms: what to expect. Below is a list of the most likely things you can experience with pregnancy. These include both early symptoms and those appearing later. Many women suffer from one or more of these symptoms in pregnancy. Unfortunately you can also suffer these during menstruation. This makes it difficult to determine if the symptoms you are experiencing are due to pregnancy or menstruation. You can only be certain of pregnancy by taking a pregnancy test.

This follows on from part 1 of pregnancy symptoms.

Passing urine more frequently

As the uterus grows it takes up more space and therefore puts pressure on the bladder. The bladder feels fuller sooner and sends a message to the brain telling you, you need to pass urine.


Many women who want to get pregnant can feel uneasy around the time of ovulation and expected menstruation. This can cause you to be more emotional and unstable.

Raised body temperature

Your body temperature alters during your menstrual cycle. Just before ovulation the temperature drops by approximately 0.1 degree Celsius. After a few days the temperature increases again by a minimum of 0.3 degrees Celsius. This increase is due to the presence of the hormone progesterone. If you start menstruation your body temperature falls again. If you are pregnant your body temperature remains higher. If this is the case then measure your temperature using the temperature method in the same way as you have used to get pregnant. You may also notice that you feel warmer and sometimes quiver. This is completely normal and will pass by itself.

More appetite

It is quite possible you can have an appetite for different foods or that you have a bigger appetite. It is certainly not necessary to eat for two. Eat a healthy, varied, fibre rich and fresh diet. Drink plenty and leave out fizzy drinks, crisps and similar snack foods. When pregnant, do not consume cheese made from unpasteurized milk, vacuumed packed food, red and raw meat. Eat sparingly, offal and pate due to these foods having a high level of vitamin A. It is also important to take extra vitamin D and folic acid. Folic acid reduces the chance of birth defects such as spina bifida, cleft lip and cleft palate. Special vitamin tablets are available for consumption during pregnancy. These have the exact amounts of vitamin D and folic acid needed.

Moist labia (lips of the vagina)

There can be more moisture in and around the vaginal lips due to more secretion. When pregnant the vagina secretes more discharge.  Moist vaginal lips can also be a sign that ovulation is imminent. Your body makes more secretions to enable the sperm cells to reach the uterus more easily.  The discharge is more fluid, lighter and odourless.

White discharge

The amount and consistency of discharge changes during your menstrual cycle.  Discharge just before menstruation is thick and cloudy. It is too thick for sperm cells to swim through. Just before ovulation the discharge changes so that it is more suitable for sperm cells.  The discharge is lighter more elastic and less acid and therefore more sperm friendly. It looks like raw egg white.
When pregnant you may also experience more discharge than usual. This is due to the vagina being supplied with more blood and the glands in the vagina secrete more fluid.

Other symptoms

Pregnancy symptoms which occur less frequently are: giddiness, more bumps around on the nipples and eye problems.

What do other women experience?

PregnancySymptomsTest.com has researched which symptoms women most experience during pregnancy.

The first symptoms of pregnancy
a lot of discomfort a little discomfort none
66% 16% 19%
More frequent passing of urine
54% 21% 26%
Swollen tummy
51% 22% 28%
Back pain
43% 28% 29%
Tight breasts
46% 24% 30%
Painful breasts
44% 24% 32%

The following symptoms are also included in the research but occur less often: swollen vaginal lips, dark yellow secretion, an appetite in other foods, low uterus, light pink blood loss, soft breasts, large nipples and problems with spots.

Read more about pregnancy symptoms in part 1…

Family World can take no responsibility for the accuracy of the information about pregnancy symptoms and no legal case can be drawn from this. For the exact explanation of your symptoms you should always consult a doctor.

Pregnancy tests: order online

If you are unsure if you are pregnant, consult your GP or take a pregnancy test. These can be ordered online at good value online.

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