Very early signs of pregnancy | First signs of pregnancy

If you're trying to get pregnant, or have the sneaking suspicion that you might be after having unprotected sex, there are tell-tale signs of very early pregnancy that you can watch out for before you even do a pregnancy test!

Each woman's body experiences the very early signs of pregnancy in a different way and there are a lot myths out there, so we've done our research and found out all of the signs that you need to be aware of.

While these are the most common signs, if you are pregnant you may experience some symptoms and not others and some women may only have one! The main thing to do is to listen to your own body, you are the one who ultimately knows if something is not normal.

Remember these are only signs and the only way that you can be 100% sure you are pregnant is by taking a pregnancy test.

What are the signs of very early pregnancy?

Missed period - this is the first very early 'concrete' sign of pregnancy. However, many women have irregular or infrequent periods (oligomenorrhoea), which makes the lack of a period an unreliable indicator of pregnancy.

Painful breasts - Your breasts may be swollen and tender, your nipples may get bigger and darker, and your breasts may be slightly bigger and harder. These changes are essential in preparing your body to feed your baby.

Nausea and Vomiting - This is commonly known as morning sickness and can happen very, very early on in pregnancy. Despite being called morning sickness, you can feel nauseous or be sick anytime day or night so if you feel unusually sick it's time to get that test.

Feeling very tired - Although most of us feel a bit drained from time to time, a very common sign of early pregnancy is feeling unusually tired, or even totally exhausted. This is especially common in the first 12 weeks and is usually caused by the excess hormones in your body due to your pregnancy.

• An increase in white vaginal discharge without any soreness or irritation.
  
• You experience minor break-outs of spots on your skin.
• You suffer from stomach acidity, and find you're suddenly repulsed by certain foods.
• Change in appetite, one minute you can't eat then next you can't control yourself.
• Lack of interest in smoking or tobacco.
• Heightened sense of smell to the point that some smells are unbearable.
• You become irritable or hypersensitive and/or experience quite extreme mood swings.