It is easy to confuse the early signs of pregnancy. Are you having morning sickness or ate something weird? Is your period late or irregular? If you think you may be pregnant — whether you are excited or not — we put together the early signs of pregnancy so you are prepared. 

What are the early signs of pregnancy?

The only definitive way to know you are pregnant is taking a pregnancy test and consulting a doctor. However, there are some early signs that indicate you may be pregnant. You may experience a late period, light bleeding or spotting, cramps, tender breasts, or fatigue early on in your pregnancy. These symptoms can vary from person-to-person and are not a sure indicator of pregnancy. If you are experiencing these symptoms and want to take a pregnancy test, check out our pregnancy test for 99% accurate results. 

Symptoms of pregnancy after sex?

Other than a missed period, pregnancy symptoms don’t usually start until five or six weeks of pregnancy. About 60% of people experience some signs of symptoms of pregnancy as early as five or six weeks after their last period. These symptoms begin to develop due to a rush of new pregnancy hormones. These hormones don’t start to kick in until around five or six weeks after your last period. 

While some may experience pregnancy symptoms very early on, for most cases people won’t notice anything has changed with their body right away. If you experience spotting or increased discharge immediately after sex, it is not typically a symptom of pregnancy and is related to other factors. 

Additionally, it is a myth that nausea after sex is a sign of pregnancy. Because it takes around five to six weeks for pregnancy hormones to begin affecting your body, it is impossible for you to feel symptoms such as nausea immediately after having sex. 

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How does know your basal body temperature help?

Your basal body temperature (BBT) can help predict when you will ovulate, allowing you to conceive faster by determining your most fertile days. However, knowing your BBT can also help you detect early signs of pregnancy. BBT is your temperature as soon as you wake up and is influenced by hormones. Your BBT rises slightly slightly after ovulation due to the hormone progesterone and will remain elevated until the start of your period. However, if you are pregnant, it will remain elevated and won’t drop because you do not have a period during pregnancy. If you track your BBT and it does drop to or below the cover line temperatures on a BBT chart for more than two weeks, you may be pregnant. An elevated BBT can be the first sign of pregnancy, even before your pregnancy test result is positive. 

The only way you will know for sure that you are pregnant is by taking a pregnancy test and seeing your primary care provider. However, these early symptoms of pregnancy, in combination with testing and medical advice, may help bring you peace of mind.