Is it possible to have pregnancy symptoms before a missed period

This can occur for a number of reasons, including having a chemical or ectopic pregnancy , or even taking certain medications. Pregnancy symptoms often mimic PMS symptoms. For example, fatigue, nausea, and breast tenderness can be symptoms of both pregnancy and PMS.

For example, you may experience implantation bleeding. This is light spotting or bleeding that occurs about 10 to 14 days after conception, usually about a week before your period would usually start.

This bleeding will be lighter and stop after one to three days. Other symptoms like breast tenderness, bloating, and cramps could be symptoms of either PMS or pregnancy. Until you can take a home pregnancy test, it will be difficult to tell what is causing these symptoms.

You should wait at least one to two weeks after you have sex to take a home pregnancy test. That is the earliest the test will detect levels of human chorionic gonadotropin hCG , a hormone produced during pregnancy. If you take a test too early, it may not yet be able to detect hCG. If possible, you should wait and test the week after you miss your period. After getting a positive home pregnancy test, see a doctor and let them know.

They will be able to confirm the pregnancy and discuss next steps in your prenatal care. Shop for a home pregnancy test online. Other causes of a delayed period may include:. They can offer tests for the above conditions and treatment. Some women do experience symptoms such as fatigue and nausea. These could be PMS symptoms, however. They can confirm the pregnancy with a urine or blood test and discuss next steps in your prenatal care. What are the telltale early symptoms of pregnancy?

In addition to producing more hormones, more blood and more vaginal discharge during the early stages of pregnancy, your body also produces more mucus that can cause sinus pressure, congestion or other ear, nose and throat symptoms.

Your body is now a powerhouse of bodily fluids. You can thank your hormones again for giving you an acute sense of smell, or an aversion to some smells, including food. According to research reported by Medical News Today, the majority of pregnant people experience a heightened sense of smell during the first trimester. You might notice this change in your nose before you notice a missed period. But some can experience nausea even sooner , according to Parents.

Once again, hormonal changes are thought to be the root cause of morning sickness, according to the Mayo Clinic. Sometimes, morning sickness and vomiting can be so severe that it causes dehydration or requires medical treatment, referred to as hyperemesis gravidarum. Home pregnancy tests can be very accurate and they're usually inexpensive , especially if you wait to test until after your period is officially late.

Some tests claim to accurately detect pregnancy up to a week before your missed period, so if you're experiencing some pregnancy symptoms and are champing at the bit, go for it. You're more likely to get an accurate test result if you wait until your period is late, according to the Mayo Clinic, because the hormone that's detected in home pregnancy tests, hCG, doubles every two to three days after an embryo attaches to your uterus, meaning there's more to detect in your urine if you wait a few days.

Because this hormone can sometimes take a while to build up, false negative results aren't uncommon in early pregnancy. It's much more rare to get a false positive. If you get a positive test result, you are very likely pregnant, or experienced a recent pregnancy loss, and can confirm the pregnancy through a blood test or ultrasound. The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice.

Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives. Jessica Rendall.

Pregnancy begins with implantation, which happens when the fertilized egg embeds in the lining of the uterus. Implantation stimulates the production of hCG , a hormone that the body produces in progressively larger amounts in early pregnancy. The hCG then stimulates the production of another hormone, progesterone.

Together, the two hormones cause early pregnancy symptoms. Implantation usually occurs a few days before a missed period. Therefore, hCG levels are still low by the time a woman expects her period. Due to these low levels, some women notice no symptoms at all or only experience very subtle symptoms, which they may attribute to something else.

Among the most common early pregnancy symptoms are nausea and vomiting. Many pregnant women report that nausea and vomiting are worse when they are hungry or have low blood sugar. Therefore, women who notice symptoms of nausea between meals or when they wake up hungry may be pregnant. The intensity of these symptoms often increases during the first trimester, as hCG levels rise. Toward the end of the first trimester, many women notice that symptoms improve.

In early pregnancy, hormonal shifts, not the growing fetus, cause pregnancy symptoms. As pregnancy continues, other symptoms may appear. In very early pregnancy, symptoms are usually mild. Due to this, it is easy to mistake pregnancy symptoms for normal aches and pains. Here's the bottom line according to experts when it comes to which pregnancy symptoms could actually show up before your period, ranked by likelihood:.

Nausea — 25 percent of women surveyed said nausea was their first indicator of pregnancy before a missed period. Breast changes — 17 percent of women polled said they first noticed a change in their breasts. Your breasts may feel tender, or you may notice a difference in their size or nipple color.

Implantation bleeding — 3 percent of women reported implantation bleeding as their first pregnancy symptom. Mood swings — Although Dr. Gaither notes mood swings as an early pregnancy symptom many women experience in the first six weeks, you're more likely to notice a missed period before this one. Doing so can be a helpful source of information once you've started to notice early pregnancy symptoms and are wondering, "Could I be pregnant?