You have probably reached here after looking for ‘very early signs of pregnancy’ or something similar. Let me just say that I have been there and done that.

I have spent hours looking for some of the unusual pregnancy symptoms before the missed period during my first pregnancy. With my second pregnancy, I totally missed the common (as well as uncommon) pregnancy signs.

I know how anxious you are to know if you are pregnant. To make things easy for you, I have compiled a checklist of all the weird and strange pregnancy symptoms.

VERY EARLY PREGNANCY SIGNS BEFORE MISSED PERIOD:

1. Changes in Breasts :

One of the very first changes that many women (including me) have observed is that weird tingly sensitive sensation in the breasts. The anatomy of your breasts starts to change the moment your body signals it about conception. Milk-secreting glands begin to develop as early as few weeks after conception. Your breasts increase in size and might feel fuller or firmer.

Many women do not notice this change or it is often assumed as a sign of an upcoming period. Also, look for any color changes in the areola which happens due to increased hormonal activity (mainly estrogen and progesterone). If you are seeing dark nipples suddenly before your period this could be a sign of pregnancy.

2. Frequent Urination:

When conception begins, there is an increased level of HCG hormone and there is also increased blood flow to your pelvic area. If you are finding yourselves making frequent bathroom trips, it might not be a bad idea to get a pregnancy test.

3. Cramps:

You may notice some mild cramps in your tummy as your uterus physiologically changes to accommodate your newly formed embryo. It is so tricky, however, to differentiate between menstrual cramps and early pregnancy cramps.

Rowedocs suggests that looking for when the pain happens might help to understand the nature of it better. Menstrual cramps generally occur 28 -48 hours before menstruation, but if you are experiencing cramps say a week before, there are chances that it can be implantation cramps. Implantation cramps are the mild pain that many women experience when the embryo attaches itself to the uterus. However, if you experience severe, unusual pain than usual, do visit your doctor.

4. Implantation Bleeding:

Also known as implantation bleeding. As mentioned earlier, the embryo attaches itself to the uterine walls about a week or two after conception. During this process, you might notice slight bleeding or spotting of blood.

The spotting of blood is usually accompanied by mild cramps, as discussed above. Do keep in mind that not every pregnant woman experience spotting or stomach cramps, so don’t beat yourself up if you didn’t feel any.

5. Nausea:

Again, the rising hormonal levels are the culprit behind you feeling queasy. I had the worst nausea with my second pregnancy, and it continued to last until the end of the first trimester. I felt like throwing up not only when I ate something, but even the smell of certain kinds of foods annoyed me…which is the next weird pregnancy sign on my list.

6. Increased sense of smell:

Pregnancy hormones can drive your sense of smell crazy. If you are usually indifferent to sensing scent and suddenly feel like you are spotting subtle scents, then something might be cooking inside.

7. Food cravings:

The other extremity of feeling repelled by food is experiencing unusual food cravings. Some pregnant women crave for ice, etc., sounds weird right?

8.Tiredness:

You might not see any difference yet, but once conception kick starts, your body switches to high gear and starts its work to meet the demands of the growing fetus. Your body produces more blood, which is pumped down to the uterus. Your body supplies the required oxygen and nutrition to the fetus. All this extra work can drain you out and leave you feeling exhausted.

Pregnancy changes your entire body but during the very very early pregnancy, there are more changes happening around your lower abdomen. As a result, you might notice strange gastrointestinal symptoms.

9. Vaginal Discharge:

It is normal to have some amount of vaginal discharge during the time of mensuration. If you are tracking your cervical mucus, then you might be familiar with the way your vaginal discharge changes throughout your cycle. I never tracked it religiously but I have always noticed a spike in vaginal fluid a few weeks before my cycle starts.

I have noticed that the color of discharge to be in varying shades of brown, red, or pink. The change in color is said to be due to implantation bleeding.

While mild spotting is considered normal during early pregnancy if you notice excessive blood, greenish or yellow mucus with a foul smell, then call your doctor as this could be a sign of infection.

10. Change in Breast milk Taste:

This is a very strange pregnancy sign that you can catch on quickly if you are nursing your older child. I was nursing my ten-month-old when I was pregnant with my daughter and I realized that my toddler was suddenly refusing to breastfeed.

Pretty soon, my milk dried up, and my toddler weaned himself from the breasts. I found it very weird, but it did not occur to me that I could be pregnant.

11. Just feel different:

With my first pregnancy, I felt that something was off. I could say I had a “sixth sense” that I could be pregnant and the pregnancy test concurred.

12. Bleeding Gums:

It is believed that increased hormonal activities, particularly excess production of estrogen and progesterone, results in bacterial overgrowth and inflammation of gums (source). If you notice some blood while brushing your teeth, then it could be because of pregnancy.

13. Shortness of Breath:

I distinctly remember this strange symptom with my second pregnancy. I was catching my breath even while talking over the phone and not doing anything physically tiring.

You may experience shortness of breath as your body is now supplying oxygen to your growing baby. Don’t be surprised if you happen to experience this symptom throughout your pregnancy term ( I did!).

14. Acne:

If you don’t generally get acne and suddenly see your skin breaking out, this could be due to pregnancy.

15. Basal Body Temperature:

Increased BBT is noticed when you are ovulating. When conception occurs your BBT remains higher and does not go down. If you are regularly tracking BBT and are familiar with how your BBT changes throughout your cycle, then any unusual increase in BBT after ovulation can be a sign of early pregnancy.

16. Mood Swings:

Laughing and crying at the same time? Feeling sad for no good reason or frustrated? Well, that could be a sign for some of you.

In my case, I always experience mood swings before my cycle comes. So, I was not able to distinguish whether it was due to PMS or pregnancy.

17. Feeling Bloated:

Many women report that they feel “full” especially after a meal as an early sign of pregnancy. I experienced this, along with nausea and vomiting. On the one hand, I would throw up anything I ate, and on the other hand, even the little amount of food made me feel full.

18. Feeling Gassy:

All sorts of uncomfortable things begin to happen when you get pregnant. Along with feeling bloated, you might feel the need to pass gas from time to time.

19. Constipation:

Another gastrointestinal pregnancy symptoms you might experience is difficulty in passing poop, aka constipation. Keep up with your fluid levels to keep things moving.

20. Diarrhea:

Some women escape feeling constipated but end up getting diarrhea instead. My sister experienced diarrhea for a day or two during her early pregnancy.

21. Heartburn:

You could experience heartburn as a result of increased production of hormones or due to relaxed sphincter muscles during pregnancy. Either way, it is not a good feeling.

22. Feeling Dizzy:

Many women including me feel light-headed or dizzy during early pregnancy. Increased blood flow is said to be the reason for pregnant women feeling dizzy. Some women also get headaches during this period.

23. Backache

Lower backaches are a common pregnancy symptom. Although backaches usually occur later in pregnancy, some women can feel it right after conception.

24. Mom Brain

Mom Brain is the mother of all pregnancy signs. The worst part is it sticks with for what feels like forever. Its been almost 3 years since I had my babies and there are times I would open my kitchen cupboard and stand there not knowing why I opened it in the first place.

25. Strange Dreams

Well, this one is definitely strange! Having weird dreams is one of the very very early signs of pregnancy and no one knows why it happens.

26. Feeling Cold

I have written an entire post on why you might feel cold during early pregnancy. There are a number of reasons why you might be feeling cold suddenly. It could be because of fatigue, increased basal temperature or even due to low blood pressure.

27.Metallic Taste:

Along with food aversions, some women also acquire a metallic taste where everything tastes like old pennies. It is good to take this with your doctor because this could be a sign of something serious like kidney or liver issues.(source)

If you are feeling many of these strange symptoms, then take a home pregnancy test or better yet visit your doctor to confirm pregnancy. To help you track how many symptoms you are feeling, I have a printable checklist. You can download from below.

pregnant mom with a pregnancy test

Sharing is caring!