Neha Arti 
Just found out you’re expecting?
You might be wondering, what are the one month pregnancy symptoms? What should I expect?
In this guide, you’ll learn the most common first month pregnancy symptoms and when they start.
How is Pregnancy Dated?
Before we discuss the first month pregnancy symptoms, we should first understand how pregnancy is dated. How does your doctor determine that you’re one month pregnant?
Pregnancy is dated from the first day of your last period. Although you’re not actually pregnant at this time, your body is preparing for ovulation. Here’s the timeline:
- Pregnancy dated day 1: First day of your last period
- Around day 14: You Ovulate
- In 24 hours of ovulation: Egg is fertilized (conception)
- In 5-6 days following ovulation: Implantation (pregnancy begins and symptoms may start in the following days or weeks)
As the timeline shows, your doctor dates pregnancy about 2 or so weeks before pregnancy actually begins. That means if you’re 4 weeks pregnant, you have a 2-week-old embryo (depending on your cycle). For this reason, you won’t experience any symptoms until week 3 or 4 or later.
According to Merk Manual, only 10% of women give birth on their due date. It’s normal to give birth between 2 weeks before or after the calculated date. Your first ultrasound will help your doctor estimate your due date with more accuracy.
First Month Pregnancy Symptoms: Weeks 1-2
How soon do one month pregnancy symptoms begin?
As we discussed in the section above, your embryo is usually 2 weeks younger than the age of your pregnancy. So if you’re 2 weeks pregnant, it’s likely your embryo is only a few days old. This means you’re unlikely to experience first month pregnancy symptoms in the first 2 weeks. Your pregnancy is still too young and you’ll need to wait longer to notice any changes.
While you won’t experience pregnancy symptoms in the first 2 weeks, you might not be looking for them either. Unless you’re meticulously tracking your cycle, you might not notice you’re pregnant until weeks in. On average, people usually become aware of their pregnancies between 5 and 6 weeks of gestation, according to research.
First Month Pregnancy Symptoms: Weeks 2-4
When considering one month pregnancy symptoms, let’s again consider how dating a pregnancy works. If you’re 2-4 weeks pregnant, your embryo is still only 1-2 weeks old. At this point, you might begin noticing a few symptoms. However, your journey is still too young to expect most changes.
At this stage, the most common first month pregnancy symptom is noticing a missed period. Between 2-4 weeks pregnant, you’re likely taking a home pregnancy test. Although these are 97% accurate, you should have your pregnancy confirmed by the doctor too. Your doctor will order either a urine or blood test, which are over 99% accurate.
You may or may not experience first month pregnancy symptoms. If you don’t, don’t panic—it’s completely normal. Below are the possible first month pregnancy symptoms in weeks 2-4.
Missed period
Your first signal of pregnancy may be a missed period. Doctors recommend taking a pregnancy test if your period is a week or more late.
Mood Changes
Since your hormone levels change when pregnancy starts, your emotions may be affected. You may feel more emotional or sensitive, similar to PMS mood changes.
In addition to hormonal mood changes, your emotions might also be impacted by the news that you’re pregnant. It’s normal to feel a range of emotions from excitement to anxiety. For help dealing with emotional changes, consider seeing a counselor or psychotherapist.
For more tips, read Pregnancy Mood Swings: 9 Powerful Remedies
Bloating
Pregnancy hormones can also cause bloating. If you regularly experience bloating, you may overlook this symptom. Early on in pregnancy, progesterone increases, which slows digestion, leading to trapped gas.
Sometimes bloating is a first month pregnancy sign but is mistaken for PMS bloating.
Sore or Swollen Breasts
Breast pain and changes may be one of the first pregnancy symptoms you notice. People start commonly feeling it around 3 or 4 weeks of pregnancy. Your nipples or breasts may feel sore or tender. They may also become swollen. These changes can be caused by the increase in blood flow and hormones.
For more tips, read: 7 Pregnancy Nipple Changes & 4 Breast Changes To Expect
Fatigue
You might feel more tired than usual, needing more breaks or going to sleep earlier. Although there’s many causes for fatigue, it could be a symptom of pregnancy in the first month.
Early pregnancy fatigue is usually caused by hormones, specifically progesterone—a hormone that significantly increases in the first trimester.
For tips on dealing with fatigue, read 12 Actionable Hacks for Extreme Tiredness in Early Pregnancy
First Month Pregnancy Bleeding
Some people notice spotting in the first month of pregnancy. There may be light spots of light pink or brown blood on your underwear. If this happens, you can wear a pantyliner.
You may be wondering what causes first month of pregnancy bleeding.
You can expect first month pregnancy bleeding AKA “implantation bleeding” after the egg attaches to the lining of the womb.
If you experience more than spotting, talk to your doctor.
To learn more, read Bleeding During Pregnancy: Is It Dangerous?
First Month Pregnancy Cramps
Along with first month pregnancy bleeding, you might also experience first month pregnancy cramps, AKA “implantation cramping.” This can happen as the egg attaches to your uterus. The cramping is usually light and doesn’t always cause pain.
If you don’t know you’re pregnant, first month pregnancy cramps may be mistaken for PMS cramps.
If you have severe cramping and you’re pregnant, seek medical attention.
Read: Are Cramps During Pregnancy Normal? 11 Causes
Frequent Urination
For some, one of the first symptoms of pregnancy is frequent urination. You might be making more trips to the bathroom and getting up in the middle of the night.
Frequent urination happens during pregnancy because your blood supply increases. This makes the kidneys work harder to filter the blood, flushing out extra urine. Unfortunately, frequent urination is one of the pregnancy symptoms that could continue throughout all trimesters.
FAQ: First Month Pregnancy Symptoms
Below are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about first month pregnancy signs.
What if I don’t notice symptoms of pregnancy in the first month?
It’s completely normal not to notice symptoms of pregnancy in the first month. Since many people don’t even know they’re pregnant until 5-6 weeks, you may not notice any changes. You could also be blaming symptoms on PMS or other conditions. For example, mood changes in the first month of pregnancy may be mistaken for PMS mood swings.
Read: Positive Pregnancy Test but No Symptoms? Here’s 7 Reasons Why
What does 1 month pregnancy look like?
You might be curious, “what does 1 month pregnancy look like?”
By week 4 of your pregnancy, your baby is still an embryo and won’t become a fetus until the end of the second month. By the end of week 4, the embryo will be about the size of a grain of rice.
How much do you show at 1 month pregnant?
Even by week 4, you probably aren’t showing yet. Most women don’t start showing until at least 12 weeks and some wait until week 16 or 18 for a bump.
If you’ve been pregnant before, you might start showing sooner. That’s because your uterus muscles have already been stretched.
You might notice your stomach growing and think you’re showing early. However, it’s likely pregnancy bloating this early on.
Is there a 1 month pregnancy ultrasound?
You might be wondering what a 1 month pregnancy in an ultrasound looks like. However, most doctors won’t do an ultrasound until as early as 6 weeks. Waiting a little longer will give a better picture of your baby’s development.
The first ultrasound in pregnancy can happen anywhere from 7-12 weeks. Some doctors wait until week 14 because the baby is bigger.
To learn more about pregnancy ultrasounds, read our guide: How Many Ultrasounds During Pregnancy? A Typical Timeline
Will I experience morning sickness in the first month?
Although some movies depict women getting morning sickness very early on, it’s unlikely. Morning sickness usually starts around 6 weeks of pregnancy, peaking around 9 weeks, according to the March of Dimes.
Summary: Symptoms of Pregnancy During First Month
Since pregnancy is dated 2 weeks older than the age of your baby, you won’t experience pregnancy symptoms until week 3 or 4. During these weeks, you may notice a missed period, implantation bleeding and cramping, breast changes, fatigue, frequent urination, and mood swings. Some people don’t experience any symptoms of pregnancy in the first month.
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Fetal dopplers are at-home devices that detect your baby’s heartbeat and amplify it through speakers. Parents love the magical bonding experience it creates.
