Super Early Signs and Symptoms of Pregnancy

27 Super Early (and Rare) Pregnancy Symptoms

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We asked the thousands of women in our Facebook pregnancy support group about their very earliest signs and symptoms of pregnancy and many of the answers were as you’d expect.

Tiredness, missed periods, sore boobs and nausea – the common signs that everyone knows about.

But there were A LOT of much more unusual answers too.

Some of these very early symptoms only had one or two women in agreement and were pretty rare, others had many raising their hands.

It seems the textbooks are missing out on many of the pregnancy symptoms women experience.

These are the super early, and in many cases rare, pregnancy symptoms that the textbooks don’t mention.

Super Early Signs of Pregnancy (Including Some Rare Ones)

1. White Spots on Nipples
White spots on the nipples are due to the Montgomery glands (the little raised areas on your areolae) becoming more visible during pregnancy.

This is a not so much a rare symptom, but going by women’s reported experiences it seems to be quite unusual early on.

2. Strong Smelling Urine
Smelly pee. Yes several women said that the very earliest sign of pregnancy for them was strong smelling urine.

So keep your eyes out – or nose out – for this one.

3. Gas – Farts
Being extra gassy is par for the course in early pregnancy and for some this results is a lot of farting.

Not just that, the farts can be extra smelly too.

If you’ve got tonnes of gas coming out and it’s unusual for you maybe it’s one of the super early symptoms of pregnancy.

4. Heartburn
Heartburn is a very common symptom in late pregnancy, but less so early on.

The hormone progesterone increases rapidly during pregnancy and a symptom of this is a relaxation of your esophageal sphincter.

This allows acid from the stomach to enter your esophagus causing the pain of heartburn.

5. Faster Pulse
One Mom-to-be discovered her pregnancy through her Fitbit.

Her pulse rate increased substantially.

Most of us wouldn’t notice the slight increase that is common in early pregnancy but this mom did.

6. Bloating
Bloating was one of the most commonly reported super early symptoms.

Watch for a belly that looks more like 5 months pregnant than just a few weeks.

7. Period Pains but No Period
This one is was quite common. Early cramping is sometimes associated with implantation of the embryo into the uterus.

You can learn more about some of the other symptoms of implantation here.

8. Leg Cramps
A rare early pregnancy sign was leg cramping. This could be due the body sending all the minerals and nutrients to the fetus for growth – especially magnesium and calcium.

Make sure your eating plenty of magnesium rich foods to avoid this.

9. Constant Headache
Headaches normally start a little later but some reported a constant headache as the very first sign of pregnancy for them.

10. Moodiness
Emotional ups and downs are another common experience in pregnancy but for some bursting into tears at the slightest thing was the first clue that they were pregnant.

Sometimes the constant crying goes away but for some Mamas it carries on throughout pregnancy.

11. Cramping
The muscles and tendons around your uterus are going to need to stretch to accommodate your growing pregnancy.

While this doesn’t usually happen in the very first week or two of pregnancy cramping and aching in the lower back and lower stomach commonly are.

12. Lots of Saliva
The overproduction of saliva is not fun and was a first indicator of pregnancy for quite a few of our moms-to-be.

The bad news is if you suffer from morning sickness you are more likely to get it.

No one knows exactly why it happens but doctors think its due to hormone production.

The good news is that it usually goes away when the morning sickness goes away, somewhere around 14 weeks.

13. Thirst
One very early sign for some women was a strong thirst for water.

While excessive thirst can be a sign of gestational diabetes later down the line it is normal to be thirstier than you are used to.

Your blood volume will increase and you’ll be creating amniotic fluid that has to be replenished. This won’t be happening in the first few weeks however.

14. Diarrhea
Diarrhea in the first few weeks of pregnancy was reported by a number of our members as their very earliest symptom.

You can thank your hormones for this one.

It isn’t fun, but your digestion frequently behaves differently in pregnancy which leads to upset stomach and diarrhea.

15. Vivid Dreams
Having crazy dreams for no apparent reason? It could be a really early sign of pregnancy.

Some expectant moms reported it was this very symptom that prompted them go buy a pregnancy test.

It’s definitely not one you’ll see in any textbooks though.

16. Toothache
Pregnancy gingivitis and swollen gums are a real thing in pregnancy. For some women having a sore mouth and toothache were their first symptoms.

All of your nutrients are going to the baby for now.

Plus those pregnancy hormones are doubling up by the day changing your gums.

You may notice a tooth or two is loose.

They may chip or break easier. It is okay to go to the dentist while you are pregnant, in fact, it is recommended.

17. Fever/Raised Body Temperature
Some women reported a rise in body temperature when they were first pregnant (especially those who were actively trying to get pregnant and were tracking their basal rate).

Your body is working hard to create that tiny miracle and a temperature rise is common.

However, anything over 100F should be checked out by a doctor.

18. Peeing a Lot More Than Usual
This one was a frequently reported super early sign of pregnancy and is down tot he increase in hCG levels.

It can be frustrating having to go pee so much but for many it is the first sign of pregnancy.

In later pregnancy the size of your bladder is decreased thanks to the baby pushing down, so you can expect to be in the bathroom a lot then too.

19. Lots of White Vaginal Discharge
Another super early sign that women experienced was an increase in white vaginal discharge.

It is your body’s way of cleaning out the vagina and providing a barrier to keep bacteria out.

You will experience all kinds of changes to your vaginal discharge during pregnancy – this is just the first.

20. Extreme Hunger
Food is fuel and your body needs plenty of fuel to create life.

So if a ravenous appetite has come on suddenly out of the blue it could very well be a really early sign.

Many women reported this symptom as the trigger that got them wondering if they were pregnant. One even said she started putting mustard on everything!

If you are pregnant you’ll need to feed your body with healthy choices.

Eating several small meals throughout the day can help fight hunger too.

21. Back Pain
A few of our pregnant moms reported back pain in the weeks before they took a pregnancy test.

There are no known reasons for this but it may be due to the pregnancy hormones relaxing ligaments around the pelvis and spine.

22. Light Spotting
This was one of the rarer reported early signs of pregnancy.

Light spotting can be a sign of implantation.

That’s when the fertilized egg attaches to the wall of your uterus.

It usually takes place around 8-10 days after the egg has been fertilized.

23. Resting Heart rate Increase
One group member reported:

“I knew I was pregnant because my resting heart rate increased from 52 to 60 for more than 4 days (I have a Garmin watch)… and checking in forums on the internet I saw somebody talk about the case of a girl in my same situation and she found out later she was pregnant…. so I knew I was pregnant before any pregnancy test!”

24. Loss of Appetite
A loss of appetite was an early reported symptom.

Even before the morning sickness starts you may not feel like eating.

If this happens for no reason you can pinpoint maybe you’re pregnant.

25. Vaginal Itching
Another unusual early pregnancy symptom was vaginal itching without any obvious cause.

Your vagina is the hot spot right now – literally.

She may become super sensitive to perfumed products and even your partners sperm during pregnancy.

26. Hair Loss
Among the rare pregnancy symptoms is hair thinning. For most women, their hair becomes thicker and fuller during pregnancy but for others, hair loss is an issue.

There’s no known reason why some women experience hair loss as an early pregnancy symptom but it may be due to the nutrients responsible for hair growth being diverted to create your new baby.

Zinc, Iron, and biotin and the main ones responsible for hair growth so make sure you’re eating plenty of foods containing these nutrients.

27. Cold & Flu Symptoms
You can easily confuse your new pregnancy with having a cold or the flu.

Why? It is possible that the surge of hormones are responsible for the run down and achy fluey feeling that some women reported.

Later on morning sickness and fatigue are pretty common symptoms too.

It should ease up in your second trimester.

Were there any super early pregnancy symptoms that you didn’t know about?

Are you experiencing any of them and wondering if you may be pregnant?

If so read here to find out how soon you can tell if you’re pregnant.