Pregnancy Symptoms Week by Week: 2025 Guide

Pregnancy symptoms week by week: 2025 guide

Pregnancy is a stage full of physical and emotional changes. Although every body is unique, there are common patterns in symptoms that many women experience week to week. This 2025 guide brings together the most up-to-date evidence to help you understand what happens in each phase of pregnancy, always from a realistic, empathetic and confident perspective.

Pregnancy changes week by week.

First weeks (Week 1 to 4): Am I getting pregnant?

In these first few weeks, symptoms can be very subtle or even nonexistent. Many women don't notice changes until after the first missed period.

The most common early signs include:

• Slight implantation spotting, which may appear when the embryo attaches to the uterus. According to the Mayo Clinic is usually milder and shorter than a period.
• Increased breast tenderness due to increased hormones, especially estrogen and progesterone. (NIH)
• Intense fatigue, one of the first signs, caused by an increase in progesterone.
• Mood swings and feeling of "prolonged PMS".
• Increased sense of smell in some women, associated with hormonal changes.

Weeks 5 to 8: Symptoms intensify

As pregnancy progresses, so do hormone levels. Here the most well-known symptoms usually appear:

• Nausea and vomiting (with or without vomiting), known as morning sickness. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists indicates that they affect 70–80% of pregnant women.
• Extreme tiredness or need to sleep longer.
• Aversion to certain smells or foods.
• Frequent urination due to increased blood flow to the kidneys. (WHO).
• First visible changes in the breast, such as more marked veins or enlargement.

Weeks 9 to 12: Your body adapts

Although symptoms are still present, for many women this stage represents a balance. Nausea begins to subside in some, but in others it continues into the second trimester.

Also common:

• Abdominal distension due to slowing of intestinal transit. (CDC).
• Changes in emotional state, irritability, or increased sensitivity.
• Increased appetite as nausea improves.
• First pelvic discomfort due to the growth of the uterus.

Weeks 13 to 20: The second trimester brings relief... and new sensations

In the second trimester many women experience more energy, better appetite and less discomfort. However, new symptoms arise from fetal growth.

• Visible enlargement of the abdomen, especially from week 16.
• Pain in the round ligaments, described as "pulling" on one side of the abdomen. (ACOG).
• Bleeding gums, due to gestational gingivitis. (NIH)
• Increased vaginal discharge clearer and heavier, considered normal.
• First fetal movements ("quickening"), usually between weeks 16 and 20, according to the Cleveland Clinic

Weeks 21 to 28: Your baby grows... And you feel it too

Fetal growth accelerates and symptoms change:

• Back pain due to the change in the center of gravity.
• Leg cramps, associated with fatigue or circulatory changes.
• Mild swelling (edema) in the feet and ankles due to fluid retention.
• A greater feeling of hunger, a classic of this period.
• More intense and regular fetal movement.

Weeks 29 to 40: The Third Trimester and the Home Stretch

The body prepares for childbirth, and the symptoms are usually more pronounced:

• Difficulty sleeping due to the size of the abdomen or lower back pain.
• Heartburn (heartburn), very common in the third trimester. (NIH).
• Pelvic pressure or feeling of weight.
• Braxton Hicks contractions, irregular and not painful, normal according to the ACOG.
• Increased need to urinate due to the baby's pressure on the bladder.
• Increased vaginal discharge and expulsion of the mucus plug in the days prior to delivery.
• Stronger kicks but less room to move.

"Every pregnancy is unique. Knowing the symptoms helps you understand your body, but always listen to your rhythms and seek support when you need it."