SORE, SWOLLEN AND TENDER BREASTS: If you experience that your breasts are becoming extra sensitive to any type of touch, it's a sign of pregnancy. This is due to the reason that during early stage of pregnancy, blood flow to your breasts increases, making the breast tissues more sensitive and swollen.
While your breasts may feel tender during PMS, they can be tender during early pregnancy as well. “You may also be pretty fatigued,” Giles added. “The key difference between the two, however, is that with pregnancy, your period doesn't occur.”
Breast tenderness is often one of the earliest symptoms of pregnancy. According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development , breasts may become sore, heavy, or tingly as early as 1–2 weeks after conception. The nipples may also feel sensitive or even painful to touch.
The nipples and the area around the nipples (areola) become darker and larger. Small bumps may appear on the areola. These bumps will go away after you have your baby. You may notice a yellowish discharge, called colostrum, from your nipples as early as the 16th to 19th week.
Sore nipples and tender breasts can be one of the earliest signs of pregnancy. Your breasts may feel swollen, sore, or tingly – and your nipples may be extra sensitive and uncomfortable. It's all thanks to the pregnancy hormones estrogen and progesterone, which surge during early pregnancy.
First-trimester changes
In the first trimester (weeks 1 to 13): Your breasts may start to feel swollen and tender. Your nipples may stick out more than usual. Some women find that their breasts start to get bigger during this time.
Your breasts seem to be getting larger (by the day!) during your pregnancy, which means they're also probably extremely sensitive and tender. Breast tenderness is one of the first (and most common) symptoms of pregnancy, starting as early as weeks 4 to 7 and lasting through the first trimester.
Some women may begin noticing the first early signs of pregnancy a week or two after conception, while others will start to feel symptoms closer to four or five weeks after conception. Some women may not feel symptoms until their period is noticeably late, or even farther into pregnancy.
Tender, swollen, or painful breasts.
Tingly, sore, full-feeling, tender, even painful-to-the-touch breasts and nipples are often one of the first symptoms of pregnancy(though, of course, they can also come along for the PMS ride, too).
The hormonal changes that occur as part of menstruation can cause breast tenderness and sore nipples. Most cases of breast or nipple tenderness occur just before menstruation begins (in the days just before your period). This is because estrogen and progesterone cause your breast tissue to swell.
During the first two trimesters of pregnancy, you produce more reproductive hormones called androgens—progesterone, in particular. When these hormone levels increase, so does the amount of oil your skin produces. And more oil means more clogged pores. Pimples are likely to show up on your face, neck, chest, or back.
Also, what some people consider "implantation symptoms" might actually be early pregnancy symptoms. Some examples are sore breasts, nausea, darkening of the areolas, fatigue, headaches, bloating, mood swings, a metallic taste in the mouth, and changes in appetite, says Dr. Acevedo.
Most commonly, cyclical breast pain will begin a few weeks before menstruation, around ovulation or the luteal phase, and starts to subside once bleeding begins. This is due to an increase in estrogen prior to menstruation that stimulates and often irritates ducts in the breast.
6 to 12 days after conception: Implantation of the fertilized egg may cause cramping. 7 to 14 days after conception: Breasts may feel swollen, sore, tingly and heavy.
Pseudocyesis, or false pregnancy, is when a person thinks they are pregnant when they are not. People with pseudocyesis have pregnancy symptoms, but tests will confirm there's no pregnancy. Healthcare providers believe psychological and hormonal factors may cause it.
There's only one way to find out for sure if you're pregnant: take a pregnancy test.
Some people are surprised to feel so exhausted. Others include getting a strange taste in your mouth, having tender breasts, feeling dizzy or faint, and abdominal cramps or twinges. To some people it felt a bit like premenstrual tension at first.
High levels of stress or anxiety can cause irregular menstrual periods, which can sometimes be mistaken as a symptom of pregnancy. Nausea and vomiting, heightened sensitivity to smells, breast soreness, fatigue, frequent urination, constipation—these may be signs that you are “pregnant”.
Take a home pregnancy test
The cheapest, easiest, most accessible way to confirm you're pregnant is with a home pregnancy test. This form of testing can identify a positive pregnancy result as early as two weeks after fertilization, making it one of the fastest ways to learn more about your situation.
Early pregnancy bloating and normal bloating feel exactly the same. Your pregnancy bloating may feel slightly more uncomfortable due to the additional symptoms and increased amounts of gas which can worsen gas pains.