Written by
Stacy Miller
As women, we’re constantly experiencing different symptoms throughout the month as we go through our menstrual cycle. About 5 to 10 days before your period you experience mood swings, cramping, fatigue, and more. Interestingly, some of these very same symptoms may also be a sign of pregnancy, which can be very confusing, especially if you’re trying to conceive. The question is, how can you differentiate PMS vs pregnancy symptoms? In this article, we’ll go over the differences between PMS and pregnancy symptoms and give practical ways you can assess which one you’re experiencing.
Before we proceed, please keep in mind that during a normal menstrual cycle, you may experience symptoms; however, they should be mild and not interfere with your daily life. This is a common and normal experience and is NOT considered PMS.
After ovulation, progesterone levels increase rapidly, and estrogen experiences a second rise. However, just before your period, both progesterone and estrogen levels drop. These significant fluctuations affect your brain, which can impact everything from your appetite to the quality of your sleep.
PMS, or premenstrual syndrome, is a condition that occurs around 5 days before your period and resolves within 4 days after the period starts. During this time, women experience a range of symptoms that significantly interfere with daily routine, including mood swings, swelling, fatigue, and breast tenderness.
Early pregnancy symptoms vs. PMS can be very similar, with many women experiencing breast tenderness, fatigue, and mood swings. The similarities make sense when you realize they’re both due to hormonal changes. Since the signs are often alike, knowing the difference between PMS and early pregnancy can be a challenge.
As we mentioned, one of the main reasons women struggle to tell the difference between PMS symptoms vs. pregnancy is that they both happen around the same time and are caused by changes to your hormones. PMS symptoms can start around 5 days before your period. Pregnancy symptoms may also begin around the same time after ovulation if fertilization has occurred.
The hormonal difference between early pregnancy vs. PMS is that during pregnancy hCG spikes, which can make you feel nauseous, while PMS is a brain reaction to expected hormone fluctuation during the second half of the menstrual cycle.
We’ve already established that PMS symptoms vs. pregnancy symptoms can be hard to differentiate since they’re often similar. Let’s go into more detail on how to tell PMS from early pregnancy symptoms apart.
This symptom is more common for early pregnancy rather than PMS. In early pregnancy, food aversions are due to hormone changes, like the introduction of hCG, which begins rising after conception.
PMS nausea is also due to hormonal fluctuations, specifically high progesterone, which can impact slow down digestion in the middle of the luteal phase. Prostaglandin release can also play a role since its job is to help the uterus shed its lining by causing the stomach and intestines to contract, making you feel nauseous.
So, when considering PMS vs. early pregnancy symptoms, nausea is one symptom to watch for and may prompt you to take a pregnancy test.
Pregnancy vs. PMS symptoms can also include breast tenderness since it’s often experienced with both. Both are caused by hormone fluctuations and can make it hard to know whether you’re pregnant or about to get your period.
Since it can be challenging to tell the difference between PMS or period symptoms vs. pregnancy symptoms, many women just wait to see if they start bleeding to know if they are pregnant. But did you know that spotting or light bleeding can be normal in early pregnancy? Around one to two weeks after ovulation, some women experience implantation bleeding as a fertilized egg attaches to the uterus, however most women don’t notice this bleeding and you’re unlikely to confuse implantation bleeding with your period.
Although this spotting isn’t as heavy as a period, those with irregular or very light periods may confuse implantation bleeding with menstruation. Other differences between implantation and period bleeding include:
If you notice lighter than normal bleeding around 14 days after ovulation, it’s a good idea to take a pregnancy test to see if you actually have a missed period and are pregnant.
People usually say salty cravings happen more in early pregnancy, and sweet cravings show up before periods, but that’s mostly just word of mouth—not really backed by science. However, you can try to check it when considering period vs. pregnancy symptoms.
In addition, during the first trimester, many women experience food aversions. While it’s not a 100% fool-proof way to determine if it’s PMS or pregnancy, if you’re having food cravings, it could be your body’s way to boost serotonin and comfort itself.
As you already know, many pregnancy symptoms vs. period symptoms are similar, and discharge is no exception. With discharge PMS or pregnancy consistency is different. It’s common for your discharge to change throughout the menstrual cycle, going from thick and white to stretchy and clear. Before your period you discharge can be thick and it’s common to experience some light vaginal dryness, while pregnancy discharge is increased in quantity and thinner.
Although different, simply monitoring discharge consistency is not an accurate way to determine if it’s signs of period vs. pregnancy discharge.
Fatigue is another common pregnancy vs. PMS symptom. You can feel tired during early pregnancy due to the influx of hormones, while hormonal changes also account for PMS and period fatigue. Being tired isn’t the best way to differentiate whether it’s your period or pregnant body adjusting to changes.
Since PMS vs. early pregnancy symptoms are often so similar, knowing how to tell them apart is important. Here are a few reliable self-assessment methods you can use to help you make sense of how your body is acting.
It is the best way to distinguish pregnancy vs. period symptoms. A pregnancy test is a simple tool that checks your urine for a hormone called hCG, which your body starts making after a fertilized egg attaches to your uterus. You can usually take a test around the time your period is due or a few days after to get the most accurate result. Some sensitive tests can even show positive a little earlier, but testing too soon might give a negative result even if you are pregnant.
Tracking your menstrual cycle is one of the best ways to differentiate pregnancy symptoms vs. PMS. Knowing where you are in your cycle makes it easy to know if pregnancy is possible or if you’re experiencing reactions to normal hormonal fluctuations.
If you’re experiencing symptoms around two weeks after ovulation, you may want to test whether it’s PMS or pregnancy. Symptom timing plays a big part in knowing whether you’re pregnant or PMS is occurring.
Your lifestyle can also contribute to symptom onset. Factors like changing your diet, starting a workout program, stress, and poor sleep can impact your menstrual cycle, leading to symptom changes.
Hormona can transform your health by providing comprehensive insights into hormonal changes. The easy-to-use tracking features let you monitor your cycle and record symptoms, making it easier to distinguish between PMS and pregnancy. Your menstrual cycle and hormonal health don’t have to be a mystery; with Hormona, you can better understand your body and feel your best.
A pregnancy test can typically read positive around the time of a missed period, because that’s when the hormone hCG reaches a detectable level in urine. Some highly sensitive tests claim to detect hCG a few days before your expected period, but testing too early may result in a false negative since hCG levels might still be too low to detect. For the most reliable result, it’s best to wait until at least the first day of your missed period before taking a test.
Although a pregnancy test is the most accurate way to determine if you’re pregnant, your symptoms can also be a good indication that pregnancy has occurred. Signs like a missed period, fatigue, breast tenderness, and nausea could indicate pregnancy.
An early pregnancy pee looks no different from a regular urine sample. There are no visible changes in color, consistency, or smell that indicate pregnancy. The only way to detect pregnancy through urine is by testing for the hormone hCG using a pregnancy test.
Pregnancy pimples or hormonal acne can appear on the arms, legs, neck, chest, or face. However, it’s not a reliable indicator of pregnancy.
Early pregnancy discharge is white or clear and thin. It should be odorless or have a slightly sweet or mild smell.
Pregnancy cramping is often mild and can feel like tingling or pulling in the pelvis or lower abdomen. Period cramping is often more intense, with throbbing in the abdomen that can radiate to the legs and lower back.
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Dr Singh is the Medical Director of the Indiana Sleep Center. His research and clinical practice focuses on the myriad of sleep.
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