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Pregnancy: Week 5

You should be aware that you are pregnant at this point due to missing your period. The levels of hCG in your body are high enough to be detected by a pregnancy test. If you have confirmed that you are pregnant and are planning on continuing the pregnancy, it is recommended to schedule a prenatal appointment.

If you haven't already started taking prenatal vitamins, now is a good time to start. It is recommended to limit your caffeine intake to 200mg per day or less. If you are smoker or vaper (of any kind), now is the time to quit.

While it is still to early to experience a whole lot in the way of pregnancy symptoms at this point, you may start to experience the nausea known as "morning sickness." Despite the name, this nausea can be present at any time of day. You have a roughly 50% chance of experiencing this nausea during your pregnancy.

If you experience severe nausea to the point where you are unable to keep any food down and/or are losing weight, you may have hypermesis gravidarum (this affects approximately 1% of pregnant persons). If so, talk to your doctor. You may experience a heightened sense of smell alongside new food aversions/food cravings.

Additional symptoms you may also experience due to the new changes in your hormone levels include; excessive saliva, constipation, mood swings, increased vaginal discharge, lightheadedness, abdominal cramps, achey/sore/sensitive/tingly/swollen breasts, fatigue, and an increased urge to urinate. It is important for you to stay hydrated.

You have an approximately one in four chance of experiencing spotting or light bleeding during the first trimester. This bleeding typically means nothing but can be a sign of a miscarriage of an ectopic pregnancy, so check with your provider just in case. If you are bleeding alongside severe pain, go to the emergency department immediately.

While it is deeply unlikely you will appear visibly pregnant at this point, you may experience some abdominal bloating. The placenta is starting to form. What was previously considered an embryo is now a fetus measuring at approximately 2-3 millimeters in size, and looks somewhat like a tadpole. Some may compare the size to that of an orange seed. It has a heartbeat and the start of a circulatory system. The fetal skeleton, and the structures that will become its eyes and ears are beginning to form.

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