Pregnancy signs
This table organizes signs of pregnancy into three categories: presumptive, probable, and positive.
| Sign | Time from implantation (in weeks) | Other possible causes |
|---|---|---|
| Presumptive | ||
| Breast changes (including feelings of tenderness, fullness, or tingling, and enlargement or darkening of areola) | 2 |
|
| Nausea or vomiting upon arising | 2 |
|
| Amenorrhea | 2 |
|
| Frequent urination | 3 |
|
| Fatigue | 12 |
|
| Uterine enlargement (in which the uterus can be palpated over the symphysis pubis) | 12 |
|
| Quickening (fetal movement felt by the woman) | 18 |
|
| Linea nigra (line of dark pigment on the abdomen) | 24 |
|
| Melasma (dark pigment on the face) | 24 |
|
| Striae gravidarum (red streaks on the abdomen) | 24 |
|
| Probable | ||
| Serum laboratory tests (revealing the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin [hCG] hormone) | 1 |
|
| Chadwick’s sign (vagina changes color from pink to violet) | 6 |
|
| Goodell’s sign (cervix softens) | 6 |
|
| Hegar’s sign (lower uterine segment softens) | 6 |
|
| Sonographic evidence of gestational sac (in which characteristic ring is evident) | 6 |
|
| Ballottement (fetus can be felt to rise against abdominal wall when lower uterine segment is tapped during bimanual examination) | 16 |
|
| Braxton Hicks contractions (periodic uterine tightening) | 20 |
|
| Palpation of fetal outline (through abdomen) | 20 |
|
| Positive | ||
| Sonographic evidence of fetal outline | 8 |
|
| Fetal heart audible by Doppler ultrasound | 10 to 12 |
|
| Palpation of fetal movement (through abdomen) | 20 |
|
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