Take your time with this information
Week 4
Congratulations, you’re pregnant!
This week you should get your positive pregnancy test!
If it's negative, and your period still hasn't started, re-test in 48–72 hours, as the negative test may be due to low levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).1 Additionally, you could consider seeking a pregnancy blood test which can more accurately measure the levels of hCG in your body to confirm if you are pregnant.
Your body
By 4 weeks of pregnancy, your body is experiencing many hormonal changes. hCG rapidly rises shortly after implantation in week 3 to support the corpus luteum, which responds by producing progesterone and oestrogen to maintain the uterine lining and support the development of the placenta that will eventually provide nourishment to your growing baby.2
Symptoms1,3
You may start to feel some symptoms around week 4. Some symptoms often mirror pre-menstrual symptoms, which may cause some anxiety, but it is completely normal.
- Missed period
- Mild cramping
- Breast tenderness
- Nausea (with or without vomiting) known as “morning sickness”, but can occur at any time of the day
- Bloating
- Heightened sense of smell
- Metallic taste
- Fatigue
- Frequent urination
- Spotting, or mild bleeding1
25% of women may experience mild spotting known as implantation bleeding.
Your baby
At this stage of pregnancy, your baby is at the embryonic stage and is a tiny ball the size of a poppy seed consisting of two layers of cells, epiblast and hypoblast. The epiblast will give rise to the embryo and amniotic sac that protects your growing baby. The hypoblast layer develops into the yolk sac, a critical structure that helps to provide blood and nourishment to your baby during the early stages of development.1,4
Things to do this week
- Try to take folic acid consistently to support conception and reduce the risk of brain and neural tube defects in the early stages of foetal development5
- Staying active and keeping a healthy weight can help support fertility and overall health6
- Try to avoid alcohol consumption and smoking – both are known as risk factors for miscarriage7,8
- If you haven’t already, this week is a good time to do a pregnancy test for an accurate result1