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Maybe your partner's feeling a little funky, or you just have a gut feeling that something is off. Could pregnancy be the cause? One thing’s for sure: pregnancy is never an easy topic to bring up, no matter how long you’ve been together. Try not to panic, though. While talking with them and having them take a pregnancy test is the only way to know for sure if they're pregnant, there are plenty of verifiable symptoms that can help you figure out what’s going on.

1

Missed period

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  1. You probably don’t know the ins and outs of your partner's period, and that’s okay! Chances are, they've mentioned it off-hand in a conversation before, or you’ve noticed them stashing some extra tampons or pads before an outing or trip. If they haven't mentioned their period in over a month, there’s a chance that they missed it completely. [1]
    • These are good clues to watch out for, but they aren’t irrefutable proof that your partner is pregnant. Some people like their privacy and may not share any details about their period when it comes around.
    • At the start of a pregnancy, someone may “spot,” or lightly bleed from their vagina. This is easy to mix up with a regular period, but it’s actually a key sign of a successful pregnancy. [2]
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2

Morning sickness

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  1. Better known as “morning sickness,” these unpleasant symptoms tend to flare up in the early weeks of pregnancy. If your partner seems to be getting sick without any rhyme or reason, morning sickness might be the cause. [3]
    • “Morning sickness” is actually a misleading name, since pregnancy-associated nausea and vomiting can happen at any hour of the day. [4]
    • You might say something like, “I’m so sorry you’re not feeling well, babe. Do you think it’s a stomach bug or something?”
5

Headaches

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  1. The occasional headache isn’t anything to worry about, but frequent headaches could signify something bigger in the works. Try to count how many headaches they have in a week, and see if that number is higher than usual. [7]
    • In addition to headaches, hormone changes can cause some people to also feel a bit lightheaded.
    • Keep in mind that headaches are really common and can mean a lot of different things. If headaches are the only real change you notice in your partner, pregnancy probably isn’t the cause.
    • You could say something like, “Wow, you’ve had a lot of headaches this week. Are you feeling okay?”
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6

Tiredness

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  1. During pregnancy, the body produces a ton of progesterone, which causes the person to feel pretty exhausted. With this in mind, see if your partner feels more tired than usual, or if they take more naps than they typically do. [8]
    • It’s important to note that fatigue is a very common side effect that’s connected with a variety of different health issues, like anemia, stress, and anxiety disorders. [9]
    • Reader Poll: We asked 212 wikiHow readers about signs of pregnancy, and 56% of them agreed that they usually attribute feeling tired to a lack of sleep or poor sleep quality . [Take Poll]
    Penny Simkin, Childbirth Educator

    When your girlfriend misses her period, it may be nature's first sign that she could be pregnant. What follows for her may include persistent tiredness, tender and tingly breasts, turning away from foods she once enjoyed, uncharacteristic moodiness and irritation that switches quickly to crying. If you start to notice these symptoms, your girlfriend could very well be expecting, and you both have some important things to discuss about the future.

12

Smell sensitivity

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  1. Whether you’re cooking, enjoying takeout, or lighting a scented candle, see how they react to a variety of scents. Pregnant people tend to have a more potent sense of smell, and may comment when something smells a little strong. [17]
    • There isn’t a lot of scientific evidence to back this up, but many pregnant people agree that it’s true. [18]
    • You might say something like, “Your sense of smell is way better than mine. I never would’ve noticed that if you hadn’t said something!”
14

Pregnancy test

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  1. These tests work by testing urine for human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a hormone that’s only produced during pregnancy. Sit down with your partner and see if they'd be comfortable taking one of these at-home tests. Explain to them that you’ll both have more time to consider your options if they take the test early on. [20]
    • Pregnancy tests are sold at pharmacies and most big-name retail stores. [21] Some tests cost less than $5.
    • It's best to take a pregnancy test in the morning. [22]
    • Your partner can either dip the test in a cup of your urine or use an eyedropper applicator to draw up the urine and put it on the designated area on the tip of the test. [23]
    • Let your partner know that you love and support them and that the decision to take a pregnancy test is completely their decision. You might say, “I know that this is scary, but you’re not alone in any of this. Whatever you decide to do, I’ll support you 100%.”

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      • Swollen feet and ankles are also a common sign of pregnancy, but this symptom doesn’t usually flare up until the middle of the pregnancy. [24]


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