Can stress cause false pregnancy symptoms?
Charlotte Thomas
Social EditorCould your symptoms be a sign of stress OR pregnancy? Discover the pregnancy symptoms that can also be caused by stress, and find out how to tell if you’re stressed or pregnant.
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In the early stages of pregnancy, the hormonal and physical changes in your body can result in a number of pregnancy symptoms.
These can range from the expected – missing your period and feelings of nausea – to the slightly more unusual, such as having a metallic taste in your mouth and suddenly HATING the smell of your partner's aftershave.
Confusingly, feeling stressed, whether that’s at work or in your home life, can cause hormonal changes and result in some similar symptoms, too.
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What is stress?
There's no medical definition of stress, so it can be hard to know exactly what it means.
Mental Health charity Mind says that when we feel stressed, it's usually because of situations that put pressure on us and how we react to those pressures.
Stress makes your body generate more of the 'fight or flight' hormones that help you feel alert in times of danger or when you're threatened. Low-level stress can actually be helpful and motivating, but too much stress may affect your mental and physical health.
Am I stressed or pregnant?
If you’re trying to conceive, you may be particularly unsure about the cause of any changes in how you’re feeling.
Trying for a baby can be a stressful time and you’re often hyper-aware of any changes in your mood and body.
It can be easy to confuse the signs of stress for pregnancy and vice versa.
Here are the most common symptoms of both stress and pregnancy and how to tell which could be causing them ...
What are the early signs of pregnancy?
Some of the common symptoms of early pregnancy are:
- Missing your period
- Feeling sick or nauseous
- Feeling tired
- Feeling more emotional than usual
- Tender breasts
- Needing to wee more often
- Constipation
- More vaginal discharge
- A metallic taste in your mouth
- Going off or craving foods
- A more sensitive sense of smell
What are the signs of stress?
Stress can affect everyone differently, however Mind says some of the common symptoms of stress include:
- Feeling irritable, aggressive, impatient, anxious, depressed or over-burdened
- Shallow breathing or hyperventilating
- Muscle tension and headaches
- Feeling tired all the time or having trouble sleeping
- High blood pressure
- Indigestion or heartburn
- Constipation or diarrhoea
- Feeling sick, dizzy or fainting
- Sexual problems, such as losing interest in sex or being unable to enjoy sex
7 pregnancy symptoms that could also be caused by stress
There are a number of symptoms that could be caused by both stress OR pregnancy. The common ones are:
1. Missing a period
Missing your period may be one of the first signs of pregnancy, however there could be other causes – including stress.
When you're stressed, your body releases 'fight or flight' hormones. These hormones can suppress any bodily functions that aren't needed to help you escape immediate danger. This includes your reproductive system.
If you're chronically stressed, Healthline says your body can stay in fight-or-flight mode and you may temporarily stop ovulating. This can mean you miss a period or your period is later than you expect.
2. Feeling tired
In the first trimester of pregnancy, your levels of the hormone progesterone rise. Increased progesterone levels can leave you feeling tired and fatigued.
However, there can be many other reasons for feeling tired, including medical conditions, what you eat, how often you've been exercising and how busy you are at work.
Stress can also affect your sleep patterns. Stress can leave some people feeling wired and unable to sleep, while others may feel emotionally and physically drained and need to sleep more often.
3. Feeling nauseous
Nausea and vomiting are common side effects of pregnancy. Despite being known as morning sickness, nausea can happen at any time of the day or night – and often last through both.
According to the NHS, feelings of sickness usually clear up when you're around 16-20 weeks pregnant.
While no one knows exactly why morning sickness happens, it's thought to be related to changing hormone levels in the body.
Chronic stress can also make you feel nauseous, and Mind says it can even make you vomit, feel dizzy or faint.
4. Feeling emotional or irritable
Feeling emotional, irritable or a bit weepy could be a sign of pregnancy – it's those hormones at work again.
However, hormonal mood swings could also be caused by stress, anxiety, depression or PMS, so it can sometimes be hard to pinpoint the reason.
5. Constipation and bloating
Constipation – or struggling to poo – is a common complaint in early pregnancy. It's caused by increased progesterone levels. High levels of the hormone relax your muscles, including those in your intestines, making your bowel more sluggish so you struggle to poo and may feel bloated.
Stress can have a similar effect. Stress hormones can slow down your bowel movements and cause inflammation in your gut, which can make constipation worse and leave you feeling full and bloated, too.
If you're suffering from constipation, the NHS says drinking plenty of water and eating foods rich in fibre – such as fruit, veg and wholemeal bread – should help.
6. Heartburn
Heartburn – also known as acid reflux – affects lots of pregnant women. It usually causes a burning sensation or pain in your chest and you might burp more.
The NHS says heartburn is most common after week 27 of pregnancy, but it can happen at any point, even the early days.
Heartburn can be caused by hormonal changes, the baby pressing against your stomach, or your muscles relaxing, meaning stomach acid can come back up more easily.
Heartburn can also be caused by stress. When you're stressed, you might eat less healthily or smoke or drink more, all of which can cause heartburn.
Stress can also reduce your levels of hormone-like substances known as prostaglandins. Prostaglandins have a number of functions, including helping protect the lining of your stomach from acid.
7. Changes in appetite
Pregnancy can have some weird and wonderful affects on your appetite. If you're feeling nauseous, you may only be able to stomach bland foods that aren't going to make you feel queasy.
Some women find hormonal changes mean they lose their appetite altogether in early pregnancy, while others are hungry all the time.
Your tastes can change, too, meaning you're suddenly craving foods you used to hate and vice versa.
Stress can have some similar effects.
When you're stressed, your body releases adrenaline, which can can cause you to lose your appetite. If you're stressed for a longer period of time, your body releases the hormone cortisol. Cortisol can increase your appetite.
Studies have also shown that when you're stressed, you may be more likely to choose foods that are high in fat and sugar.
How can I tell if my symptoms are caused by pregnancy or stress?
How to tell if you're pregnant
The best way to know for sure if you're pregnant is to take a test.
Most pregnancy tests can be carried out from the first day of a missed period. If you’re not sure when your next period is due, wait at least 21 days from when you last had unprotected sex.
You can also get early detection pregnancy tests. Some can be used as early as eight days after conception.
If your test is negative but you still think you may be pregnant, it could be too early to show on a test. Wait a few days and try again.
How to tell if you're stressed
There's no medical diagnosis for stress so there's no official 'test'. However, Mind has lots of useful information about the signs, symptoms and causes to help you recognise stress.
The NHS also has a mood self-assessment tool you can complete.
Can you be stressed and pregnant?
Yes. It could be that you're stressed AND pregnant. Pregnancy can be an exciting time but it can also be emotional and throw up a number of worries.
Find out more about stress in pregnancy here.
What to Expect When You're Expecting by Heidi Murkoff is a must-read for all expectant parents. Packed full of advice, it has over 15,000 positive reviews on Amazon! See more details here.
A full body pregnancy pillow will keep you comfy at home, whether asleep or just relaxing and it can be used to support your baby during breastfeeding, too. See Dunelm's wide variety of pregnancy pillows here.
What should I do if I'm stressed?
If stress is affecting your life, the NHS says you should talk to a friend, family member or health professional about how you're feeling.
You could also try:
Samaritans: phone 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org
Mind: phone 0300 123 3393 email info@mind.org.uk
The NHS also has a number of self-help tools, including information about breathing exercises and wellbeing audio guides.
Talk to others about pregnancy signs and symptoms in our forum below …
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