3 Weeks Pregnant: Symptoms, Belly Size & Ultrasound
3 weeks pregnant is a milestone to celebrate and savor. You may have just had your first positive pregnancy test, or your period may have been late for a few days. Either way, you are officially about to embark on a beautiful journey that will last for nine months.
Your baby at week 3 of pregnancy
You may not be able to feel your baby move yet, but he’s certainly busy. In week 3 of pregnancy, your baby is beginning to form the basic structures that will support his or her growing body. As the third week of pregnancy begins, the heart starts beating and blood flow through your baby’s circulatory system begins to develop. In addition, your baby’s brain is forming and his or her arms, legs and fingers are starting to develop.
Your baby will continue to grow in size over the next few weeks as well; however there aren’t any significant changes in weight until after birth. The rest of week 3 of pregnancy includes a number of other changes happening inside you too!
3 weeks pregnant is how many months?
When you are three weeks pregnant, you are officially in the first month of your pregnancy. Just another 8 months to go! Congratulations, you’ve already made great progress!
How big is your baby at 3 weeks pregnant?
At 3 weeks pregnant, your baby is about the size of a raisin or a blueberry. It weighs about one tenth of an ounce (1/100th of a pound), which is about the same as the weight of three pennies.
Your baby’s heart has already begun beating, though you can’t see it yet through ultrasound because it’s so small and still inside your uterus. Your baby’s kidneys are already working to filter waste from his or her body; in fact, your baby produces urine even before birth!
Fetal development in week 3 of pregnancy
You may not be able to feel your baby move yet, but he’s certainly busy. In week 3 of pregnancy, your baby is beginning to form the basic structures that will support his or her growing body. As the third week of pregnancy begins, the heart starts beating and blood flow through your baby’s circulatory system begins to develop. In addition, your baby’s brain is forming and his or her arms, legs and fingers are starting to develop.
Your baby will continue to grow in size over the next few weeks as well; however there aren’t any significant changes in weight until after birth. The rest of week 3 of pregnancy includes a number of other changes happening inside you too!
Week 3 of Your Pregnancy
You shouldn’t notice any major changes in your body just yet, as it is still very early in your pregnancy. Do not assume that you will have missed your period by week 3 if you have not done so before. There are no outward indications of pregnancy even if you and your partner have been trying to start a family.
Why not take a pregnancy test if you have been trying for a kid, or if you haven’t but you still think you might be pregnant? Home testing kits are now as reliable as clinic-based urine or blood tests, making them a more practical option. Just make sure to read and follow all of the test administration and interpretation instructions thoroughly. In the event of a negative result, you shouldn’t immediately conclude that you aren’t pregnant; you might have just tested too soon. (Test results are more reliable if they are obtained several days to a week after the expected start of your menstruation has been missed.)
Possible Pregnancy symptoms in week 3
The first trimester (0 to 13 Weeks) of pregnancy is different for every woman, and every pregnancy. According to the Office on Women’s Health, one of the most common early signs is a missed menstrual period.
Common signs and symptoms of pregnancy
The most common early signs and symptoms of pregnancy might include:
- Missed period. A week without a menstrual cycle might indicate you are pregnant if you are in your childbearing years. If you have an irregular menstrual cycle, this symptom can be misleading.
- Tender, swollen breasts. In the early stages of pregnancy, hormonal changes can cause your breasts to become sensitive and sore. As your body adjusts to hormonal changes, the discomfort will likely decrease.
- Nausea with or without vomiting. In the first two months after becoming pregnant, you may experience morning sickness at any time of the day or night. There are, however, some women who feel nausea earlier and some who never do. The cause of nausea during pregnancy is unknown, but pregnancy hormones are likely to play a role.
- Increased urination. There is a possibility that you will need to urinate more frequently than usual. Pregnancy causes your body to produce more blood, which is processed by your kidneys and ends up in your bladder.
- Fatigue. Among the early symptoms of pregnancy, fatigue ranks high. There is no scientific explanation for why pregnant women feel sleepy during the first trimester. During early pregnancy, progesterone levels may rise rapidly, contributing to fatigue.
Less common signs of early pregnancy
Besides the more common signs of early pregnancy, there are also some less common ones. There is no guarantee that these signs of pregnancy will occur, just as they might not occur with the most common symptoms. Symptoms will differ from person to person, so remember that every person is different.
The following are less common signs of early pregnancy:
- Moodiness. Pregnant women can become emotional and weepy due to the flood of hormones in their bodies. It is also common to experience mood swings.
- Bloating. During early pregnancy, hormonal changes can make you feel bloated, similar to how you feel at the beginning of a period.
- Light spotting. One of the first signs of pregnancy might be light spotting. After conception, about 10-14 days after fertilization, the fertilized egg attaches to the lining of the uterus, leading to implantation bleeding. In most women, implantation bleeding occurs around the time of their menstrual cycle. It is, however, not common among all women.
- Cramping. There are some women who experience mild uterine cramps during pregnancy.
- Constipation. When your hormones change, your digestive system slows down, causing constipation.
- Food aversions. It’s possible that you will become more sensitive to certain odors and tastes when you’re pregnant. Hormonal changes can explain these food preferences, as well as most other pregnancy symptoms.
- Nasal congestion. A rise in hormone levels and blood production can cause your mucous membranes to swell, dry out, and bleed easily. As a result, you may feel stuffy or have a runny nose.
Can you have early pregnancy symptoms even if you’re not pregnant?
It’s important to keep in mind that many of these signs and symptoms don’t only happen during pregnancy. If you have some of these signs, you might start to feel sick or get your period. You can also be pregnant even if you don’t have many of these signs.
In any case, if you don’t get your period and have some of the above signs or symptoms, you should either do a home pregnancy test or see a doctor. If your home pregnancy test is positive, make an appointment with your doctor. If you can find out about your pregnancy as soon as possible, you can start prenatal care as soon as possible.
If you want to get pregnant or just found out you are pregnant, it’s a good idea to take a prenatal vitamin every day. Folic acid and iron are often found in prenatal vitamins to help your baby grow and develop.
3 weeks pregnant belly size
Your belly is tiny at 3 weeks. It probably doesn’t even look like it could be growing anything but a few cells at this point. In fact, it’s more likely that the rest of your body has grown more than just the embryo itself! Even though it’s small, there are many changes happening inside that are preparing for life outside of you.
3 weeks pregnant ultrasound
If your doctor is worried that you might not be ovulating, you might have an ultrasound at 3 weeks.
Most likely, your first ultrasound won’t happen for at least another month. Depending on their situation, most women have their first scan between 6 and 13 weeks.
Talk to your doctor or nurse if you are worried about your health or the health of your baby.
Can you see a baby at 3 weeks on an ultrasound?
In the early stages of pregnancy, a baby is not present in the uterus and can’t be seen.
It appears that a developed egg, no bigger than a grain of sand, has been expelled and pulled into one of the fallopian tubes.
Preparing for Pregnancy
To jumpstart a healthy pregnancy you might consider taking prenatal vitamins, drinking orange juice for folic acid, and getting some exercise. You may not even realize when you first become pregnant so refrain from drinking alcohol, taking drugs, or smoking cigarettes when you’re trying to conceive. Even prescriptions may be harmful to your developing baby, so be sure to speak to your doctor when you’re ready to start a family.
The importance of prenatal vitamins during pregnancy
During pregnancy, you need a greater amount of folic acid and iron. Why? Here are some reasons:
- Folic acid prevents neural tube defects. These defects affect the fetal brain and spinal cord in a significant way. Preferably, you should begin taking extra folic acid three months before you become pregnant.
- The placenta and fetus require iron to develop. The body uses iron to make blood to supply oxygen to the fetus. Additionally, iron helps prevent anemia, a condition in which the blood lacks healthy red blood cells
It’s important to consult your doctor to find out which are the best prenatal vitamins to take before pregnancy, and how to calculate your expected delivery date.
Can you get a positive pregnancy test at 3 weeks
You may have heard that a positive pregnancy test is a sign of high levels of hCG in your body, but this isn’t always the case. In fact, it’s possible to get a false-positive test result during early pregnancy (before you miss your period).
A false-negative pregnancy test can happen when your hCG levels are too low for the test to detect them. It’s much more common than getting a false-positive result and occurs in about 10% of pregnancies.
A positive or negative pregnancy result isn’t meant to be taken as proof that you are pregnant or not pregnant—it’s only an indicator of whether there’s enough hCG in your urine sample to register on the test strip. Because these tests aren’t 100% accurate, they should never be used instead of diagnostic tests like blood work or ultrasounds when trying to determine if you’re expecting!
3 weeks pregnant hCG levels
Your hCG levels are still the same as at 3 weeks pregnant. This is because it takes your body about 2-3 weeks to get your hCG levels to double, so around 3 weeks pregnant, you can expect to have the same level of hCG as when you were 3 weeks pregnant.
The next big increase in your hCG levels will happen around 5-6 weeks after conception, when they’ll double again and reach their peak (the highest level).
Can I be 3 weeks pregnant and still get a negative test?
You may be wondering if you can get a negative test result when you’re pregnant. In general, most tests are accurate by the time you’ve been pregnant for one week and 3 weeks — but there are a few exceptions to this rule.
A false negative occurs when your hCG levels aren’t high enough for the test to detect them yet (or if there’s something wrong with your test kit). A false positive happens when the amount of hCG in your system is too low — or if there’s something wrong with your test kit.
Explore more in your pregnancy week-by-week
Follow your pregnancy week-by-week to find out how your baby is growing and what is happening to your body.
First Trimester Weeks:
Second Trimester Weeks
Third Trimester Weeks
Pregnant Women Also Asked:
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Articles Sources:
- How pregnancy happens. (n.d.)
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/pregnancy/how-pregnancy-happens - Human chorionic gonadotropin hormone (HCG). (2018.)
https://www.hormone.org/your-health-and-hormones/glands-and-hormones-a-to-z/hormones/human-chorionic-gonadotropin-hormone-hcg - Knowing if you are pregnant. (2019).
https://www.womenshealth.gov/pregnancy/you-get-pregnant/knowing-if-you-are-pregnant - Navigating your pregnancy. (n.d.).
https://www.marchofdimes.org/it-starts-with-mom/bleeding-and-spotting-during-pregnancy.aspx - Pregnancy. (2017).
https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/pregnancy - Pregnancy: Sensitivity and specificity. (n. d.).
http://getthediagnosis.org/diagnosis/Pregnancy.htm - Pregnancy tests. (n.d.)
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/pregnancy/pregnancy-tests - Pregnancy week by week. Weeks 1–2. (n.d.).
https://www.marchofdimes.org/pregnancy/week-by-week.aspx - Stages of pregnancy. (n.d.).
https://www.womenshealth.gov/pregnancy/youre-pregnant-now-what/stages-pregnancy
Q & A
Got questions about Week 3? Other ladies have wondered this…
How to determine or calulate pregnancy weeks?
“When trying to understand gestational age standards, the best place to start is back in the days before ultrasound and ovulation detection, when the only thing we had to go on to determine due date was the last menstrual period. Ovulation occurs about day 14 of an average 28-day cycle. So conception on average occurs on day 14, or what we might call 3 weeks of gestation. It can be confusing to think that…” Read More
