First trimester
10 weeks pregnant
The fetus is around the size of a kumquat, and the most vulnerable period of development is now behind you. Risk of miscarriage drops meaningfully from this point, though the first trimester is not quite finished.
Size of
kumquat
Length
31 mm
Weight
4 g
Your baby at 10 weeks
Vital organs are formed and beginning to function. The kidneys produce urine, the liver makes red blood cells, and the stomach produces digestive juices.
Fingernails and hair follicles start forming. The limbs can bend, and the fetus moves frequently inside a relatively large amount of space.
Bones are beginning to harden from cartilage, a process called ossification that continues well past birth.
How you may be feeling
For many people this is where symptoms start easing, though the timing varies widely and some find no change until week 14 or later. The uterus is now around the size of a grapefruit.
Blood volume has increased substantially, which contributes to the fatigue, the visible veins, and the occasional light-headedness. It continues rising until late pregnancy.
Common symptoms around week 10
- Nausea beginning to ease for some, unchanged for others
- Visible veins, particularly across the breasts and abdomen
- Round ligament twinges as the uterus grows
- Continued fatigue, though often less crushing
- Mild shortness of breath from increased blood volume
Appointments and tests around now
Non-invasive prenatal testing, a blood test screening for certain chromosomal conditions, is typically available from around week 10. It is a screening test rather than a diagnostic one, which is an important distinction worth discussing.
What is normal, and what varies
Symptoms easing is not a warning sign. Many people interpret feeling better as something going wrong, when it usually just reflects the hormonal handover to the placenta.
Worth doing this week
Understand screening versus diagnosis
Screening tests estimate likelihood; diagnostic tests give an answer. Knowing which you are being offered, and what a result would mean, avoids a great deal of anxiety later.
Keep moving if you can
Gentle activity helps with circulation, constipation, and mood. Intensity matters less than regularity.
Do not read feeling better as bad news
Improving symptoms at this stage are expected, not ominous.
Looking ahead
Next week the nuchal translucency scan window opens, and the fetus starts to look recognisably human.
Nearby weeks
Not sure which week you are in? The week tracker works it out from the first day of your last period, and the due date calculator gives you an estimated due date.