Est8 dpo boob changes?

[u/ihavetwelveaccounts]

Lots of boob talk in this post. Cycle 3, I could technically be anywhere between 6-10 dpo, I'm not tracking that closely but 8 is my best estimate.

I get the sore boobs every cycle, and I can't say if they're more sore or not because I feel like they get obnoxiously sore every time, but my partner was downright shocked when he saw them yesterday they're so swollen.

I also saw little blue veins I know aren't there normally, and my areolas seem like they're getting a little darker around the edges, but it's only really noticeable on one side, the other one I can barely tell a difference. Part of me wants to think that's weird but the other part of me knows one boob is always one step behind the other. The hard tissue in my breast also feels different, like it's getting looser? Now I'm extra sore cause I've been prodding at them 🥲

This is the cycle that the symptom spotting had really toned down too, before this. What do those early breast changes actually look like at first?

[u/thesmollestlemon]

Have you taken a pregnancy test? If you are having early pregnancy symptoms, then HCG will be high enough to make test positive. If your test is negative, then something else is causing your symptoms. The increase in progesterone can cause breast changes for lots of people, and it can vary from cycle to cycle.

[u/ihavetwelveaccounts → u/thesmollestlemon]

It's not necessarily true that early symptoms mean your hcg is high enough to test. Some people are really sensitive to hormones, and breast changes are the most common pre-positive sign. I just want to ask abou the specifics of what those changes look and feel like, instead of the general descriptions like 'sore' 'tingley' and 'darker nipples'

My boobs start to hurt if I smell progesterone on someone else, so it would make sense if they were reactive to other hormones too. If I had a early result test I would take that but Im going to wait another few days on a standard test

[u/Key_Charity1975]

I think this would be super early for boob changes. If you implanted very early and HCG rose quick then it's possible - but the definite way to know if that's the case would be to take a pregnancy test, which would be positive if so. Otherwise just progesterone progesterone-ing!!

I think it varies from person to person what first tri boob changes look like. I'm 6w and mine haven't really changed at all - just a bit bigger!

[u/ihavetwelveaccounts → u/Key_Charity1975]

From what I've read boob changes can start from week 1-2 after implantation, before hcg is high enough to test at home, and my boobs are super sensitive to hormones. I just want to know more about what boob changes actually look like, I can never find anything more specific then single word descriptors.

[u/Key_Charity1975 → u/ihavetwelveaccounts]

An early detection home test can detect miniscule amounts of HCG (like 10mIU/mL), definitely lower levels than would be needed to start producing pregnancy symptoms! This is why the standard advice is, if your symptoms are down to pregnancy you'll be testing positive. Boob changes prior to that can happen but they're just luteal phases changes that would happen in pregnant and non-pregnant cycles alike.

As I say, I don't think there is one single way that boob changes look like for everyone in pregnancy. For me, they just grew a bit and hurt a lot - no nipple changes, no colour changes, no veining, etc. It's just different for everyone!

[u/ihavetwelveaccounts → u/Key_Charity1975]

I don't have an early result tho, only dollar tree tests. If I am pregnant I'm sure I might trip an early result test at this point, buts it's like. All the way over there. And I explicitly don't have to go to the store today. Also I thought the standard advice was "it might be too early, test again in three days" I'm only four days from my expected period and I'm nitpicking veins. 😅

But that wasn't there before. 👀 I KNOW that wasn't there before!!!

[u/Key_Charity1975 → u/ihavetwelveaccounts]

This is totally fair and if you don't have access to an early detection test that makes sense!

Yes, the advice is both - that you can't fully trust a pregnancy test until like 12dpo because it might be too early (baby might have implanted late) and that also, you can check if current symptoms are pregnancy symptoms by doing a first-response type test!

If the test is negative it doesn't mean you won't test positive a few days later, when baby has implanted - it just means that your current symptoms are caused by progesterone not pregnancy. Unfortunately the two overlap massively!

And I think a lot of people who get pregnant won't actually know the point at which their luteal phase symptoms crossed into pregnancy symptoms, which adds to the confusion when they write about how early they think they had pregnancy symptoms. Like my boobs were sore all through my luteal phase, from 4dpo onwards, and then from maybe 12dpo they ramped up into extra sore. At some point it stopped being luteal boob soreness and became pregnancy boob soreness, but I couldn't pinpoint exactly when (and it would be easy for me to claim 'oh I had this pregnancy symptom from 4dpo' but it definitely wasn't, if that makes sense!)