Being 5 weeks pregnant covers days 35–41 after the first day of your last period (5+0 to 5+6 weeks), and you are in the 2nd month of pregnancy. According to the NHS, many women find out they are pregnant this week, when they notice their period is late. The baby's brain, spinal cord and heart start to take shape, and the heart beats for the first time around now.
About 1 month and 5 days have passed since the first day of your last period; 5 weeks pregnant falls in the 2nd month of pregnancy.
According to the NHS, your baby's nervous system is developing this week, and the brain and spinal cord are taking shape quickly. The tiny heart is starting to form and will beat for the first time around now. The face begins to appear, with a tiny nose and little eyes that will stay closed until around 28 weeks. The baby has some of its own blood vessels, and a string of them will form the umbilical cord. The placenta, which will feed the baby, supply oxygen and remove waste, is also being created.
According to UpToDate, the embryonic period runs from fertilisation until the end of the 10th week of pregnancy (the 8th week after conception). Because the organs form during this time, the embryo is most vulnerable to things that can cause birth defects, which is why avoiding medicines in the first trimester, when possible, matters most. Do not stop a medicine you take regularly without talking to your doctor first.
The neural tube, which becomes the brain and spinal cord, closes 26 to 28 days after conception, that is by 6 weeks of pregnancy (UpToDate, 2026). This is why starting folic acid before pregnancy and taking it without gaps in the early weeks matters.
According to the NHS, the embryo is about 2 mm long this week (about the size of a sesame seed). According to UpToDate, the embryonic disc is first seen on ultrasound at 1–2 mm, at around 6 weeks, so at 5 weeks the embryo may not yet be measurable on a scan.
You may notice that your period is late and feel a bit under the weather. According to the NHS, many women feel extremely tired in the first trimester; mood swings, sore breasts, a heightened sense of smell and needing to pee more often are also common.
Nausea usually starts at 5–6 weeks, is at its worst at around 9 weeks and often settles by 16–20 weeks. Despite the name “morning sickness”, it can happen at any time of day (UpToDate, 2026).
Some women get food cravings. The NHS advises telling your doctor or midwife if you crave things that are not food, such as soil (pica), and links this to a lack of iron; the Turkish Ministry of Health guideline also asks about eating soil and similar habits at the first visit.
Finding out you are pregnant can be exciting, but it can also bring worries. According to the NHS, around 1 in 5 mothers feel anxious or stressed in pregnancy; do not keep your worries to yourself, talk to your midwife or doctor.
Pregnancy test: according to the NHS, now is a good time to test; urine tests can pick up the change in your urine from week 3–4.
Plan your first visit: the Turkish Ministry of Health antenatal care guideline (2026) advises the first visit within the first 14 weeks of pregnancy, and NICE NG201 (2021) advises the first appointment by 10+0 weeks. NICE also asks for information on stopping smoking, avoiding alcohol, taking supplements and eating well to be given even before that first appointment.
Because the baby is sensitive to medicines at this stage, say that you are pregnant before starting any new medicine, supplement or herbal product. Do not stop a regular medicine without discussing it first (NHS).
On a vaginal scan, the yolk sac inside the pregnancy sac can first be seen at the beginning of week 5, when the sac measures about 5 mm across. Seeing a heartbeat, even when the embryo is too small to measure, corresponds to 5.5 to 6 weeks of pregnancy, and the embryo is usually large enough to measure at 6 to 7 weeks (UpToDate, 2026). So a heartbeat may not yet be visible on a scan at 5 weeks.
| Symptom | Usually | Seek care if |
|---|---|---|
| Cramping or pulling in the pelvis | The NHS lists cramps a bit like period pains among first-trimester symptoms. | Get checked if the pain is on one side, keeps getting worse or comes with bleeding; ectopic pregnancy pain usually starts at 5–7 weeks. For sudden severe pain, feeling faint or shoulder-tip pain, go to the emergency department (UpToDate). |
| Spotting or bleeding | Bleeding is common in the first trimester and most women who bleed do not miscarry (UpToDate), but because it also occurs with miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy it is not treated as normal. Implantation is usually complete by about 3 weeks, so do not assume bleeding this week is implantation bleeding. | The NHS advises seeing a doctor for any bleeding in pregnancy; the cause is usually clarified with an ultrasound scan. This is the time when ectopic pregnancy pain usually appears (5–7 weeks; UpToDate). |
| Nausea and vomiting | It commonly starts at 5–6 weeks and can happen at any time of day (UpToDate). | Go to the emergency department if you cannot keep food or fluids down for more than 12 hours, feel dizzy when standing, are very thirsty, have a racing heart or are passing much less urine (UpToDate). |
Most of these are danger signs or emergency referral criteria in the Turkish Ministry of Health guideline; the ectopic pregnancy signs and the 12-hour threshold for severe vomiting are based on UpToDate (UpToDate, 2026). The NHS also advises seeing a doctor for any bleeding in pregnancy. Contact your doctor or go to the nearest emergency department without waiting; for sudden severe abdominal pain, fainting or shoulder-tip pain, go straight to the emergency department.
Being 5 weeks pregnant is about 1 month and 5 days since the first day of your last period, which counts as the 2nd month of pregnancy. Pregnancy weeks are counted from the first day of your last period, not from conception.
Often not yet. According to the NHS, the heart starts to beat around now; however, seeing a heartbeat on a scan corresponds to 5.5 to 6 weeks of pregnancy, and the embryo can usually be measured at 6 to 7 weeks (UpToDate, 2026). Not seeing a heartbeat at 5 weeks does not by itself mean there is a problem.
Any bleeding after a positive pregnancy test needs a check-up; the NHS advises seeing a doctor for any bleeding in pregnancy. According to UpToDate, bleeding is common in pregnancy and most women who bleed do not miscarry, but bleeding also occurs with miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy, and this is the time when ectopic pregnancy pain usually appears (5–7 weeks). Implantation is usually complete by about 3 weeks, so do not assume bleeding this week is implantation bleeding; the cause is usually clarified with an ultrasound scan.
Nausea usually starts at 5–6 weeks, is at its worst at around 9 weeks and often settles by 16–20 weeks (UpToDate, 2026). NICE also notes that mild to moderate nausea and vomiting are common and likely to resolve before 16 to 20 weeks.
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