First-trimester pregnancy fatigue: why you feel exhausted and how to regain your energy

From the first weeks, your body adapts to support the embryo and build the placenta, the organ that enables exchanges between you and your baby. Blood volume increases substantially and the heart works harder (1). These changes place considerable demands on the body.

Progesterone, the hormone that maintains pregnancy, has a sedative effect. Yet its levels remain higher during the final two trimesters, when exhaustion often eases. So it isn’t the whole explanation: the combined physical and emotional changes also take their toll (2).

Nausea can add to this. If it’s your main concern, our article explains how to ease it.

Finally, low iron stores can make this fatigue worse. Iron is needed to make haemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the blood, and your iron needs increase as pregnancy progresses. Only a blood test can show where your levels stand.

You might think that feeling so sleepy would make it easy to sleep at night. Often, the opposite is true. In a study that followed more than 500 pregnant women between 8 and 12 weeks of pregnancy, nearly one in two slept less than 7 hours a night, 15% said they had trouble sleeping, and more than four in ten reported excessive daytime sleepiness (3). Fatigue and sleep affect each other: the greater the exhaustion, the poorer the quality of sleep (4).

Several things can disrupt your nights: waking to urinate, nausea, tender breasts and thoughts about the pregnancy going round in your head. Stress and anxiety, common in these early weeks, can also contribute to insomnia.

First-trimester pregnancy fatigue: which month is the most tiring?

There’s no single answer. According to studies, exhaustion is either more pronounced in the first trimester or, conversely, increases until the end of pregnancy (5). The pattern most often described is difficult first weeks, some relief in the second trimester, then a return of fatigue in the final weeks, alongside discomfort and more disrupted sleep.

When does pregnancy fatigue ease?

Often towards the end of the third month, around the same time as nausea, which peaks at around 9 weeks and eases at around 12 weeks (5). Some expectant mothers remain exhausted for longer, though.

Beyond diet, several simple steps can help you get through these weeks more comfortably.

Take short naps. Sometimes, a few minutes with your eyes closed at lunchtime or when you get home are enough to get you through a difficult patch. If you work, short, regular breaks are often more realistic than a proper nap (2).

Keep moving, even a little. It may seem counterintuitive when you’re exhausted, but physical activity is among the recommendations. The French National Authority for Health advises 150 to 180 minutes of moderate activity a week, building up gradually, for example by starting with three 15-minute sessions (6). The benefits also extend to the foetus and newborn baby (6). A walk in daylight, swimming or prenatal yoga are accessible options.

Ask for help. Shopping, cleaning, meals, looking after older children: sharing these tasks with your partner or people close to you can really ease the load. At work, talk about any adjustments you need. If your condition warrants it, your doctor or midwife can also recommend that you rest.

Protect your sleep. Regular bedtimes, some quiet time away from screens before bed and a cool bedroom can help you fall asleep.

Take some pressure off. Breathing exercises, relaxation and antenatal classes can help reduce stress and give you a chance to recover.

Iron is a component of haemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the blood. Sources include red meat, fish and pulses.

Vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system and improves the absorption of iron from plant foods when consumed in the same meal. Sources include citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, peppers, strawberries and cabbage.

Magnesium is involved in muscle and nerve function. Sources include nuts and seeds, wholegrains and dark chocolate.

B vitamins contribute to energy production from food. B9 also supports the development of the baby’s neural tube, the structure that will become their brain and spinal cord (7). Supplementation with 400 µg per day is recommended from the time you start planning a pregnancy (7).

Jolly Mama supplements
Explore the range in the collection pregnancy food supplements.

Baby Bump: a multivitamin providing 400 µg of methylated folate (B9) in the form of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, which the body can use directly, along with B vitamins, iodine, selenium, zinc, choline and DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid.

Mama-gnésium: magnesium bisglycinate, a form that is well tolerated by the digestive system and well absorbed.

Iron Mama: take after a blood test and on the advice of your midwife.

Speak to your midwife or doctor promptly if your exhaustion gets worse rather than better, or if it comes with shortness of breath, palpitations, paleness, unusual headaches, vomiting that prevents you from drinking, or persistent low mood. These symptoms may be due to anaemia, a thyroid disorder or low mood: only a healthcare professional can tell the difference.

In France, a blood test in the sixth month routinely screens for anaemia (9). It affects around one in four pregnant women and increases risks for both mother and foetus (9).