Feeling cold during pregnancy: is it normal, and what helps

Heating on in September. Two jumpers, the big blanket, socks in bed, and you're still cold. Everyone else in the house is in a t-shirt.

The searches that bring people to this page all say the same thing: "freezing cold first trimester", "pregnancy cold all the time", "feeling cold 7 weeks pregnant". So it isn't just you.

Here's what's usually behind it, what to do about it today, and the few times it's worth a phone call.

Key facts

• Feeling cold isn't on the NHS list of early pregnancy signs. Extreme tiredness is, and the two tend to turn up together.
• Your iron levels are checked in routine blood tests at your booking appointment and again at around 28 weeks, the NHS says.
• "Feeling cold more than usual" is on the NHS list of symptoms of an underactive thyroid, next to tiredness, weight gain and dry skin.
• Morning sickness usually clears up by weeks 16 to 20 (NHS). If you can't keep fluids down for 24 hours, call your midwife, GP or 111.
• The flu jab is free for pregnant women, at any stage of pregnancy, and it's available from September (NHS).

Why you feel cold during pregnancy

There isn't one tidy reason, and anyone who gives you one is guessing. There are a few things that reliably go with it, though, and they're worth knowing because two of them are fixable.

You're exhausted. The NHS says it's common to feel tired, or even exhausted, in pregnancy, especially in the first 12 weeks. When you're that tired you sit still more, and sitting still under a blanket at 3pm is exactly when the cold gets you.

You're not eating or drinking much. If you're being sick, or nothing appeals, you're running on less than usual. The NHS says morning sickness usually clears up by weeks 16 to 20, which is a long time to run on toast. There's more on when sickness tips into dehydration in the table below.

Low iron. Pregnancy is one of the most common causes of iron deficiency anaemia, the NHS says, usually because there isn't enough iron in what you're eating. Feeling cold isn't on the NHS symptom list; tiredness, shortness of breath, noticeable heartbeats, paler skin and headaches are. If you've got the cold plus any of those, say so at your next appointment.

Your iron levels get checked at booking and at around 28 weeks, and your midwife can check sooner if you ask.

Your thyroid. Feeling cold more than usual is on the NHS list for an underactive thyroid, along with tiredness, putting on weight, constipation, dry skin and low mood. It's a simple blood test. If you already know you have an underactive thyroid, the NHS says to tell your GP you're pregnant, because it matters more now.

A bug. Hot one minute and shivering the next usually means a temperature, not pregnancy. Flu is more serious when you're pregnant, the NHS says, which is why the flu jab is free for pregnant women from September, whatever stage you're at.

The old version of this post had a theory about your body overcooling itself. We couldn't source it, so it's gone.

Feeling cold in early pregnancy

Most of the people searching for this are in the first trimester, and that's no accident. Weeks 6 to 12 are when the tiredness peaks, the sickness is at its worst and you're eating whatever stays down. Put those together and you get someone in a dressing gown at midday in June.

It's not a way to tell you're pregnant, though. The NHS list of signs and symptoms that might mean you're pregnant is a missed period, feeling or being sick, feeling extremely tired, sore breasts, needing to pee more, constipation, more discharge, a metallic taste, a sensitivity to smells, cravings or going off foods, and mood changes. Cold isn't on it. Take a test.

If your cold spell arrived with the sickness, the point to watch is when the sickness goes. The NHS says that's usually by weeks 16 to 20. If the cold doesn't shift when the sickness does, that's worth a mention at your next appointment rather than a shrug.

Is it normal to feel cold during pregnancy

Common, yes. Whether it's fine for you depends on what comes with it. This is the table we'd go through if you rang us.

The bottom two rows are the NHS's own call list from its vomiting and morning sickness page. The rest is the order we'd think about it in, not a diagnosis.

How to stop feeling cold during pregnancy

None of this is clever. It's the stuff that works.

Layers you can peel off. A thin base layer, leggings under the dress, proper socks, a cardigan over the top. Thin layers beat one thick jumper because you can take one off when the sickness makes you sweat. A hat indoors is allowed. Nobody's looking.

Something to eat every couple of hours. Small and regular, with some iron in it where you can manage it, since the NHS says a lack of iron in your diet is the usual cause of anaemia in pregnancy. The NHS page on vitamins and supplements covers what to take and what your midwife will check.

A warm drink, honestly rated. It feels lovely and it wears off in twenty minutes. It's a treat, not a fix. Have it anyway.

Layer the bed too. Two lighter layers rather than one heavy duvet, for the same reason as the jumpers: at 2am when you're suddenly boiling, you can shove one off.

Move. Ten minutes' walk warms you up better than an hour under the blanket, if you can face it. If you can't, you can't, and tomorrow's another day.

Questions we get asked

Is feeling cold a sign of early pregnancy?

Not one the NHS lists. Its early signs are a missed period, feeling or being sick, extreme tiredness, sore breasts and needing to pee more, plus the rest of the list in the section above. Plenty of people feel cold alongside those, but on its own it doesn't tell you anything. A test does.

Why am I so cold at 7 weeks pregnant?

Because 7 weeks is peak first trimester: the tiredness the NHS says is worst in the first 12 weeks, the sickness, and eating less than you normally would, often all at once. Eat little and often, layer up, and mention it at your booking appointment if you haven't had it yet.

Is it normal to be cold all the time during pregnancy?

Common, and usually fine, but "all the time" is worth a mention rather than a shrug. Tell your midwife, and if it comes with anything in the table above, say that too. A blood test rules out low iron and thyroid trouble, and both are easy to treat.

Does feeling cold in pregnancy mean I'm anaemic?

Not by itself. The NHS lists tiredness, shortness of breath, noticeable heartbeats, paler skin and headaches as the signs of iron deficiency anaemia; feeling cold isn't on the list. Pregnancy is a very common cause of it, though, so if you've got the cold plus any of those, ask for your iron levels to be checked.

What helps when you're freezing in the first trimester?

Layers you can peel off, something to eat every couple of hours, plenty to drink, and an earlier night than feels reasonable. The NHS says sickness usually clears up by weeks 16 to 20, and that's the point to see whether the cold has gone with it.

Next step: the maternity leggings are the layer under everything, and the size guide takes a minute. If headaches have turned up alongside the cold, there's a separate piece on headaches in pregnancy.