15 weeks pregnant: your baby starts to hear you
A quieter week on the outside, a busy one inside. Here is what changes for your baby, your body and your balance.
Updated October 13, 2026 · sources checked October 13, 2026
In short
At 15 weeks your baby is about 10cm long from head to bottom, growing fine body hair and starting to hear your voice and heartbeat. You may notice more vaginal discharge, itchy skin or feel less steady on your feet. This week, learn what healthy discharge looks like and when a change means calling your midwife or doctor.
Where you are at 15 weeks
You are in the second trimester and, by Cleveland Clinic's grouping, in month four (weeks 13 to 16). Your bump is starting to change how you move, even if it is still small. Check today's exact week with the pregnancy week calculator, or work out your date with the due date calculator.
Your baby this week
The NHS gives a length of around 10.1cm from head to bottom and compares it to an apple.
- Fine hair. Your baby is growing a soft layer of hair called lanugo all over the body, and eyebrows and eyelashes are starting (NHS).
- Light and sound. The eyes are now sensitive to light, and hearing is starting: your baby will probably hear your voice, your heartbeat and your digestion (NHS). Cleveland Clinic places hearing voices at about 16 weeks, so the timing differs slightly between sources.
- Practice and purpose. Cleveland Clinic describes the intestines and ears moving to their permanent places, the lungs developing, and more purposeful movements such as thumb sucking.
Your body and common symptoms
Balance. The NHS warns that as your bump grows you become less stable on your feet. On a bus or train, it is fine to ask for a seat.
Round ligament pain. Jabbing pains on the sides of your bump are common. Putting your feet up and resting helps (NHS).
Itchy skin. An unperfumed moisturiser, loose cotton clothes and a cool bath may help. If itching gets worse, especially at night, tell your midwife or doctor (NHS): itching can sometimes be a sign of a liver condition called intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.
More discharge. The NHS explains that more blood flowing to the pelvis produces more of a milky fluid called leucorrhoea. Healthy discharge is clear, white or creamy and smells only slightly musky.
Thrush. Signs include a lumpy white discharge, itching around the vagina and stinging when you pee or have sex. To help prevent it, the NHS suggests loose cotton underwear, unperfumed soap or body wash, and avoiding sex until it clears. Ask your pharmacist, midwife or doctor before using any treatment.
Moving well. A large guideline review (Mottola 2018) found moderate benefits and no identified harms from physical activity in uncomplicated pregnancies. If running is becoming uncomfortable, walking, swimming or prenatal yoga are gentle alternatives; see exercise during pregnancy.
Is this normal? When to call
More discharge, mild itching, a wobbly moment on the stairs and short side pains are all common at 15 weeks.
See your midwife or doctor if your discharge changes colour, smells bad, becomes frothy or like cottage cheese, or comes with pain when peeing, itching or soreness. Call straight away for vaginal bleeding, fluid leaking, severe or lasting tummy pain, itching that gets worse at night, a temperature of 38C (100.4F) or above, or a fall. In the UK, contact your early pregnancy unit or maternity unit, or NHS 111; call 999 in an emergency. In the US, call your OB-GYN or midwife, or 911 in an emergency.
Appointments and tests around 15 weeks
- US: ACOG says the quad blood screening test, for Down syndrome, Edwards syndrome and neural tube defects, is done between 15 and 22 weeks if you choose it. If you already had first-trimester screening or cell-free DNA, ask your provider whether anything else is suggested.
- UK: If your dating scan happened after 14 weeks, the NHS offers a blood test between 14 and 20 weeks to screen for Down's syndrome. Your 16-week appointment is next.
Your checklist for week 15
For your partner
Your voice is one of the sounds your baby may start to hear now. Offer an arm on slippery pavements and stairs, without making a fuss of it.
Previous and next week
Week 14: the second trimester starts · Week 16: your 16-week check and constipation
Read the full second trimester guide or see all pregnancy weeks.
Questions parents ask
How many months is 15 weeks pregnant?
Cleveland Clinic groups weeks 13 to 16 as the fourth month of pregnancy, so 15 weeks is in month four.
Is more discharge normal at 15 weeks?
Yes. The NHS explains that extra blood flow to the pelvic area increases a milky discharge that keeps the vagina clean. See your midwife or doctor if it changes colour, smells bad, turns frothy or like cottage cheese, or comes with pain when peeing, itching or soreness.
Can my baby hear me at 15 weeks?
The NHS says your baby starts hearing around now and will probably hear your voice, your heartbeat and your digestive system. Cleveland Clinic places hearing your voice at around 16 weeks, so sources differ by a week or so.
Sources
- NHS — Week-by-week guide to pregnancy, week 15 checked October 13, 2026
- Cleveland Clinic — Fetal Development, week-by-week stages checked October 13, 2026
- ACOG — How Your Fetus Grows During Pregnancy checked October 13, 2026
- ACOG — Prenatal Genetic Screening Tests (quad screen 15 to 22 weeks) checked October 13, 2026
- NHS — Pregnancy symptoms you need to get help for checked October 13, 2026
- Mottola MF et al. (2018), 2019 Canadian guideline for physical activity throughout pregnancy, Br J Sports Med (PMID 30337460) checked October 13, 2026
Mamavela explains; it does not replace your midwife, doctor or pediatrician, who know your situation. If something worries you, call them. In an emergency, call 911 (US), 999 (UK) or 112.