Calculating Your Due Date
How can you call this your first week of pregnancy if you’re not even pregnant? Its extremely hard for your practitioner to pinpoint the precise moment pregnancy begins .
While theres no mistaking the start of your period, the exact day of ovulation can be hard to nail down. Whats more, sperm from your partner can hang out in your body for several days before your egg comes out to greet it. Likewise, your egg can be kept waiting for up to 24 hours for late sperm to make their appearance.
So in order to give all pregnancies some standard timing, most practitioners use the first day of your last menstrual period as the starting line of your 40-week pregnancy. Still confused? Think of it as a head start you’re clocking in roughly two weeks of pregnancy before you even conceive!
The Corpus Luteum And Pregnancy Hormones
For now, it will seem like nothing is happening on the outside but only for the next couple of weeks. If your timing is right and you’ve had sex during ovulation, your egg has been fertilized by one lucky sperm and your body is gearing up to host the blastocyst that’s heading for the uterus, its home for the next nine months.
So what’s happening inside this week? Just after the egg is released, the follicle it came from gets a new tenant called the corpus luteum, a yellowish body of cells that occupies the space left by the egg. The corpus luteum starts to produce progesterone and some estrogen, enough of both pregnancy hormones to nourish and support the future baby until the placenta takes over in about 10 weeks.
In the meantime, about a week after fertilization, the blastocyst implants itself in the uterine lining and the placenta starts to take shape. Within six to 12 days after snuggling into the uterus , the cells of the newly developing placenta begin making human chorionic gonadotropin .
HCG surges during the first trimester before dipping in the second, tells your ovaries to stop releasing eggs and triggers the production of more progesterone and estrogen which keep the lining of the uterus from shedding and support the growth of the placenta.
As you’ll later see, all these hormones play an important role throughout your pregnancy and cause a whole host of body changes, plus symptoms like morning sickness .
Weeks Pregnant: Symptoms Tips And More
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What Are The Earliest Signs Of Pregnancy
Some symptoms to watch for before you miss your period are sore breasts, fatigue, sensitivity to smell, food aversions, nausea, and more frequent urination. Keep in mind, however, that it’s very likely you will have no symptoms.
One study found that 50% of women showed no symptoms at five weeks after conception, 30% had none six weeks after conception, and 10% still didn’t have any at two months after conception!3
Below there are three tables.
- One is the signs of pregnancy you might experience before you miss your period.
- The next is the most commonly reported first signs of pregnancy, so you can get a sense of how common these symptoms are.
- The third shows 14 signs of pregnancy you might experience within the first three weeks after conception to get a better look at some other symptom possibilities.
Metallic Taste In Mouth
The experience of constantly having a metallic taste in your mouth is a pregnancy sign that I am familiar with. It’s difficult to describe, but your mouth feels like you have been sucking on a coin.
It’s a pregnancy symptom that is very common and is unmistakable
You may also experience other strange flavors in your mouth, like saltiness, rancidness, or just a bad taste in general.8
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What Are Some Less Common Signs Of Early Pregnancy
There are some additional signs of early pregnancy that arent as common. Just like with the most common symptoms, these signs of pregnancy may or may not happen. Its important to remember that everyone is different and will experience unique symptoms.
Less common signs of early pregnancy can include:
Take A Home Pregnancy Test
The cheapest, easiest, most accessible way to confirm youâre pregnant is with a home pregnancy test. This form of testing can identify a positive pregnancy result as early as two weeks after fertilization, making it one of the fastest ways to learn more about your situation. Youâre probably familiar with how the little stick you buy at the supermarket or convenience store worksâyou bring it to the restroom with you, urinate on it, and wait for the results.
The test works by looking for human chorionic gonadotropin in your urineâa hormone your body starts to crank out in large quantities shortly after conception. If you test negative on the first try, many pregnancy tests recommend you check again three to five days later. Why? Because hCG can take several days to build up in your body, the first test may accidentally give you a false negative!
This retest is really important. If your first test suggests youâre not really pregnant , you may not know to reach out to your doctor or physician to get the checkups, vitamins, or medications you need to ensure you and your baby remain healthy. If/when you get a positive resultâwhether itâs on the first, second, or eighth timeâmake sure you take the next step by scheduling a medical visit!
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Can You Feel Pregnancy Symptoms Soon After Sex
While some pregnancy symptoms start very early, most of the time, you won’t notice anything right away. Anything that happens immediately after having sex, like spotting or increased discharge, is usually not related to pregnancy.
Other than a missed period, pregnancy symptoms tend to really kick in around week five or six of pregnancy. One 2018 study of 458 women found that 72% detected their pregnancy by the sixth week after their last menstrual period. Symptoms tend to develop abruptly.
This is about two weeks from when you missed your last period . Occasionally you will hear of someone who has symptoms right around their first missed period.
What If I Notice Some Cramping During Pregnancy
Pregnant women may experience some light cramping early in pregnancy. The cramping is often like light menstrual cramps through the lower abdomen or on one side or the other. It is often a result of all the changes that are occurring in the uterus as the implanted egg begins to grow and develop. Also, a cyst, called the corpus luteum cyst, can develop on the ovary at ovulation.
This cyst forms in the spot on the ovary where the egg comes out before making its journey to the uterus. It then produces progesterone until the placenta has formed enough to begin producing its own progesterone. The cyst can cause some discomfort for women in early pregnancy.
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Weeks Pregnant Ultrasound: Do You Need It
Its very unlikely that youll need an ultrasound during the second week of pregnancy. In some cases especially for women with fertility issues an ultrasound during week 2 of pregnancy allows doctors to measure the thickness of your uterine lining. An ultrasound can also be used to determine whether your follicles are maturing correctly.
Bleeding Gums Or A Bleeding Nose
Hormonal changes during pregnancy can make your gums more vulnerable to plaque, leading to inflammation and bleeding, known as pregnancy gingivitis or gum disease.
Due to an increase in hormones, gums are more likely to become inflamed and bleed when brushed or flossed. The blood vessels in the nose can also expand during pregnancy, increasing the risk of nose bleeds.
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When Did I Conceive Based On My Last Menstrual Period
Its nearly impossible to precisely know when you conceived based upon your LMP because the window of ovulation can vary considerably. Again, if you use a period tracker and have learned to recognize when youre ovulating, you can get a more accurate conception date.
If not, you can still guesstimate that you conceived approximately 11-21 days from the first day of your LMP.
The gold standard of measuring when you conceived is by ultrasound.
Your First Three Weeks Of Pregnancy
Hereâs the thing: Because of the way pregnancy is usually measured, youâre not actually pregnant during the first two weeks or so of your pregnancy. Healthcare providers calculate the length of an average pregnancy as 40 weeks, starting from the first day of your last menstrual periodâthis is known as the LMP dating method. So, when youâre 1 week pregnant, youâve only just started your period. At two weeks pregnant, youâre ovulating. And since ovulation happens about 14 days after the start of your period you canât really become pregnant until week 3 at the earliest.It can be mind-bogglingâwe get it. But, for the sake of calculation, and what you and your healthcare provider will consider as 1 and 2 weeks pregnant, youâre not actually pregnant! But although at 1, 2, or 3 weeks pregnant you may not notice any of those very early signs of pregnancy, there may be a lot happening on the inside.
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Early Symptoms Of Pregnancy
These are some of the symptoms you might experience within your first six weeks after conception,2 and organised roughly by when you might expect to experience them.
There have been many other rarer and less common early symptoms reported as well so keep an eye out for any unusual or unexpected changes.
Another confusing factor when trying to determine if you are pregnant is that all of the symptoms of pregnancy can be symptoms of other conditions.
So detecting the very early signs of pregnancy without a test can be tricky, especially if it is your first pregnancy.
Once you are on to pregnancy two, three, or four, you will more than likely recognize the signs quite quickly. Testing, however, should always be your first course of action, and is especially helpful to confirm your symptoms.
There are several early signs that can tell you that you may be pregnant. The most obvious is missing your period or having light spotting instead of a proper period.
When Did I Conceive Based On Ovulation Date
You might be very in-tune with your body and know when you ovulate each month. At about the middle of your cycle, you might experience ovulation pain, thinning cervical mucous, increased libido , and other symptoms.
If you know when you ovulated based upon your bodys signals, you can presume you conceived within 3 days of ovulation.
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Measure Your Basal Body Temperature
Your bodys basal temperature will change when you ovulate. Youre most likely to become pregnant two or three days before your temperature rises.
Youll need a special thermometer to measure your basal body temperature. To determine when your basal body temperature changes, record your temperature each day and watch for a pattern to develop.
You must take your temperature at the same time each morning, usually when you wake up. Because youll need to time intercourse before the temperature increase, youll need to track it for a few months to find a pattern.
Find a great selection of basal thermometers here.
Your Last Menstrual Period
You’ve just gotten your last period, at least for a while: The lining of your uterus is shedding, taking with it last month’s unfertilized egg. But that’s not all that’s happening. A new cycle is beginning, one that is the starting point for your pregnancy.
Your menstrual cycle is orchestrated by a symphony of hormones working in concert with one another. The first to kick in is FSH which you guessed it stimulates the follicles to mature, some faster than others.
A second hormone, lutenizing hormone , increases around day 5 and also works with FSH to stimulate the follicles. Each follicle contains an egg, and each month only one follicle becomes the dominant one, destined for ovulation.
As the follicles mature, they produce another hormone, estrogen, which does two things. First, it encourages the lining of the uterus to begin thickening again. Second, once a high enough level of estrogen is reached, it will trigger a spike in the production of LH.
That surge of LH causes the egg from the most mature follicle to burst through the ovarian wall to meet Mr. Right the lucky sperm that will turn that eager egg into a baby-in-the-making and make your body’s prep work worth all the effort.
Believe it or not, the countdown to delivery day begins now, during the period before fertilization even though egg and sperm haven’t even been in the same room .
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What Are Five Common Signs Of Pregnancy
There are several signs of early pregnancy that you could experience. Not everyone will have all of these symptoms, and some women may not feel any of these things. Pregnancy symptoms throughout the entire pregnancy can vary dramatically between women. Its important not to compare your pregnancy to someone elses.
Common early pregnancy symptoms can include:
Causes Of A Nonviable Pregnancy
From a diagnostic perspective, nonviable does not mean a little chance of survival. It means no chance of survival. The most common reasons for this include:
- A baby born too prematurely to be able to survive
- A congenital defect that makes the survival of the fetus outside of the uterus impossible
- A pregnancy in which the fetus no longer has a heartbeat
- Anembryonic gestation, also known as a blighted ovum, in which the pregnancy stops growing after the gestational sac forms
- Ectopic pregnancy, in which the fertilized egg implants outside of the uterus
- Molar pregnancy, in which a fertilized egg incapable of survival implants in the uterus
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Blood Test 5 Weeks After Mating
If you tried to breed your English Bulldog 5 weeks ago or more, you can also pay for a blood test. The blood sample will be checked for pregnancy hormones and will be a lot cheaper than an ultrasound.
Its important to not do this test less than 5 weeks after mating because the results can come up as being negative, even with an English Bulldog who is in the early stages of pregnancy.
Which English Bulldog pregnancy test is more reliable?
For the most accurate pregnancy test, choose the ultrasound after at least 25 days since mating. As well as being a more accurate of telling if your English Bulldog is pregnant, you will also be able to see the puppies on the screen and scans an exciting time!
Whilst you can see the puppies, you still might not be able to tell exactly how many there are in at the early stages, as the body shapes can overlap. Only an X-ray further down the line where the vet can count skulls will give you an accurate number on the litter size.
Handy Hint: This how long your English Bulldog will be pregnant for, with each stage in more detail.
An X-ray can be performed after 45 days of pregnancy and will let the vet have a far better look at how the puppies are developing in the womb.
As well as the skull count, your vet will also be able to see how large the puppy heads are, giving an indication on whether a natural birth or C-section is recommend for safety reasons.
What Monitoring May Be Necessary During Your Pregnancy
Electronic fetal monitoring: Sometimes late in pregnancy, a woman who is pregnant may be placed on a fetal monitor to verify the health of the fetus or to see if the woman is in early labor.
Biophysical Profile Test: This is a noninvasive test uses ultrasound to assess whether or not the baby is receiving an adequate supply of oxygen. It is typically performed during high risk pregnancies or if a woman has gone past her due date.
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Why You Feel Pregnant
It can be fairly common to experience some physical symptoms as you enter into what many people call the two-week wait, the period of time between when you ovulate and when you expect your period. These symptoms can include:
- Breast soreness
- Mood swings
- Nausea and/or changes in appetite
While all of the symptoms could be pregnancy symptoms, they are more likely explained by either fluctuation in your hormones due to your menstrual cycle, or by other events in your life. These events can include illness, stress, or even something as simple as not enough sleep or too much exercise.
Some people experience premenstrual syndrome symptoms as pregnancy symptoms, where others do not typically have these symptoms every cycle.
When you experience a symptom that is not common to your cycle, it may be easily confused with a potential pregnancy.
To help relieve focusing on these symptoms, you can take positive steps for your physical and emotional health. Eating nutritious foods, quitting smoking, and limiting or avoiding alcohol will promote your health and wellness whether or not it turns out you are pregnant.
