How To Determine Your Due Date
When you find out youâre pregnant, youâre probably wondering when youâll meet your new baby! For an estimate, try our Due Date Calculator, where you can simply enter the first day of your last menstrual period or the date of conception.
Healthcare providers use the LMP method to determine your estimated due date. Due dates are typically calculated as 280 days starting from the first day of your last menstrual period. Remember, when generating a due date this way, you arenât technically pregnant during the first couple of weeks of pregnancy.And, again, this is why you probably wonât feel those highly anticipated very early signs of pregnancy in weeks 1, 2, or 3. But once you start to notice themâand take a pregnancy test or confirm youâre pregnant with your healthcare providerâyou can calculate your due date!
What Is The Best Way To Confirm Pregnancy
The best way to confirm pregnancy is to do a blood test measuring the human chorionic gonadotropin hormone.
- Women can also take a home pregnancy test. Home pregnancy tests are fairly reliable but may occasionally be a false-positive. This can occur for a number of reasons, including having a chemical or ectopic pregnancy or even taking certain medications.
- Following a positive home pregnancy test with a doctors visit for a urine or blood test to confirm the pregnancy is the best way to confirm a pregnancy.
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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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The Best Time Of Day To Take A Pregnancy Test
The time of day you take a pregnancy test does matter to a certain extent. Youre more likely to get an accurate result if you take the test in the morning. This is especially true if your period is not yet late, or if your period is only a couple days late.
At-home pregnancy tests work by detecting the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin in your urine. Unless you get up in the night to pee often , your urine is more concentrated when you first wake up. This usually means that the amount of hCG is a bit higher, and youre more likely to get a positive result if youre pregnant.
However, you can still take a pregnancy test in the middle of the day, or even at night. Youre just more likely to get a false negative, especially if your period isnt that late, and especially if youve been drinking a lot of water and your urine is diluted.
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 experiences signs of pregnancy differently.
Less common signs of early pregnancy can include:
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How Pregnancy Tests Work
Think you might be pregnant?
Even with the most effective birth control methods, theres always a chance for error. After all, it takes just one sperm to fertilize the egg. Finding out whether or not thats happened is as easy as taking an over-the-counter pregnancy test.
OTC pregnancy tests typically test your urine for a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin . HCG is only present if youre pregnant. The hormone is only released if a fertilized egg attaches outside the uterus or to your uterine lining.
There are different ways to collect your urine for the test. Depending on the test you choose, you may have to:
- collect your urine in a cup and dip a testing stick into the liquid
- collect your urine in a cup and use an eyedropper to move a small amount of fluid into a special container
- place the testing stick into the area of your expected urine stream so that it will catch your urine midstream
According to Cleveland Clinic, most tests are 99 percent effective if taken after a missed period. The best part is that you can do it in the privacy of your own home. Simply open the test, follow the instructions, and wait for the recommended amount of time to view the results.
After the recommended waiting time has passed, the tests will display your results in one of the following ways:
- a change in color
Pregnancy Tests Urine And Blood
There are two types of pregnancy tests one uses a urine sample, the other a sample of blood. Both pregnancy tests detect the presence of a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin . This hormone is produced by the placenta shortly after the embryo attaches to the uterine lining and builds up rapidly in your body in the first few days of pregnancy. It is this rapid shift in hormones that trigger most of your pregnancy symptoms.
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Changes In Cervical Mucus
Have you become a student of your cervical mucus? Then check it out now: If it becomes creamy and stays that way after ovulation, its a good sign youll have a positive pregnancy test.
As your pregnancy progresses, youll also notice increased vaginal discharge, called leukorrhea. This thin, milky-white discharge is normal and healthy, but speak to your practitioner if it appears lumpy or thick.
How Soon You Can Take A Pregnancy Test
Step back from the supermarket shelves you should wait until the first day of a missed period before you do a pregnancy test . This is usually about two weeks after you think you conceived. So get your diary out and start counting.
Too keen to wait? Some tests are more sensitive than others and can be taken earlier . This might be four or five days before your period is due .
If you can though, its most reliable to wait for the first day of your missed period. And that way you wont get any upset from an inaccurate result.
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All Day Sickness Nausea And Vomiting During Pregnancy
Morning sickness is probably the best known of the early pregnancy symptoms. Nausea may be more common in the mornings because stomach acids build up overnight, but most women who get morning sickness also feel nauseous at other times of the day.
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Will You Notice Early Signs And Symptoms When Youre 1 Week Pregnant Or 2 Weeks Pregnant
Your journey through pregnancy has officially begun, but as mentioned above, youâre not actually pregnant yet. Remember that healthcare providers calculate your pregnancy as 40 weeks, or 280 days, from the start of your last period. So, if you have a typical 28-day menstrual cycle, the first two weeks are mainly just Aunt Flo doing her thing.
But after two weeks, other things start to happen.
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One of your ovaries will release an egg around 14 days after the first day of your last period.
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The egg will travel down one of the fallopian tubes where it may unite with sperm.
Itâs worth noting that sperm can live inside your body for up to five days, and your egg has a lifespan of up to one day. This means your window of fertility is about five days before you ovulate to one day after.What this all means is that you wonât feel any of those very early signs of pregnancy in weeks 1, 2, or possibly even 3. If you have yet to conceive, then it makes sense that you wouldnât notice anything!
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When Do Pregnancy Symptoms Start
how soon do you get symptoms of pregnancy?
It takes about 2 to 3 weeks after sex for pregnancy to happen. Some people notice pregnancy symptoms as early as a week after pregnancy begins when a fertilized egg attaches to the wall of your uterus. Other people dont notice symptoms until a few months into their pregnancy. Usually the first sign of pregnancy is a missed period.
Common symptoms of pregnancy include nausea or vomiting, and feeling tired. Other signs are sore or swollen breasts, headaches, and peeing more often than usual.
Taking a pregnancy test is the only way to know for sure if youre pregnant. You can take a home pregnancy test , visit your nurse or doctor, or contact your local Planned Parenthood health center for testing.
Tags:pregnancy, symptoms of pregnancy
Planned Parenthood delivers vital reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of people worldwide. Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. is a registered 501 nonprofit under EIN 13-1644147. Donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable under the law.
Q: I Think I Might Be Pregnant How Soon Can I Use A Home Pregnancy Test To Find Out
A: Drugstore shelves today are packed with tests with labels like early result or early response, some of which may be able to tell youre pregnant up to five days before youve even missed your period as soon as 10 days after youve ovulated. Thats because these tests may be more sensitive than others at detecting levels of human chorionic gonadotropin in your urine. hCG is a hormone that your body starts producing shortly after youve conceived. You should always read the label information to get a true sense of how accurate it is, and when. Even early result tests are more precise the later you use them , since hCG levels may be tricky to detect so early into pregnancy. If you get a negative test result but still havent gotten your period a few days later, its a good idea to test again. You likely got whats called a false negative the first time where the test says youre not pregnant, but you actually are.
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Your Due Date Is Usually Not Your Baby’s Birthday
Every pregnant woman knows that when you are pregnant, the countdown to your due date begins the day of conception. But what is clear is that what you think is your due date may not be your baby’s actual birthday.
There are 266 days from the day of conception to your “due date” or 280 days if you count from the first day of the last period.
The babyMed pregnancy due date calculator gives you a great way to calculate the days up or down.
However, what seems to be a simple question When are you due? is really not that simple. Only 5% of babies are actually born on their due date, and most are born before their due date.
Basal Body Temperature Charting
Basal body temperature can predict and suggest ovulation. This only works if you have been taking your temperature in the days prior to ovulation. Temperature elevation begins one or two days after ovulation and persists for several days.
Temperature elevation identifies prior ovulation it does not diagnose pregnancy.
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If Youre Not Sure You Want To Be Pregnant
If youâre not sure about continuing with the pregnancy, you can discuss this confidentially with a healthcare professional. Your options are:
- continuing with the pregnancy and keeping the baby
- having an abortion
- continuing with the pregnancy and having the baby adopted
As well as a GP or a nurse at your GP surgery, you can also get accurate, confidential information from the age of 13 from the following:
- the National Unplanned Pregnancy Advisory service website
All these services including community contraceptive clinics are confidential. If youâre 13 or older, the staff wonât tell your parents. Theyâll encourage you to talk to your parents, but they wonât force you.
If youâre under 25 and would prefer advice specifically for young people, the sexual health charity Brook provides a range of services for young people. The Brook website contains information on pregnancy choices. You can also use the Ask Brook 24/7 service.
How Many Women Have Typical Pregnancy Signs And Symptoms
Not all women have typical pregnancy symptoms. Only about 1 in 2 pregnant women have pregnancy symptoms, and there is nothing wrong if you are pregnant and have none of these symptoms.
Very early symptoms differ from one woman to the next and from one pregnancy to the next. Some women can experience them within a week after ovulation, fertilization, and conception. Yet, others may develop much later, well after a missed period and/or positive pregnancy test. Other women may never have any symptoms at all.
While these are the most common early symptoms of pregnancy its important to realize that many of these symptoms may be caused by other things besides pregnancy. So the fact that you notice some of these symptoms does not necessarily mean you are pregnant. The only way to tell for sure is to do a pregnancy test.
The most significant sign of a pregnancy is a late or missed menstrual period, but the only definitive diagnosis is a positive pregnancy test.
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Cramping And Spotting During Early Pregnancy
From weeks 1 to4, everything is still happening on a cellular level. The fertilized egg creates a blastocyst that will develop into the fetuss organs and body parts.
About 10 to 14 days after conception, the blastocyst will implant in the endometrium, which is the lining of the uterus. This can cause implantation bleeding, which may be mistaken for a light period. It does not occur for everyone. If it does occur, it will usually happen around the time you expect your period.
Here are some signs of implantation bleeding:
- Color. The color of each episode may be pink, red, or brown.
- Bleeding. Implantation bleeding is usually much less than your usual period. Its often described as light bleeding that never turns into a flow or enough to need a tampon.
- Pain. Pain is usually milder than your usual menstrual pain. It may involve some cramping. It can be moderate or severe, but its most often mild.
- Episodes. Implantation bleeding is likely to last less than 3 days and does not require treatment. It can sometimes last only a few hours.
Types Of Pregnancy Tests
As recently as the 1970s, you had to miss your period before you took a pregnancy test, and the results could take up to two hours. Today, you can find out that you’re pregnant much earlier, faster, and with better accuracy using home pregnancy tests.
At-home pregnancy tests are easy to use and almost as accurate as those given at the healthcare providers office. However, there are some things to consider when deciding what kind of pregnancy test is right for you.
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How Long Does It Take To Get Pregnant After Having Sex
We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Heres our process.
Getting pregnant may seem like a rather mystical process. Once you learn the science and timing, it makes a bit more sense. Still, you may wonder how long it takes to actually conceive after having sex.
Heres more about how reproduction works , as well as how to time things and possibly up your odds of getting pregnant.
How To Improve The Accuracy Of Your Home Pregnancy Test
- Wait until your period is one week late
- Read the instructions carefully and follow them to the letter
- Take the urine test in the morning, with your very first urine of the day
- Dont drink large amounts of liquids before the test
- Pee into a clean cup and put the test stick into it for 15 minutes
- Store your test in a cool dry place. Extreme temperatures can damage the test.
- Check the expiration date of the test
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Whats Next If The Results Are Positive
Your next steps depend on two things: whether youre pregnant and whether or not you planned to get pregnant.
If your test results are positive and youve been planning to have a baby, take another test to make sure youre pregnant. Then, see your doctor before you reach the 8-week mark. You can ask them about prenatal care options or specialists who can help guide you through your pregnancy. Ask your doctor about any changes you need to make to your lifestyle, medications, or diet to keep yourself and your baby healthy for the next nine months.
If your test results are positive but you didnt plan to get pregnant, ask your doctor about available options, including:
- carrying the pregnancy to term for adoption
- what to do if you want to continue your pregnancy
You can also receive help from a clinic or health center that specializes in reproductive health and child care, like Planned Parenthood.
