How soon do you start getting pregnancy signs?

(February 18, 2010)

Conception occurs during the ‘fertile window’ which is the phase exactly between two consecutive menstrual periods. For example, a woman who has a menstrual cycle of 28 days will have the best chances of conceiving from the 12th to the 14th day after the onset of her last period. At this stage, the sperm fertilizes the egg in the fallopian tube and then the zygote proceeds to embed itself in the uterine wall. This process takes approximately twelve to fourteen days, six-seven days for the fertilized ovum to travel to the uterus and another six-seven days for successful implantation. Pregnancy signs normally set in once the embryo has successfully embedded itself in the wall of the uterus. At this stage, slight spotting may be observed.

A pregnancy is a wonderful nine month long journey during which the expectant mother’s body goes through numerous changes. The hormone HCG (human chorionic gonadotrophin hormone) that is released by the embryo on successful implantation is responsible for the several changes that the maternal body goes through. Initially the HCG levels are low and keep increasing as the pregnancy advances. The HCG level in the mother’s body determines the onset of pregnancy signs. The signs and symptoms of pregnancy may vary from woman to woman with some experiencing signs as early as two weeks from the time of conception and some experiencing them when the HCG levels are sufficiently high. In women with multiple gestations, pregnancy symptoms may be experienced earlier due to the higher level of HCG. In some rare cases, women may not experience pregnancy symptoms at all. A pregnancy test will clear all doubts.

The most common symptoms of pregnancy are tender breasts, mood swings and lower back pain. Since these are common symptoms experienced just before menstruation, many women do not realize that they are pregnant until they miss a period. This usually happens in the case of women who have not been trying to get pregnant. Similarly, women who have been trying to conceive, especially over a period of time and have not been successful, tend to feel that they are pregnant but are rather disappointed when they start menstruating. Intuition is another strong indicator of pregnancy in some women. Others may experience heartburn and constipation due to a slowing down of the digestive system while some may feel nauseous and exhausted. As the pregnancy advances, the growing uterus exerts pressure on the bladder leading to an increase in the frequency of visiting the toilet. Cravings for certain foods or food aversions may set in during the course of the pregnancy.

Submitted by P T on February 18, 2010 at 09:36