So, youre trying to have a baby! And you have probably subsequently noticed that the time between ‘doing it’ and finding out whether or not you are pregnant (getting your period or not) seems to be like the longest two to three weeks of your life. Each day drags on with the pace relevant to what children feel waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve. If only you could go to sleep and wake up ‘knowing’ that you are pregnant.
Making matters worse is that the pregnancy tests that claim to be able to accurately predict pregnancy days earlier than all the rest, while accurate, are definitely no sure thing. In fact, with a negative test, the makers paste a clear label that directs you to wait a few more days and take another one. (Frustrating and Expensive) And those happy well-wishers, who are aware of your secret mission to conceive, will tell you just don’t think about it! To which, all you can is say HA! How can you not think, wonder and worry if you are about to embark on the journey of parenthood? How is it possible to try to build a life inside you and then be forced to wait to know for sure if it is there? The emotions during this waiting period are sure to run high and you will likely be more in tune with your body than ever before, searching, sometimes desperately, for the symptoms of conception.
This brings us to the next point. Are there ‘symptoms of conception?’
The answer, clearly’certainly’ is YES!
The problem is that in very, very early pregnancy you have to be able to separate fact from fiction and decide whether what you are feeling, is a symptom of conception or one that is being produced through your thoughts. There is such a thing as psychological pregnancy where the desire to conceive is so deep, that women often begin developing the signs of pregnancy.
The best way to figure this whole wicked puzzle out is to sit back and relax. By now, you should know your body and have a pretty good idea what is ‘normal’ for you in the days leading to menstruation. Take a few minutes each and every day to breathe deep breaths and sort of ‘connect’ with your body. This will also help you to feel more relaxed and perhaps a little less impatience.
Next up, is to understand the process of conception. A sperm in the reproductive organs can live 4 to 5 days before being fertilized. So if you have planned sex around ovulation, it doesn’t mean that you are going to conceive the next day. Even ovulation tests that look for hormonal plunges that signal ovulation are not an exact science of when ovulation occurs. The sperm has to travel to the egg, fertilize it and then the happily and newly paired union has to make their way into the uterus. Once there, conception STILL has not occurred. The perfect pH balance of your uterus, along with a surge of hormones will allow this happy couple to implant into the uterine lining. Once implantation occurs, the female body has two choices. Either begin producing the pregnancy hormone called HCG, which will hold the fertilized egg in place – or not. When the body decides to keep the egg and sperm combo, and they implant firmly into the uterine wall conception has occurred.
But wait! The next step where genetic splitting begins taking place around 2 days after fertilization is another key to successful conception. Often if there is anything wrong with the developing embryo, the human body will recognize it and women will experience a period. (Perhaps a few days later than normally). This isn’t necessarily a miscarriage. However, if you take pregnancy tests very early, there is a slim chance you will know that you were pregnant.
The following are the physical symptoms of conception that you may (or may not) feel at the time of conception.
Many women feel a strong pinching sensation in the lower abdomen. (Right above the hairline) This is thought to be during implantation, and you may even experience a slight amount of discharge or bleeding at this time. This doesn’t necessarily feel like period cramps, but more like you are being pinched on the inside.
You can also feel a fullness or hardness in the lower abdomen almost immediately upon conception. Even though the baby is still microscopic, hormonal changes alter the feel of your uterus and this fullness can occur. Some women may also feel like they are about to get a urinary tract infection.
Tiredness, can occur almost immediately for many women. If you suddenly need lengthy afternoon naps, you might suspect that you are pregnant even if it is a week before your period is due. It takes a lot of energy for your body to get pregnant, which can leave you exhausted. As soon as HCG starts pumping through your body, which is normally the same day as implantation occurs you might feel hungrier than normal or experience weird cravings for food. This is your body simply telling you what you need.
One confusing symptom of conception is crampiness, increased discharge, and pelvic pain. This can feel very much like you are about to get your period, but is actually your body going through the changes caused by pregnancy. This is nothing to worry about and is normal for most women. In fact, one of the reasons so many women think they aren’t pregnant is because early pregnancy feels very much like you are to start menstruating.
Last but certainly not least are the breast and cervical changes. For some women, breast tenderness and a darkening around the nipples occurs immediately, even before a missed period. Additionally, a doctor can look at your cervix, which turns bluish during pregnancy even before you have missed a period and likely tell if you are pregnant or not.
Even so, the best thing to do is to sit back and wait. Enjoy this two-week mystery time in your life with the knowing that at any moment, your life could be changed forever. Try your best not to feel stressed out or overly anxious, and continue with your life as normal. The bottom line is you will know whether you are pregnant or not soon enough.
21 Responses
so i had sex on ovulation day, and 2 days later i woke up from exactly that strong pinchibg feeling right above the hairline that is described. it lasted a couple of hours. i have just stopped taking birth control 2 months ago and never had felt this kind of sensation before in my life. i was so sure something had happened inside me that night that i googled the type of pain i had felt and found this site. i told my husband the next morning that i think i felt an implantation in the night.
for the next 2 weeks i felt perfectly normal. no more weird sensations, but i did eat very healthy, limited my caffeine consumtion and drank no alcohol, because i thought maybe i could be pregnant. my period came on exactly the day it was due, which was last night, but my period is very heavy. today i bled through every tampon within an hour. (i noticed my periods were heavier and longer since i stopped taking the pill, but this much bleeding surprises me.) is it possible i did have a fertilized egg implanted and then rejected by my body? if so, what could have been the reasons for that? i do have a very nice gynaecologist but i feel embarrassed to ask him about this because i do not want to feel hyper-concerned. i am also not in a particular rush to become pregnant, just interested and curious about what’s going on with my body.
I recently miscarried at 10 weeks and was talking to my friend about hers (she miscarried at 3 weeks) hers sounded the same as mine. I bleed clots, the size of softballs at least, some even larger. She had the same thing. You would most likely know. 🙂 It may just be your body getting use to not being on birth control 🙂
Hi Emma
I had similar kind of symptoms after intercourse on and before ovulation day .. I got my period three days before it was due and I was having pinching pain on my lower abdomen whole night which woke me up.. this kind of pain was never before when I use to have my periods … I am not sure what’s going on with my body either , I get tired easily , feel like puking sometimes … Can someone help us to get the answer …
Hey Ekta
I too had similar symptoms. Me and my husband are trying to conceive. I ovulated around the 29th of october and on the 3rd of November I had strange cramping on my right lower abdomen and it radiated down my right leg, this happened for about 4 hours and then it stopped, 2 days later I had a pinching sensation right above the hair line. This morning I woke up with a strong urge to eat. Im confused what is happening to me because Ive never had these symptoms before my period and my period is due in about a week. Im hoping these are symptoms of implantation.
I have been trying to get pregnant for almost a year. Im currently at 12 dpo . At 8 dpo and 12 dpo Ive been having slight cramps. Throughout the night I have been experiencing them as well thinking I was going to wake up to my period but still nothing there. I feel a few pinches every now and then but nothing serious. According to my period tracker, It is due in 2 days , Did anyone else experience this?
me too
Well I’m not sure about yall, but I’m currently six weeks pregnant and a syringe pinching type cramping in my lower right abdomen (particularly during sex) was one of the first things I noticed around the time of conception (though I didn’t know what it meant at the time!). I mostly just felt like my period was coming, And I was exhausted, which I attributed to my lack of sleep over the thanksgiving holiday. Right at about six days late (not unusual for me as ever since I went off birth control a year ago, my cycle has been wonky) I woke up one morning and my nipples were The most sensitive I’ve ever felt them and I decided it was time to test! Lo and behold there was my Bfp! Not sure how accurate of a sign it is, but that was my experience with it 🙂
We are trying to conceive, i took medicine after last periods for 5 days to increase ovulation. This month am just getting brown discharge and cramps 🙁 whats this. I haven’t done preg. Test.
I have 25 days cycle usually. What will be my ovulation days if i had periods on 5 may. Today is 5 june.
Thanks.
My husband and i had sex on the aug 2nd, i had heavy bleeding on the 3rd, 5 days before my period. On the 4th i felt some pinching above my hairline. Bleeding stop on the 7th. Yesterday my pelvis feels heavy. Does this mean I’m pregnant?
Hi, I was wondering if it turned out you were pregnant?
My husband and I are trying to conceive.. We had sex about two days ago and since yesterday I’ve been feeling pinching sensations just above the hair line and some sorta heaviness in my lower abdomen even when I walk..my period tracker says my ovulation day was yesterday.. Im hoping this could be it..
Hey. Was it a BFP. same here with ovulation and heaviness. Just wondering
hello all!
So my husband and i are trying for our second child. Our first is ten so I’m a bit rusty on the signs of early pregnancy.
Presently i am 12dpo and since 7dpo i’ve been having cramps which felt like AF , on 11dpo and 12dpo (today) i’ve been experencing a sharp on and off pain in the lower abdomen on the left side then i have noticed my urine is warmer than usual(sorry tmi) not sure what to make of all this but my fingers are crossed for us all 🙂
My boyfriend and I had unprotected sex and he ejaculated inside me while I was on my period. That night I instantly stopped bleeding resulting in only having my period 3 days total. I felt a tingly sensation in my stomach that night. It’s been 7 days since we had sex and tonight I had the worst pain in my right lower abdomen. Pinching feeling. I’ve never experienced this pain having cramps on my period before. Has anyone experienced this? I know it is most rare to get prepgnant on your period but what would cause my period to stop instantly? I know I will have to wait two more weeks before I can even take a test I’m just so anxious and want to know what’s going on with my body.
That has happened to me every time there was ejaculation during my period – period is over (unless it’s like day 1 of period). Being that I rarely have sex on day 1 or 2 of my period, I’ve always just thought of it like the remaining blood is literally flushed out (even though I usually don’t see any blood at all) or forced in deeper to the point that it doesn’t get a chance to come back out before the cervix closes again, so the body just absorbs it. If your cycle is even somewhat normal and that was your real period, you didn’t get pregnant from that, just flushed out more than likely. Lol 😂
Comment:why is it that nobody comes back to say if there was pregnancy or not.
I agree!
Hi guys! Needing help been feeling very similar pulling sensations that you have all been describing, needing help tho I had unprotected sex on the 26th of June which was 5days before my actual ovulation day it’s now the 10th of July 8 days after my ovulation day am I too early to take a test? Help
I have been having similar symptoms, I had my IUD removed 4 months ago and my period has been completely normal till this month I bled the first day, next day I had a very light period with a lot of blood clots then the next day I was just spotting then I had absolutely nothing, I have no idea why and it’s been bugging me if anyone has a idea why please help me out, and yes I’m sexually active with my fiancé and we do not use any sort of protection
I need help as well I’ve been feeling tugging pulling and pinching sensations three days after unprotected sex and I was ovulation i Woke up last night at around four to fix me a burger I woke up hungry and dehydrated and I never woke up out my sleep to do that before my body been craving vegetables as well… and funny thing is I just finished my cycle on the 17 so I know I’m not pms early .. I don’t know you guys please help !
So did you get your period yet?? 🙂
I have been having so many symptoms for the last week and a half I had a positive test 5 days bmp and then the next 3 days I keep getting negative 🙁 I dont understand… has any one else ever had almost all pregnancy symptoms got a( + ) followed buy (-) 🙁