Hey Everyone, Just thought the below information would be of help for all our newbies in the TTC forum. We all seem to ask the same questions over and over again and thought maybe this could be used as reference?
What are the symptoms of pregnancy?
Symptoms are very unreliable for determining pregnancy. Many symptoms that are associated with pregnancy, like sore breasts, bloating, and hunger are also pre-menstrual symptoms. Furthermore, most pregnancy symptoms do not start until 7 weeks of pregnancy or later. In fact, most women have no symptoms in early pregnancy.
The only symptom that is somewhat reliable is missing a period. Pregnancy is the most common reason for a woman who is sexually active to miss her period. However, it is not the only reason. Sometimes women are late or even miss a period, without any obvious cause.
In addition, a small number of women will continue to have some bleeding on the day they expect their period, even though they are pregnant. It is usually different than a regular period (lighter flow, shorter duration), but many women interpret any bleeding as a period
My period is late. Does that mean I'm pregnant?
Although most women who are pregnant will miss their period, every woman who misses her period is not pregnant. Determining the odds that you might be pregnant or identifying other possible reasons for missing your period depends in part on whether you are trying to get pregnant or whether you are taking steps to avoid pregnancy.
How long does it take to get pregnant?
Many women are surprised when they do not become pregnant the first month they are trying. There's no reason to be concerned, though. That's because it usually takes several months to become pregnant.
For couples having unprotected intercourse (ON AVERAGE!!!):
50% will be pregnant in 4 months
75% will be pregnant in 8 months
90% will be pregnant in 1 year
How soon can I check a pregnancy test?
Pregnancy tests measure the level of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) in your system. HCG is produced by the embryo and is first detectable in the mother's bloodstream as early as 6-8 days after conception.
Home pregnancy tests measure the level of HCG in urine. These tests cannot measure a level lower than 25, so they do not become accurate until the day you expect your period, at the earliest. A negative result before then is meaningless, since there would not be a high enough level of HCG to detect even if you were pregnant.
Blood pregnancy tests can measure any number from 0 on up. That's why they are more sensitive, and can become positive 6-8 days before your period is expected.
When am I most fertile?
In order to get pregnant, a sperm must meet and fertilize an egg, so any factors that affect this also affect your fertility. These include: the timing of ovulation, how long the egg lasts, whether there are any sperm present and how long sperm can live inside you.
Women who have regular periods can easily calculate when ovulation occurs. Ovulation almost always happens 14 days before you expect your period. For a woman who has 28 day cycles, that would be in the exact middle of the cycle, 14 days after the last period and 14 days before the next one. Women who have 30 day cycles can expect to ovulate 16 days after the last period, which is 14 days before the next one.
Women who have irregular cycles cannot predict when they will ovulate. In retrospect, they can calculate that ovulation occurred 14 days before a period, but that does not help in planning a pregnancy. Women with very irregular cycles may need to use ovulation predictor kits to determine when they will ovulate. Ovulation predictor kits detect the rise in hormones that occurs before the egg is released.
It is not necessary to time intercourse to coincide with ovulation. Thats because both the sperm and the egg can live inside you for a while. The egg can last approximately 24 hours after ovulation. If sperm are available anytime during this 24 hour window, you can get pregnant. You dont have to have sex within the 24 hour window, though. Thats because sperm can live inside you for days, waiting for the egg to be released. You can get pregnant by having intercourse anywhere from several days before ovulation to a day after ovulation.
For example, if you ovulate on day 14 (counting the first day of your period as day 1), you can get pregnant by having sex anytime between days 9-15, and perhaps days 8 and 16 as well. Conception will take place on day 14 or so, but you may have had sex many days before conception.
What is implantation bleeding?
Implantation bleeding is a tiny bit of spotting at the time that the embryo implants into the uterus. It usually occurs approximately 7 days after conception, which is typically about 7 days before you expect to get your next period.
Implantation bleeding is not a reliable sign of pregnancy. Most women who are pregnant never have implantation bleeding. Furthermore, many women who have what appears to be implantation bleeding are not pregnant.
What are the symptoms of pregnancy?Symptoms are very unreliable for determining pregnancy. Many symptoms that are associated with pregnancy, like sore breasts, bloating, and hunger are also pre-menstrual symptoms. Furthermore, most pregnancy symptoms do not start until 7 weeks of pregnancy or later. In fact, most women have no symptoms in early pregnancy.
The only symptom that is somewhat reliable is missing a period. Pregnancy is the most common reason for a woman who is sexually active to miss her period. However, it is not the only reason. Sometimes women are late or even miss a period, without any obvious cause.
In addition, a small number of women will continue to have some bleeding on the day they expect their period, even though they are pregnant. It is usually different than a regular period (lighter flow, shorter duration), but many women interpret any bleeding as a period
My period is late. Does that mean I'm pregnant?Although most women who are pregnant will miss their period, every woman who misses her period is not pregnant. Determining the odds that you might be pregnant or identifying other possible reasons for missing your period depends in part on whether you are trying to get pregnant or whether you are taking steps to avoid pregnancy.
How long does it take to get pregnant?Many women are surprised when they do not become pregnant the first month they are trying. There's no reason to be concerned, though. That's because it usually takes several months to become pregnant.
For couples having unprotected intercourse (ON AVERAGE!!!):
50% will be pregnant in 4 months
75% will be pregnant in 8 months
90% will be pregnant in 1 year
How soon can I check a pregnancy test?Pregnancy tests measure the level of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) in your system. HCG is produced by the embryo and is first detectable in the mother's bloodstream as early as 6-8 days after conception.
Home pregnancy tests measure the level of HCG in urine. These tests cannot measure a level lower than 25, so they do not become accurate until the day you expect your period, at the earliest. A negative result before then is meaningless, since there would not be a high enough level of HCG to detect even if you were pregnant.
Blood pregnancy tests can measure any number from 0 on up. That's why they are more sensitive, and can become positive 6-8 days before your period is expected.
When am I most fertile?In order to get pregnant, a sperm must meet and fertilize an egg, so any factors that affect this also affect your fertility. These include: the timing of ovulation, how long the egg lasts, whether there are any sperm present and how long sperm can live inside you.
Women who have regular periods can easily calculate when ovulation occurs. Ovulation almost always happens 14 days before you expect your period. For a woman who has 28 day cycles, that would be in the exact middle of the cycle, 14 days after the last period and 14 days before the next one. Women who have 30 day cycles can expect to ovulate 16 days after the last period, which is 14 days before the next one.
Women who have irregular cycles cannot predict when they will ovulate. In retrospect, they can calculate that ovulation occurred 14 days before a period, but that does not help in planning a pregnancy. Women with very irregular cycles may need to use ovulation predictor kits to determine when they will ovulate. Ovulation predictor kits detect the rise in hormones that occurs before the egg is released.
It is not necessary to time intercourse to coincide with ovulation. Thats because both the sperm and the egg can live inside you for a while. The egg can last approximately 24 hours after ovulation. If sperm are available anytime during this 24 hour window, you can get pregnant. You dont have to have sex within the 24 hour window, though. Thats because sperm can live inside you for days, waiting for the egg to be released. You can get pregnant by having intercourse anywhere from several days before ovulation to a day after ovulation.
For example, if you ovulate on day 14 (counting the first day of your period as day 1), you can get pregnant by having sex anytime between days 9-15, and perhaps days 8 and 16 as well. Conception will take place on day 14 or so, but you may have had sex many days before conception.
What is implantation bleeding?Implantation bleeding is a tiny bit of spotting at the time that the embryo implants into the uterus. It usually occurs approximately 7 days after conception, which is typically about 7 days before you expect to get your next period.
Implantation bleeding is not a reliable sign of pregnancy. Most women who are pregnant never have implantation bleeding. Furthermore, many women who have what appears to be implantation bleeding are not pregnant.
