What does conception feel like

Women who are trying to conceive are often particularly sensitive to what is happening with their bodies as they are looking for symptoms of pregnancy. Some women share anecdotes about their pregnancy symptoms as early as 4—5 DPO, while others report not noticing any changes to their body until much later.

Although signs are possible this early on, they are unlikely to appear this soon in the majority of people. Many of the early symptoms, such as breast tenderness or fatigue , are instead linked to hormonal changes during ovulation or menstruation.

Implantation may already have taken place at 5 DPO, or it may be about to happen soon. As a result, depending on the time of conception, it is possible for women to feel some symptoms of pregnancy this early on.

Pregnancy tests are not accurate at 5 DPO, but some women later find that their early symptoms were indeed due to pregnancy. At 5 DPO, if the sperm has reached and fertilized the egg, the cells within the newly formed zygote begin multiplying to create a lump of cells called a blastocyst. These cells continue to multiply as the blastocyst makes its way down the fallopian tubes and into the uterus. When the blastocyst reaches the uterine wall, it attaches itself to get access to nutrients through the blood.

At 5 DPO, the blastocyst may either be traveling to the uterine wall or already connected to it. If it is attached, the blastocyst has started its journey toward becoming a fetus, and pregnancy is underway. The specific symptoms of pregnancy vary hugely from woman to woman. Women may experience cramps very early on in pregnancy.

These are due to implantation, which is when the fertilized egg attaches to the lining of the uterus. Implantation cramps may occur a few days after ovulation, and many women say that they feel cramps around 5 DPO. These cramps may occur in the lower back, abdomen, or pelvis.

Around 25 percent of women may notice slight bleeding around the time of implantation. This is called implantation bleeding, and it tends to be lighter in color and flow than a menstrual bleed.

Many women keep track of their basal, or baseline, body temperature while trying to conceive because it changes throughout the menstrual cycle. The temperature increases after ovulation and may stay higher than usual until the period begins. A basal body temperature that remains unusually high beyond the typical length of time may indicate pregnancy. However, these signs are not unique to pregnancy and can be due to another hormonal or lifestyle factor.

According to the National Institutes of Health , other early signs and symptoms of pregnancy may include:. Some women also report feeling dizzy or wobbly early on in pregnancy, often when they get up after lying down. Regardless of your feelings about a possible pregnancy, it can be easy to ascribe any sensations to pregnancy symptoms. Keep in mind, premenstrual syndrome PMS symptoms and those of early pregnancy can be similar.

Having symptoms a day or two after having sex is usually not a sign of pregnancy. Here are some things to consider as you try to determine if you're pregnant. Watch all episodes of our Stay Calm Mom video series and follow along as our host Tiffany Small talks to a diverse group of women and top doctors to get real answers to the biggest pregnancy questions. Nausea immediately after sex is something you may question as a sign of pregnancy. However, your body doesn't have enough time to react to produce that symptom due to a pregnancy resulting from recent intercourse.

For most women, pregnancy-related nausea begins two to eight weeks following conception. If you are having pregnancy-related nausea, you became pregnant weeks before. A pregnancy test is the best way to tell if you are pregnant or not. However, you must wait until you miss your period to get the most accurate results from a urine test.

This can be a home pregnancy test or a pregnancy test from your doctor, midwife, or health department. A blood test quantitative beta HCG might show positive results as early as one week after ovulation. Basal body temperature BBT can predict and suggest ovulation. This only works if you have been taking your temperature in the days prior to ovulation. Temperature elevation approximately 0. 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:. 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 PMS 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.

If you had unprotected sex or a contraceptive failure and fear you could get pregnant, emergency contraception is an option. Commonly called the " morning-after pill ," medications are available over-the-counter without a prescription that can prevent pregnancy if taken within five days of having unprotected sex. The sooner you take these medications, the more effective they are in preventing an unintended pregnancy. These medications do not cause an abortion, but rather prevent a pregnancy from being established.

Fears or hopes of getting pregnant can be an emotional roller coaster. You won't know for sure whether you are pregnant until a couple of weeks have passed since conception. Progesterone also rises when your period is imminent. Thanks, hormones.

After implantation, levels of hCG, estrogen, and progesterone all increase rapidly. This can cause your boobs to feel very sore. These hormones sure are multitaskers! While many women experience breast swelling or tenderness before their periods, this is likely to be more noticeable than usual in very early pregnancy.

Increased levels of progesterone following implantation can make you feel nauseous. But again, this most commonly occurs around 4 or 5 weeks of pregnancy about the time you miss your period. Progesterone slows down your digestion, which can contribute to nausea. Rising hCG levels and a more sensitive sense of smell can make the problem worse — so now might be a good time to avoid cooking liver and onions. Find yourself content and happy one minute, and weeping at a commercial on TV the next? Or excited to see your partner in the evening and then biting their head off over nothing?

You may be experiencing mood swings. Estrogen and progesterone, as well as hCG, increase very quickly following implantation. If you get pregnant, your temperature remains elevated. Some women seem to experience a one-day drop in temperature around the time of implantation. This is different than the drop in temperature that means your period is coming — in the case of an imminent period, your temperature would stay low.

In the case of implantation dip, your temp drops for one day and then goes back up. According to an analysis of more than , BBT charts from the popular app Fertility Friend, 75 percent of pregnant women using the app did not experience an implantation dip.

Additionally, a dip was noted on approximately 11 percent of the charts of women who were not pregnant. We wish it were — when will researchers get on this? But it may be helpful when it comes to interpreting your BBT chart. Trying to get pregnant can be both an exciting and nerve-wracking time.

Some women do notice signs and symptoms that implantation has occurred. Signs may include light bleeding, cramping, nausea, bloating, sore breasts, headaches, mood swings, and possibly a change in basal body temperature. Additionally, most women experience no signs of implantation at all and are in fact pregnant.