Almost every modern girl wonders how long pregnancy can be determined. This is not an easy task, especially considering the fact that everyone has an “interesting position” in different ways. Next, we will talk about how and when to check for the success of conception. With proper preparation, the process will not cause any special trouble.
About Conception
First, a few words about how fertilization occurs.
The thing is that in the woman’s body the egg matures in the first half of the menstrual cycle. Then she breaks out of her cocoon. This moment is considered to be ovulation - the most favorable time for conception.
During the ovulatory period, the egg moves through the fallopian tubes, awaiting fertilization. If it happened, then within two days after ovulation, the fertilized egg is attached to the uterus. Otherwise, the female reproductive cell dies and a new menstrual cycle begins.
Important: conception is possible even if the girl had unprotected sex a week before ovulation. Sperm live in the body of a woman for about a week. And therefore, to the "X-day" the activity of male cells is maintained.
But how long can pregnancy be determined? And how to conduct a check?
Determination methods
First of all, we will consider all possible scenarios. Let's talk about methods for determining pregnancy.
Today, a woman can find out about her situation:
- by visiting a gynecologist;
- using ultrasound;
- after she does a pregnancy test;
- blood or urine tests;
- due to physiological signs of the manifestation of an "interesting position".
All this will be described later. There are also non-standard ways and methods by which the condition of a woman is determined, but we will not get to know them, because signs and superstitions do not give any guarantees.
About fetal development
Pregnancy occurs immediately after fertilization of the egg. But to recognize this process will not work instantly. For a while, a woman will not suspect an "interesting situation." This is due to the fact that pregnancy begins to appear over time, depending on the state of the organism of a single woman, heredity and the stage of development of the baby.
First, a fetal egg appears. It is it that attaches to the uterus. Here is the further development of the future baby. The embryo begins to grow, but it still does not look like a small man.
By the end of the first month of pregnancy, you can establish the heartbeat of the embryo using ultrasound. And at this moment, women often find out about their situation. Only outwardly pregnancy is not yet noticeable.
By the 12th week of the “interesting situation”, the unborn child acquires the appearance of a person. He has formed some organs, visible arms and legs. In some cases, at 12-14 weeks, you can determine the gender of the baby. But, as a rule, the obtained data may turn out to be erroneous. The further development of the child will have to be observed using ultrasound and various analyzes.
By week 37, the child is ready to "come into the light." Sometimes women have preterm birth - at 24-25 weeks of gestation. This is not the best option, but it is not hopeless. With proper medical supervision and care (resuscitation and nursing will be required), the baby can survive and develop further as full-term children.
How long can pregnancy be determined? You can’t answer unequivocally, but you should not lose heart. Therefore, further we consider all possible layouts.
Changes in mom's body
It is worth noting that in the female body immediately after a "successful" sexual intercourse, the hormonal background begins to change. There is a preparation of a woman for bearing a baby and childbirth.
The first thing you need to pay attention to is the increase in the hCG hormone. Its concentration is growing rapidly with the development of pregnancy. This indicator is the main one when checking for the success of conceiving a child in most cases.
In addition, the body is rebuilt as a whole. For example, the abdomen begins to grow (a slight bloating can be seen immediately), the pelvis diverges, and the mammary glands enlarge. By the end of the "interesting situation" colostrum stands out - the child will feed on it in its first independent days of existence.
As already mentioned, visually changes in the body are not immediately visible. Usually, by the second trimester (less often - towards the end), you can easily understand that the woman is pregnant. But we are interested in the early signs.
Ultrasound and indications
How long can pregnancy be determined? Ultrasound research is the most accurate method of solving the problem. It can be abdominal and transvaginal.
The second option is carried out in the early stages. A small sensor with a camera is inserted into the vagina, which shows the internal organs. With the help of such a study, you can see a positive result already in the 3rd week.
Important: sometimes experts confuse a fertilized egg with a tumor. This is not a rare occurrence for the 3rd week of fetal development, although real doctors rarely make such hasty and frightening conclusions.
Women prefer the "abdominal" method of ultrasound. In this case, the sensor is driven through the abdominal cavity from the outside. A fetal egg can also be seen at the end of the first month after conception. It refers to the time elapsed since the day of ovulation.
Heartbeat and position
I wonder if the girl has a pregnancy? Week 3 of embryo development is a period when only a fetal egg can be seen. Whether there is an embryo in it is not yet clear. Even an ultrasound scan will not be able to solve the task so early.
You need to wait a bit. At 5-6 weeks, the embryo, as already mentioned, can determine the heartbeat. Ultrasound can demonstrate this. Therefore, one should not rush to a visit to the corresponding office.
Important: sometimes the heartbeat can be determined only at 6-7 weeks of the "interesting position". If after this time there is a fetal egg, but an ultrasound scan does not show the viability of the embryo, a diagnosis of “frozen pregnancy” is made.
Another point - sometimes women go to ultrasound, where they use old devices. In this case, it is necessary to evaluate the results obtained along with the rest of the analyzes. After all, old cars can fail and not “see” the heartbeat of the embryo.
The first week - is it possible to recognize pregnancy
Quite often, women are interested in the symptoms of early pregnancy. 1 week is just the time that attracts the most attention. After all, the sooner a woman finds out about her situation, the faster she will be able to decide on an abortion or change her lifestyle so as not to harm the unborn baby.
In the first week, there really are chances to determine the presence of pregnancy, but this is a huge rarity. The thing is that at this moment, as a rule, the introduction of the fetal egg into the uterus occurs. This process sometimes leads to damage to its walls. This in turn causes slight bleeding. It is called implantation.
Within 1 week, there is a chance that the expectant mother may notice minor bleeding on her underwear or panty liner (or blood smears / pink or brown vaginal discharge). This often indicates a successful conception.
Important: there is no need to specifically look out for implantation bleeding. In most cases, the attachment of a fetal egg is asymptomatic.
Body changes
I wonder when outwardly manifests pregnancy? Week 3 is a developmental stage in which the size of the fetus is too small for the changes to be seen with the naked eye. Therefore, first, women pay attention to other changes in the body.
For example, almost immediately after fertilization (usually by 2 weeks), the following are observed in girls:
- chest pain
- pulling sensations in the abdomen (small, without sharpness);
- change in pigmentation of the nipples;
- slight bloating;
- constipation.
All this can really indicate a successful conception. Especially similar manifestations are noticeable in very thin girls - due to bloating, too narrow trousers can become small.
Other changes in the body develop towards the end of the first trimester. Therefore, you have to think about how in the early stages to learn about the presence of a small life.
Gynecologist examination
In reality, everything is much more difficult than it seems. How long can pregnancy be determined? It is much easier for a gynecologist to do than many people think.
After successful fertilization, serious hormonal changes begin in the woman’s body. After about 1-2 weeks, the gynecologist can draw conclusions about the alleged pregnancy based on the tests received.
If we talk about the examination on a gynecological chair, then doctors will be able to suspect an "interesting position" in 1.5-2 weeks. Explicit "pregnant look" female internal genital organs acquire by 3-4 weeks. Until this time, you should not hope for a 100% result.
Test
And for how long can pregnancy be determined by a test? This is the easiest and most common way. Almost everyone uses a similar diagnostic method.
Modern means of diagnosing pregnancy usually indicate an "interesting position" from the first day of the delay. Before this time, using home diagnostic tools is not recommended.
Important: Separate pregnancy tests can show an “interesting position” only after a certain time after a delay. It depends on the sensitivity of the measuring device. The bulk of the tests have a sensitivity index of 25 mMe. This is pretty high precision.
Tests and moments of conception
How long does the test show pregnancy? Ideally, this is the first day of the alleged menstruation. This has already been said. Until there are no critical days, it is better not to use a similar diagnostic method. It can show a false negative result.
If we talk about the definition of "interesting position" from the moment of conception at home by means of rapid tests, the bulk of such devices shows the result at 3-4 weeks. At this point, the level of hCG in the urine rises to the levels to which the reagent reacts on the measuring device.
Important: electronic tests in some cases show pregnancy already at 1-2 weeks. Moreover, with the help of such devices it is possible to determine very precisely how many embryos already live in the female body.
Analyzes
How long can a pregnancy be determined? From the first day after menstruation did not come. That is, 1-2 days after the delay of the cycle. This is in most cases 2 weeks of conception and 4 weeks of pregnancy.
Most often, immediately after a pregnancy test, women go for tests. For example, blood or urine on hCG. These are fairly accurate methods for determining an “interesting situation,” especially in the early stages.
You can judge pregnancy already a week after conception, but only if you donate blood and urine regularly. A sharp increase in hCG most often indicates pregnancy. By the first day of the delay, blood and urine tests will show whether the girl will be a mother in the near future.
Signs Before Delay
Nevertheless, the bulk of these methods for determining the "interesting position" helps to accurately talk about pregnancy only after a delay in the menstrual cycle. Is it possible to somehow find out about your situation earlier?
Theoretically, yes, but not always. As in the case of implantation bleeding, external symptoms depend on the individual characteristics of the body.
It is difficult to find out and predict the pregnancy period before the delay. But women often note the following signs of an "interesting situation":
- drowsiness;
- fatigue;
- quick change of mood;
- increased sense of smell;
- aversion to certain odors;
- changes in taste preferences.
Of course, the most famous sign of pregnancy is toxicosis. It may be accompanied by gagging, especially in the mornings and evenings.
All the signs listed above really occur before the delay of the menstrual cycle. And according to them, many begin to suspect a successful conception.
How long can a pregnancy be determined? For someone, the listed symptoms occur a week before the expected menstruation. More often - by the day of the next, but never arrived menstruation.
The temperature will tell
I wonder if a woman has a pregnancy? What to do in the early stages of a regulation to determine it?
The following advice will help women who carefully monitor their body to cope with the task. The thing is that the "interesting position" can be recognized by basal body temperature. This indicator is often used in the "capture" of ovulation.
If after the "X-day" the body temperature keeps elevated (from 37 to 37.5 degrees Celsius) for about 5-6 days - there is a pregnancy. You can usually talk about successful conception when the basal temperature is elevated after ovulation 2-3 days longer than usual.
Important: in order to get the most accurate readings, the girl needs to keep a basal temperature chart for 3-6 months. Only then, an increase in indicators after ovulation can be considered the most correct.
It is worth remembering that ovulation is a value that can be influenced by various factors. At basal temperature, tumors and inflammations are sometimes detected. Therefore, an increase in indicators does not always emphasize pregnancy. What to do in the early stages of the alleged "interesting situation"? Measure BT, do a pregnancy test, and take HCG tests.
Finally
That's all. We found out at what point the girl can find out that soon she will become a mother. In fact, it is not as simple as it seems.
How long can a multiple pregnancy be determined? On the same as the usual one. The difference is that visually a similar situation will be noticed earlier - the woman’s stomach will grow faster.
Ideally, pregnancy can be determined at 3-4 weeks of conception. Even better, if a woman waits until 5-7 weeks, so that the fetal heartbeat can be detected.
In real life, pregnancy is diagnosed at 2 weeks of development of the baby - this is the first day of delayed menstruation or 4 obstetric weeks of "interesting position".