Whether conception is a long-awaited or undesirable event, that it happened, it is better to find out as soon as possible. So, how long does pregnancy occur after unprotected intercourse?
In order to understand this, you need to turn to the mechanism of conception in humans. After maturation of the dominant follicle in one of the ovaries, the egg leaves it. After ovulation, it moves to the uterus through the fallopian tube, leaving a trail of special substances behind it, so that it is easier for sperm to detect it. Fertilization occurs on the way to the uterus, and the moment when the germ cells merge will depend on the day of the cycle. More accurately determine how long pregnancy occurs after sex, information on the life expectancy of female and male germ cells will help.
It should be borne in mind that sperm live in the fallopian tubes and uterine cavity for up to 5 days - those of them who were not harmed by the acidic environment of the vagina and ciliary epithelium of the tubes. The acidity in the woman’s vagina (Ph) is 6, and after 2 hours she kills all the male reproductive cells that remain in it.
In anticipation of ovulation, another obstacle to the uterus is eliminated: the mucous plug that closes the cervical canal liquefies under the influence of hormones. The purpose of all these stages of selection is to give way only to the most healthy, fastest and hardiest carriers of genetic information. In any case, only one sperm penetrates the egg membrane and the nuclei of these two cells merge. When does pregnancy occur after conception? A unicellular embryo (zygote) is formed within 12-24 hours after ovulation, even if sexual intercourse took place 3-4 days before.
It is noteworthy that if more than one sperm penetrates through the membrane of the ovum, such an embryo is not viable. In the first weeks of pregnancy, the regulatory systems of the female body reject such a “defective” fetus, and a woman may not even know about a failed pregnancy: menstruation will come on time or a little later.
If the couple is faced with the task of successful conception, then the question - after how long the pregnancy occurs, is very relevant. After all, so that an ovum leaving the ovary can be fertilized, a certain (very high) concentration of live sperm in the semen is important. Lack of concentration is one of the causes of male infertility. Therefore, up to an hour X requires abstinence for a period of 2-3 days.
To find out how long pregnancy occurs, which is preceded by follicle maturation, basal temperature measurements and ovulation tests will help. The first method is more time-consuming and requires high accuracy. The second is more convenient: the test strip can be lowered into a container with urine at any time of the day. The concentration of luteinizing hormone LH will accurately determine the phase of the cycle. 12 hours before ovulation, the concentration in the body of this substance is maximum, which is clearly indicated by 2 strips. The surest way to achieve the goal is to make love right after a positive test for LH.
You need to understand that although formally a new life arises at the time of germination of germ cells, the fetal egg must still go a long way to the uterus. After how much pregnancy occurs, which is understood as the introduction of the fetus into the uterine cavity? If there are no obstacles in the fallopian tubes, that is, areas of obstruction, approximately 10 hours after the fusion of the nuclei, a new cell will enter the uterine cavity and try to gain a foothold there. If for some reason the movement slows down to 2-3 days, there is a risk of an ectopic pregnancy. Then the fetus is doomed, and there is a threat to the life of the mother.
Implantation of a fetal egg is necessary for its nutrition, because the corpus luteum reserves will not last long. Problems can arise if the endometrium is very thin, or there are scars and myomatous nodes in the uterus. A foreign body, such as a spiral, prevents the egg from gaining a foothold. If the woman had no curettage and surgical interventions in the history, then most likely the implantation will be successful and the chorionic villi will grow into the vessels of the endometrium. Now, nothing threatens the nascent life, the nutrition and supply of the embryo with oxygen will occur through the mother's body.