Week 3


Week 3. Some women experience signs or symptoms of pregnancy within a week of conception. For other women, pregnancy symptoms may develop over a few weeks or may not be present at all.

  • Implantation bleeding can be one of the earliest pregnancy symptoms.
  • Swollen or tender breasts is a pregnancy symptom which may also begin as early as 1-2 weeks after conception. Women may notice changes in their breasts; they may be tender to the touch, sore, or swollen. Many women say the tenderness they feel is an exaggerated version of how their breasts feel before a period.
  • Feeling fatigued or more tired is a pregnancy symptom which can also start as early as the first week after conception. Increased levels of the hormone progesterone make you feel exhausted. The sudden rise of hormones in your body can also cause you to have headaches early in pregnancy.
  • Frequent urination Shortly after you become pregnant, you may find yourself hurrying to the bathroom at an alarming frequency.
  • Basal body temperature stays high If you’ve been charting your temperature and it stays elevated after you’ve ovulated, you’re probably pregnant.

While you are experiencing these symptoms a lot is going on in your womb. Your baby-in-the-making is just a tiny ball consisting of several hundred cells that are multiplying madly. Once the ball of cells (called a blastocyst) takes up residence in your uterus, the part of it that will develop into the placenta starts producing the pregnancy hormone hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), which tells your ovaries to stop releasing eggs and triggers increased production of estrogen and progesterone (which keep your uterus from shedding its lining — and its tiny passenger — and stimulates placental growth). HCG is the hormone that turns a pregnancy test positive; by the end of this week, you may be able to take one and get a positive result! (If your test is negative and you still haven’t gotten your period in two or three days, try again then.) -Several days after conception, the fertilized egg burrowed into the lining of your uterus and started to grow. A baby is in the making! You probably don’t know you’re pregnant yet, but you may notice a little spotting by the end of this week. This so-called “implantation spotting” . Have a home pregnancy test on hand in case you don’t get your period next week. Most home tests can accurately detect pregnancy in the week after your period is normally due — two weeks after you ovulate. Buy a kit that has multiple tests, so you can take it more than once. For best results, test first thing in the morning.

Week 4

  • Heightened sense of smell Many newly pregnant women find they’re overwhelmed by gag-inducing smells early in pregnancy. This may be a side effect of rapidly increasing levels of estrogen in your system.
  • Food aversions Food turn-offs are even more common than cravings during pregnancy. You may suddenly find that certain foods you used to enjoy are now completely repulsive to you.
  • Nausea or vomiting Morning sickness usually doesn’t start for a few weeks, but some women feel queasy earlier.
  • Your basal body temperature steel stays high
  • Bleeding or spotting Some women notice a small amount of red spotting or pink or reddish brown staining around the time they should get their period. (If you have pain along with spotting or bleeding, call your caregiver immediately since this can be a sign of an ectopic pregnancy.)

This week marks the beginning of the embryonic period. Right now your baby is an embryo the size of a poppy seed. consisting of two layers: the epiblast and the hypoblast, from which all of her organs and body parts will develop. The primitive placenta is also made up of two layers at this point. Its cells are tunneling into the lining of your uterus, creating spaces for your blood to flow so that the developed placenta will be able to provide nutrients and oxygen to your growing baby when it starts to function at the end of this week.

Sometime this week, you may be able to find out whether you’re pregnant. For the most accurate results, wait until the end of the week to take a home pregnancy test. (You can try one now if you like, but you’re more likely to get a correct result a week past your expected period.) If the test is positive, call your practitioner’s office and schedule your first prenatal appointment. Most practitioners won’t see you until you’re about eight weeks along, unless you have a medical condition, had problems with a previous pregnancy, or are having symptoms that need to be checked out.