During the first two weeks of pregnancy, most of the women are not even aware that they have conceived. At this phase, very few women experience the symptoms of pregnancy. These two weeks are primarily dedicated to ovulation and then fertilization. At this time the body produces an immense amount of estrogen and progesterone so that the body is ready to embark on the process of ovulation when the egg is released from the ovaries. If everything falls into place then the egg will get fertilized, and will reach the uterus via the fallopian tubes and will dwell there for a period of forty or forty-two weeks normally.
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Generally, this is not the time when women experience symptoms of pregnancy but they might experience symptoms of ovulation like pain in the lower abdomen and colorless discharge. When the amount of this colorless discharge is more and slippery in nature, then it means that it is the best time for you to conceive. Another sign of ovulation is high basal body temperature. You will experience a rise of up to 0.6 degrees of temperature as compared to the temperature which prevailed during the first couple of weeks of your menstrual cycle. You can measure the basal body temperature through a basal thermometer, and ideally, it should be measured when you wake up in the morning as any type of physical activity during the day can introduce fluctuations in the basal temperature, which will give you inaccurate results.
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Usually, women do not experience any pregnancy symptoms till two weeks after the onset of ovulation, but few women can experience pregnancy symptoms immediately after conception. Many couples are quite stressed out during this time and it should be avoided as it can drastically reduce your chances of conceiving a baby. Since it is difficult to ascertain the actual time of conception, doctors consider the beginning of a pregnancy from the first day of your last period. Technically a woman is considered pregnant before the time of conception and is considered two weeks pregnant when she conceives a baby. Basically, a normal pregnancy lasts for a period of forty weeks and you are most likely to deliver after thirty weeks from the time of conception. Only five percent of the women deliver their babies on the stipulated due date mentioned by the doctor. In some cases, the pregnancy can also stretch up to forty weeks, before the labor kicks in.
During these three weeks, a lot of changes occur in the body as it prepares itself for pregnancy. The production of certain hormones in the body surges up so that a thick lining of tissue encompasses the uterus in order to provide support for the egg (fertilized) after the time of conception. The three two weeks of pregnancy witnesses the production of eggs in the ovary follicles and reaches the fallopian tube (during ovulation) and stays there so that sperms can fertilize them. A sperm normally takes approximately ten hours to complete its journey and reach the egg at the fallopian tube.
Fourth Week Of Pregnancy
It is generally during the fourth week of pregnancy that most women discover that they are pregnant primarily because they experience missed period which is one of the most important symptoms of pregnancy. In certain cases, women tend to feel tired during the fourth week of pregnancy as the body experiences many changes in order to support the growth of the baby. The symptoms that women experience during this phase are quite similar to that of the menstrual period. The general symptoms of a menstrual period which are nausea and cramps might occur at this time. There are some women who experience a lot of abdominal cramps and they are quite sure they will get their normal periods within a couple of days, but they are completely taken aback when they get to know they are pregnant after a couple of weeks when the period does not arrive. Abdominal cramps can hint both towards pregnancy or the usual menstrual period, so one really needs to be careful, in order to detect the pregnancy at the right time.
Related: Signs of Labor: Early Signs; Symptoms of Labor
During the last days of the fourth week of pregnancy, you can take a home pregnancy test in order to find out whether you are pregnant or not. If you are expecting to get pregnant and the pregnancy test shows a negative result, then do not lose heart, just give it some more time because some women do not produce sufficient pregnancy hormones during the fourth week of pregnancy, and hence the home pregnancy test kit cannot confirm pregnancy.
The occurrence of pregnancy depends on a lot of factors and treatment for infertility is not considered until a couple has been trying to conceive a baby for a year, without any success. At times stress is the major factor because of which couples cannot conceive. Ironically most women conceive when they are not making a conscious effort to get pregnant and the reason for this can be because that their mind and body are free from any kind of stress. Practicing yoga or meditation can provide a calming effect to the mind and help you to get rid of stress.
The size of the baby at the fourth week of pregnancy is around 0.04 inches. The placenta starts to develop at this time. Through the placenta, the baby will get its nourishment during the pregnancy. The placenta consists of intricate networks which carry nutrients and oxygen to the fetus. The embryo will implant itself deeply on the uterine wall. Even the development of the baby’s organ begins during the fourth week of pregnancy. So the early phase of pregnancy is considered a very critical period and if the mother comes in contact with harmful substances then it can cause some kind of damage to the fetus. Fetus malformations in most cases are due to exposure to harmful substances like tobacco and alcohol. If the mother is addicted to any of these substances then she should take adequate measures to control it as it is not good for the baby.