Indeed, how soon after conception do pregnancy symptoms start? And which signs and symptoms signalize about pregnancy even before a positive test result?
Important Factors
We should note that everything about the answer to this question is completely individual and depends on a lot of factors: a state of health, individual characteristics of the organism, female sensitivity (in a way), and even the suspiciousness of a future mother.
What do we mean? For example, a woman wanted very much to conceive. She, with the help of her husband, found out the best days to get pregnant. Then they have been trying hard to conceive, and after only a couple of days the woman feels like she’s very much pregnant: she’s dizzy, fatigued, can’t stand her dear husband… In most such cases self-suggestion mechanism is triggered: a woman is dreaming about getting pregnant and therefore she thinks that the conception has already happened, even if there is no direct evidence so far – she just “feels it”, having read a lot about pregnancy symptoms in different books and online.
If pregnancy really has come, such a woman immediately shares her experience with friends, writes forum posts and comments – and here is a whole army of women who are sure yesterday’s sex is “the thing”. Other women might not even guess about their pregnancy after as much time as two months after the conception. But we shouldn’t go to extremes. A lot of women belong to a so-called “impartial group” that notices the presence of definite signs and symptoms as they manifest themselves, after all.
How Soon Do Pregnancy Symptoms Really Start?
In reality, some pregnancy symptoms do start very early: in one-two weeks after the egg cell is fertilized. They include, first of all, vaginal bleeding. Don’t confuse it with your normal period which shouldn’t start so soon. In the case we’re speaking about this is implantation bleeding when a fertilized egg has reached the uterus and fastened to its wall. As a result of this process, there can be some minor pink excreta that are not accompanied by usual spasmodic pains (the only thing you can feel is a little pressure) and are soon over. Implantation bleeding happens on the 6th-12th day after the conception. But keep in mind that not every woman experiences this symptom. A lot of future mothers don’t have any spots.
At the same time (6th-12th day after the conception) the woman can become sleepy, constantly fatigued, and apathetic; experience headaches. The reason for these symptoms is a sudden increase in hormones in the organism.
After 7-14 days there may be some breast sensitivity: your breasts become tender and taut. Some women notice their nipples have swollen and become darker, there can also be a few drops of colostrum.
If the woman doesn’t have any digestive tract disorders or food poisoning and is still bothered by nausea and vomiting then it can mean we have another early pregnancy symptom. How soon can you get this pregnancy sign? It usually manifests about two weeks after conception.
14-20 days after the conception the future mother can have some unusual food cravings or, on the contrary, food intolerance (especially if she can’t stand some of her favorite foods).
A few days before the usual period should come (or on the 3rd-4th day after a delay) a pregnant woman can experience a basal temperature increase. You should take rectal measurements every morning before getting out of bed, immediately after waking up.
And, of course, a missed period is the most certain early pregnancy sign. But don’t forget that some women can have menstrual excreta in the early pregnancy stages, even if they have already experienced some first symptoms of pregnancy. In such cases, the period is shorter and the amount of excreta is less than usual.
If you have already experienced some of those symptoms and the timing is right, then it’s likely that soon everyone will be congratulating you on your new status! But until you know everything for sure, take care of yourself and stay healthy!
Born in Belarus, 1985, a pedagogue and family psychologist, mother. Taking part in procedures of social adaptation of the foster children in new families. Since 2015 is a chief editor of the motherhow.com project, selecting the best and up-to-date material for those, who are planning, expecting, and already having babies.