Two weeks of pregnancy is a period in which pregnancy may not yet be. Paradoxically, the fact remains. It all depends on when to calculate these two weeks. What does two weeks of pregnancy mean, as well as how the embryo develops during this period, we will tell in more detail.
How many months is it - calculating the terms
When doctors say about 2 weeks of pregnancy, they mean the very middle of the menstrual cycle - about 14 days. If a woman's cycle lasts 28 days, then it is on this day that ovulation occurs. Pregnancy, in fact, has not yet begun, but the egg is already ready to leave the follicle and fertilize. Obstetric week 2-3 is the period of fertilization and further advancement of the zygote, and then the blastocyst to the uterine cavity, where implantation takes place in 3 obstetric weeks.
Women understand this term a little differently. Most often, it is assumed that 2 weeks have passed from conception. According to the calculations of gynecologists, this is already 4 obstetric weeks. It is the fact that obstetric terms are ahead of the actual ones that causes misunderstanding between the doctor and the patient at the earliest stages of pregnancy. Then women get used to it and begin to measure their term by obstetric standards - it's more convenient this way.
In addition, all analyzes, ultrasound and other examinations are carried out exactly in accordance with the obstetric period. Let's consider both terms in more detail.
What does a woman feel?
If a woman has 2 obstetric weeks, the sensations are not much different from the usual menstrual cycle. The moment of ovulation is characterized by pain on the right or left in the lower abdomen, approximately where the ovary with a ruptured follicle is located. If 2 weeks have passed from conception, then the woman has the first day of delay in menstruation, and during this period the first sensations may already appear, which may indicate the presence of pregnancy.
So, 2 weeks after conceiving a week, a woman may feel that her breasts became more tender than before, slightly enlarged, and sore to pressure. In principle, in the second half of the cycle, a slight soreness in the area of the mammary glands is a familiar and normal phenomenon even without pregnancy, but this time, if conception has taken place, the breast will not stop hurting a day or two before the start of the next menstruation, but will continue to swell and disturb.
Many women note that they have increased salivation, appetite, they become more irritable, sleepy, get tired faster. All this is the action of the hormone progesterone. In the non-pregnant cycle, it is produced much less, and before menstruation, it drops to a low level, which allows menstruation to begin. If conception has taken place, then the level of this hormone is constantly increasing in order to provide better conditions for the developing embryo.
The hormone prevents the onset of menstruation, prepares the inner lining of the uterus for implantation, takes care of food and energy reserves for the baby, and also suppresses the mother's immunity, since it can mistakenly perceive the embryo as a foreign object, because it is only 50% genetically related, the latter 50% of genes are paternal genetic material.
High levels of the hormone are also manifested by intestinal problems. - a woman may experience constipation or diarrhea even before the delay, the temperature rises unmotivatedly, especially in the afternoon and evening, the basal temperature does not drop at the end of the second week, but remains at high levels. The main and only objective symptom at 2 weeks after conception is the absence of menstruation.
The effect of the hormone progesterone on the female body during pregnancy is described in detail in the following video.
Pain
Pains at 2 weeks of gestation are quite symbolic in nature and are more related to the category of emotional pain. If you do not pay attention to them, then you may not notice. At 2 obstetric week, ovulation itself may be accompanied by slight pain for several hours. 2 weeks after conception, sometimes women note that the lower abdomen slightly hurts on the day when the next menstruation was supposed to begin.
Some attribute such pains to the harbingers of menstruation, but the lower back and stomach pulls, and menstruation does not start. This is an excuse to take a pregnancy test. If, 2 weeks after ovulation, there is no menstruation, and the pain in the back area does not subside, this may indicate that the embryo has not taken root at the very initial stage of its development and is rejected, an early threat of termination of pregnancy has arisen.
Allocations
In the middle of the female cycle, during which a period of two obstetric weeks falls, the nature of the discharge changes. Many women, by the vaginal secretion, determine when they have a favorable period for conceiving a child. The discharge becomes more abundant, viscous, transparent, similar to raw egg white. Normally, light, transparent or colorless discharge should remain two weeks after conception.
Under the influence of progesterone, their number may increase slightly.
A change in the amount, color and smell of discharge may indicate that a woman has infections, an inflammatory process, and the threat of termination of pregnancy.
Rarely enough, a strange symptom is observed, which is difficult to explain clearly from a scientific point of view - on the day of the alleged menstruation, a woman develops a slight bloody "daub" or pink discharge. In a few hours they pass without a trace.
Sometimes this phenomenon is repeated every month during pregnancy, and then they say that "the fetus is washed." Such discharge does not pose any danger to either the mother or her child.
Their other types should alert: greenish, gray, brown, frothy, foul-smelling, bloody. Any discharge with blood at the beginning of pregnancy is a reason to consult a doctor to find out their cause. White thick discharge with the smell of yeast, accompanied by itching in the external genital area, should also alert at this time. Such discharge may indicate that a woman is developing thrush, an ailment that is a frequent companion of the very early stages of pregnancy.
Embryo development
We can speak about the development of the child only in relation to 2 embryonic weeks, since there is still no embryo at the same obstetric period. 2 weeks after conception, the fetus is not yet called an embryo, but in the next week it will become such, since the full embryonic period of its development will begin.
The weight of the crumbs, which so far looks like a blastocyst ball with bubbles on the surface, by the end of 2 weeks after conception will be about half a gram, growth - about a millimeter. Now the baby will have an important period - embryonic petals will begin to form.
There are only 3 of them: the outer one will soon become the skin and mucous membranes of the baby, the middle petal is destined to become the structural material for the heart and blood vessels, genitals, bones and muscles of the baby, the inner layer will become the basis for laying the digestive system, respiration, and the genitourinary system.
In two weeks of intrauterine life, the baby acquires the rudiment of the spinal cord, at the cellular level, the prototypes of all internal organs are determined, which will begin to form rapidly next week. Already now, while mom is thinking about which test to buy at the pharmacy to determine pregnancy, the baby begins to obtain oxygen for itself, and he does this with the help of a chorion from the mother's blood.
All embryonic structures, which include the chorion, amnion and yolk sac, work to ensure that the crumbs have the hormones and nutrients necessary for development.
Diagnosis of pregnancy
At 2 weeks after conception, it is already quite simple to find out about the fact of an ordinary miracle that has taken place. Immediately after the blastocyst is implanted in the uterus, the production of a specific hormone begins - chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Its concentration increases gradually, increasing every two days. And by the first day of delay, at exactly 2 weeks of actual pregnancy, the concentration of the hormone becomes distinguishable not only in the blood, but also in the urine. This is the basis of the existing rapid tests that can be purchased at pharmacies.
If you do the test in strict accordance with the instructions, do not break the rules, then you can get a fairly reliable result. A more accurate method is a blood test for hCG. In a woman's blood, the presence of a "pregnant" hormone can be determined even before the delay in menstruation. This method allows you not only to find out whether a new life has arisen in a woman, but also to find out how she is developing.
With a successful pregnancy, hCG grows in uniform jumps every two days. If the hormone levels are insufficient, the woman may be at risk of early miscarriage. If it significantly exceeds the norm, then one can suspect "double happiness" - twins or triplets.
There is no point in going to an ultrasound scan at 2 weeks of pregnancy after ovulation. The child, even if he managed to successfully gain a foothold in the uterine cavity, is still so small that there is no practical possibility to examine him using ultrasound scanning. Before 5 or 6 obstetric weeks, ultrasound will not show pregnancy.
True, the apparatus can still catch some indirect signs of an "interesting position" - this is looseness and swelling of the inner layer of the uterus, its increase in thickness. But this is how not only pregnancy manifests itself, but also inflammatory processes, some tumors, hormonal dysfunctions, so the doctor will not talk about this symptom as a symptom of pregnancy.
Recommendations for expectant mothers
At the 2nd obstetric week, women are advised not to consume alcoholic beverages and drugs, not to abuse drugs.
The chances of conception increase significantly if the parents prepared for this period in advance - they took vitamins, folic acid, underwent reproductive health examinations, and were tested.
After sex, during ovulation, or during the day before or after it, a woman should lie down quietly for about half an hour with her legs raised. Before sex and after the act, you should not douche, use hygienic cosmetics with an alkaline base.
At 2 weeks after conception, the woman is advised to remain calm. There are many months of bearing a baby ahead, stress is now not needed by either the baby or his mother. Also, after receiving a positive test, you should not delay contacting the antenatal clinic.
Early registration in dispensary records will allow to identify possible pathologies of pregnancy and its complications at the earliest stages.
A positive pregnancy test is a good reason to quit bad habits, reconsider nutritional priorities, start eating healthy, and lead a moderately active lifestyle.
For what happens in the 2nd week of pregnancy, see the next video.
