The average length of a pregnancy is about 40 weeks and is measured from the first day of the last menstrual period before the conception occurred- also called the gestational age. Therefore technically, women are not yet pregnant on the first week of pregnancy. It is generally during the end of the second week or the start of the third week that conception occurs depending on ovulation.
What is gestational age?
Although pregnancy lasts for about 9 months, it is measured from the first day of the last menstrual period (LMP) to derive what is called gestational age. Adding 3-4 weeks before actual pregnancy brings the full-term pregnancy to about 40 weeks or 10 months. The gestational age is different from the fetal age as the latter starts at the time of conception and lags the former by about two weeks. The gestational age importance is that it is used to assess fetal growth, determine the baby’s due date and schedule prenatal screenings and tests.
What happens during the first week?
During the first week, women are still going through their last menstrual cycle before pregnancy. The uterus is shedding its lining, and the last month’s unfertilized is being shed through the period. As the period ends, more eggs are maturing in the ovaries for the next cycle. The pregnancy first-week symptoms are the same as the menstrual cycle symptoms and involve uterine cramps, breast tenderness, headaches, mood changes, back pain, fatigue and acne.
Women who are trying for pregnancy must have nutritious pregnancy first-week food and take their prenatal vitamins such as folic acid to ensure the body’s reserves are at optimal levels for when the fetus begins to develop.
What happens during the second week?
The second week of pregnancy is when the body starts preparing for ovulation which can occur between 13 to 20 days after the first day of the last menstrual period. During week 2, several follicles in the ovaries are maturing to release one egg during ovulation. One of these eggs would have become dominant and triggers the release of estrogen that prompts the uterus to thicken the lining with blood in preparation for the fertilized egg. Just before the ovulation occurs, there is a spike in the luteinizing hormone (LH), which ovulation kits can detect. The luteinizing hormone prompts the mature egg to burst from its follicle. The egg is alive for about 12 to 24 hours, before which it has to be fertilized by the waiting sperm.
Ovulation usually occurs towards the end of the second week, and it is the ideal time to have sex to get pregnant. Women can use a number of ovulation tracking methods such as the basal body temperature, the mucus method or track using ovulation kits to precisely predict ovulation. Having sex 5 days before and on the day of ovulation (fertility window) is the best way to ensure pregnancy.
Wrapping Up
During pregnancy week 1 and week 2, the conception (fertilization of the egg by a sperm) hasn’t occurred yet, and the woman is still going through her last menstrual period before pregnancy. There will be no pregnancy symptoms or the presence of a fetus just yet.
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