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Am I Pregnant?

This question can change your life. Pregnancy symptoms can be non-existent, ambiguous and vague. How did we ever live through the anxiety before home pregnancy tests were available?

Let's start at the beginning... At conception when an egg gets fertilized around the time of ovulation, it starts its journey down the Fallopian tubes to the uterus. Sometime between days 7 to 10 after ovulation, the growing ball of cells that will become your baby implants in the lining of the uterus. Some women experience some spotting when this happens. This implantation bleeding is one of the very earliest pregnancy symptoms. Women who chart their basal temperatures every morning may also notice a dip in their temperatures during implantation.

Some women may begin to feel nauseous, tired or crampy around this time, while others will just feel normal. Others may feel tenderness in their breasts and notice a change in their shape or feel an increased need to empty their bladder. For women who track their temperatures every morning, you will notice that your temperature stays above the coverline that was established on your chart when you ovulated. If your temperature stays elevated for 18 days past ovulation, chances are you are pregnant.

If you're experiencing any of the first pregnancy symptoms, you'll want to confirm whether you're pregnant or not with a home pregnancy test. There are many places to purchase inexpensive pregnancy tests online or in nearby stores. Even the Dollar Stores carry pregnancy tests... for just a buck. What a deal! With all these inexpensive tests, some women become a little obsessed with testing. I have to count myself among this category, although I don't test as frequently as some women do. But who can blame them? Tests are cheap and easy to come by, and it is the first thing you can do to take charge of your pregnancy.

If you think you may be pregnant, calculate your due date here!

Due Date Calculator

Some women will begin testing as early as 7 or 8 days past ovulation, but that is too early for most women to see pregnancy symptoms and get a positive result. Remember, most embryos don't even implant in the lining of the uterus until sometime between day 7 and day 10. After that, it takes a few days for the levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) to rise and pregnancy symptoms to start. With each day you wait, the greater your chances of getting an accurate result. If you can hold out until the day you expect your period and your temps are still raised... you stand a good chance of getting a positive test.

I came across a small chart that listed the accuracy of pregnancy tests depending on how many days past ovulation and feeling some pregnancy symptoms. I don't vouch for its accuracy, but it seems to work out anecdotally with women I've talked with on various message boards.

Chances of getting a positive home pregnancy test if you're pregnant:

10 days past ovulation - 35%

11 days past ovulation - 51%

12 days past ovulation - 62%

13 days past ovulation - 68%

14 days past ovulation - 74%

15 days past ovulation - 80%

16 days past ovulation - 88%

17 days past ovulation - 92%

18 days past ovulation - 99%

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Whether your test is positive or not, you may be looking for symptoms. Each woman is different, and each pregnancy is different. One person may have every symptom in the book, while another won't feel anything. Both can go on to have a healthy baby, so the severity of pregnancy symptoms really don't tell you anything about the viability of the pregnancy.

ELEVATED TEMPERATURE
One of the first symptoms that can be noted if you chart is that your temperature will remain elevated. This is caused by the continued production of progesterone.

IMPLANTATION SPOTTING
Some women may notice implantation spotting about 6 to 10 days after ovulating. Not everyone has this symptom, however. This is caused by the blastocyst implanting in the lining of the uterus. Sometimes it is accompanied by cramping.

MISSING PERIOD
The next noticeable symptom is missing your period. The vast majority of women will have their periods stop for the duration of pregnancy, though a few will continue to have light periods for a few cycles. This is the symptom that most women take notice of.

MORNING SICKNESS
Morning sickness is the bane of many pregnant women. Most will have at least occasional nausea, but some women won't get it at all. Others will have it so severely that they may end up hospitalized. Severe cases are known as hyperemesis gravidarum (extreme vomiting in pregnancy). For most women, morning sickness can be relieved by eating. Try to eat several small meals per day to make sure your stomach is never empty. And remember, just because they call it morning sickness doesn't mean that it only happens in the morning. It can strike at any time of day. Most women will find morning sickness fades away once you hit the second trimester.

FREQUENT URINATION
Before you know it, you'll be making more trips to the bathroom. Your growing uterus is putting pressure on your bladder, and while it may feel really full and you've GOT to relieve it, you may find yourself in the bathroom riddng yourself of about a teaspoon of urine. Fun, huh? This will get better as your uterus grows up and out of your pelvis.

BREAST TENDERNESS
Some women notice tenderness in their breasts. They may also feel a tingling, heat or mild pain. Your breasts are beginning to prepare for breastfeeding after the baby is born.

As you can see, there may be a lot going on even if your belly isn't very noticeable yet. None of these symptoms, however, are positive for pregnancy. Each can be caused by other issues. You won't get a positive pregnancy sign until you either feel your baby move, or hear the heartbeat.

Medical Disclaimer

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