Pregnancy Week 2

What’s happening to your ovum and his sperm?

A matured ovum from the ovary is released during week 2 into your fallopian tube. If you’ve wondered what the term ‘ovulation’ meant, this is it - ovulation is the release of ovum into your reproductive tract! When the ovum reaches the fallopian tube, chances are there that your man’s sperms are already waiting in there (if you had sex within five days before ovulation). If there are no sperms yet, your ovum will wait for 12-24 hours for a sperm to fertilize.

Unlike you who released only one egg cell in a cycle, your man has been producing millions of sperm cells every day. His sperms continue their journeys through epididymis until they reach the sperm duct. When he is sexually aroused, sperms stored in the sperm duct mixes with the fluids secreted by his seminal vesicles and prostrate glands on their way as they travel to their final exit during ejaculation into your vagina at the time of having sex.

What’s happening to your body?

2-weeks pregnant is the time when your body is preparing the most for your pregnancy. A sequence of physiological changes happens within your system now. As your ovum is getting matured, estrogen, the female sex hormone, increases in its level. Estrogen prepares your uterine environment conducive for fertilization. It facilitates the thickening of your uterine lining in order to implant and nurture the embryo once it is formed.

With the rise in the level of estrogen, production of another hormone called the luteinizing hormone (LH) is triggered which causes the mature ovum to break open from the follicle. Post ovulation, the ruptured follicle produces progesterone, the early pregnancy hormone which along with estrogen, further strengthens your uterus for pregnancy.

Tips and advice for Pregnancy Week 2 Understand your fertility window

Conception is all about the timing of sex. It is good to know your fertile days to increase the chances of pregnancy.

Ovulation occurs between 10-14 days after your last period. While this timeline is common in women with a 28-day cycle, the ovulation day can greatly vary from woman to woman. Factors such as stress and climate can also affect when you ovulate. Check an online ovulation calculator to understand when you ovulate.

To understand your fertility window, you must make a mental note that sperms can survive in your reproductive tract for around five days after deposition on your vagina. However an ovum is viable for only 12-24 hours. Thus said, you are most fertile from around five days before ovulation up to 24 hours after ovulation. Having sex every day during your fertile days can be a great idea for your baby-making venture.

Look for signs of ovulation

Nature provides us clues to understand what goes on within our bodies and closely following the signs of ovulation listed below, you can predict your exact ovulation date.

1.       Rise in basal body temperature. Ovulating women tend to have a slight rise in the body temperature of around ½ to 1 degree. Monitor your temperature as a morning routine when you wake up, from after a week of your period. Though it is a mild rise, it is said to be the most common sign of ovulation.

2.       Increased sexual drive. Nature brings in its own way to support a woman’s chances to procreate. Ovulating woman may experience increased libido as a result of the hormonal changes that accompany ovulation.

3.    Sticky cervical mucus. The color and consistency of the cervical discharge keeps changing as a woman’s physiology undergoes changes through the menstrual cycle. On your ovulation day, if you remove a little of your mucus from the vagina and place it in between your thumb and index finger, you will be able to stretch it without it falling apart. This sticky consistency is a sure sign that you are ovulating.

4.    Changes in the cervix. Like the cervical mucus, the cervix too changes during the ovulation cycle. Though it can be difficult to get a hang of the change, you can try to feel your inside using a clean finger. On your ovulation day, your cervix is often softer and more open, as an active instinct to let the penis inside. After ovulation, however, your cervix becomes harder signaling that it is closed for conception.

5.       Breast tenderness. With the surge of hormones, breast tenderness is a common sign of ovulation.