If you are trying to get pregnant, you may wonder whether you will feel different or notice any early symptoms right after conception. Conception takes place in the fallopian tubes shortly after you ovulate. It takes about 24 hours for a sperm to fertilize the egg. Then the fertilized egg will travel through the fallopian tube for 3 to 4 days before making its way into the uterus. Once it is in the uterus, implantation occurs – typically around 7-10 days after ovulation.
HCG, the “pregnancy hormone”, is present in your blood right after conception, but it won’t be detectable on a pregnancy test until after the egg attaches to the uterus during implantation. At the earliest, a pregnancy test will not show up positive until around 9 or 10 days past ovulation. Most women don’t notice pregnancy symptoms until after implantation, but some women will notice symptoms even before implantation.
Here are a few signs that you might notice after conception.
Spotting
Spotting that happens a few days before your period is due could be a very good sign that you are pregnant. This is one of the earliest signs of conception and typically takes place around 10 to 12 days after ovulation as the egg burrows into the lining of the uterus.
Bloating
You may notice bloating around the time you ovulate. This is a symptom of ovulation but it is also a sign of pregnancy. Hormonal changes that happen after ovulation cause the lining of your uterus to thicken, which may make you feel bloated, and the same hormones can slow down your digestive system which can add to the bloating. Some bloating may occur whether you have conceived or not, but if you feel more bloated than you usually do, this could be a sign that you are pregnant.
Cramping
Most women think of cramping as a PMS symptom. So, when they feel cramping several days after ovulation, they think it means that they are most likely not pregnant. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Cramping is a great sign of conception. When the embryo burrows into the lining of the uterus, it can cause cramping. This cramping may start earlier in your cycle than when PMS starts and may be more intense than typical pre-menstrual cramps.
Breast Tenderness
For some women, breast tenderness is their most noticeable sign of pregnancy. All of a sudden, their breasts go from feeling normal to feeling fuller and incredibly sensitive. Some breast tenderness around ovulation is normal and breast tenderness is also a pre-menstrual symptom. However, if you notice your breasts feeling more tingly, sore, or that your nipples hurt when something brushes against them, this could be a very good sign.
Fatigue
Feeling more tired or fatigued is one of the biggest sign of pregnancy. Most women don’t notice this fatigue until close to when their period is due. It is not the earliest sign of conception, but more of a later sign. Still, some women are very sensitive to hormonal changes and may notice that they feel fatigued starting as early as implantation. If you notice that you are taking more naps than usual or just feeling run down, this could be an indicator that you are pregnant.
Backache
Backache is a similar symptom to cramping. Some women just feel this aching in their backs. When implantation takes place, the egg burrows into the lining of the uterus. This process can cause cramping and other aches and pains, like a low backache. A backache around the time of implantation could be an early sign of conception.
Exaggerated PMS Symptoms
There are numerous pregnancy symptoms, including classic symptoms like nausea and frequent urination, but most of these symptoms don’t start until you around 6 weeks pregnant. Early symptoms, the ones that happen shortly after conception, tend to feel more like PMS but more exaggerated. If you feel like you are more moody, crampy, bloated, tired, or emotional, this could be an early clue that you are pregnant.
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