Conception And Pregnancy

If you are wondering about the specific day you got pregnant or you are trying to get pregnant, here’s a step by step insight on Conception.

Pregnancy can only occur when a sperm fuses with an egg. Every month, some eggs grow in the follicle situated in your ovaries. Then at about two weeks before your next period the follicle releases the eggs in a process called Ovulation.

What Happens During Ovulation

As ovulation approaches, the oestrogen level of your body rises and this makes your uterine wall to thicken creating a conducive environment for the sperm. This high level of oestrogen then triggers the increase of the Luteinizing Hormone (LH) and this goes on to cause the mature egg to be released from your ovary. At this point Ovulation is said to have occurred. The released egg then travels to your Fallopian tube and waits to be fertilized by a sperm.

While the process of ovulation takes between 24 to 36 hours to happen, your released egg is only viable for 24 hours. If an egg is not fertilized by a sperm within 24 hours, it breaks down along with the lining of your uterus and is released as menstrual flow. However, if the egg joins with an available sperm, Fertilization occurs.

Where Does Fertilization Take Place

Fertilization is when a sperm joins or penetrates your egg and it happens in the Fallopian tube. When a sperm penetrates the egg, it changes such that no other sperm can penetrate it anymore. Subsequently, immediately fertilization occurs the baby’s gene is determined. This means that if the egg was penetrated by a sperm with “Y” Chromosome, the baby is going to be a boy and if it was a sperm with “X” Chromosome, the baby is will be a girl. Now, the fertilized egg will travel back to your Uterus to attach itself to the Uterine wall, a process called Implantation.

Implantation

Pregnancy begins officially once the fertilized egg which can now be called an embryo is implanted in the Uterus. After fertilization, cellular division begins to happen within the fertilized egg as it travel slowly through the Fallopian tube to the Uterus. Upon arriving the Uterus after about 9 days after Ovulation, the fertilized egg burrows itself into the Uterus. This process is known as Implantation, at this period your Cervix is closed with a mucus plug and the your body releases the HCG hormone also known as the Pregnancy hormone into your bloodstream.

How Do I Know If I Am Pregnant?

There are various early signs and symptoms of pregnancy, however, the main one to look out for is a “missed period”. Other early signs of pregnancy includes:

Tender and swollen breast.

Your Sense of smell increases.

You may feel tired and fatigued more often.

You may also feel nauseous.

Making frequent trips to the bathroom to pee is a common sign.

Some people begin to have food aversions or start to crave certain foods.

Some women may also experience light spotting or bleeding due to implantation .

The best way to ascertain pregnancy is to have a test done. This can be done with a home pregnancy test strip or by visiting a doctor. Home pregnancy test strips sometimes give false readings, so the most accurate way to test for pregnancy is to do a blood test which will check the level of HCG in your bloodstream. By registering with Sehat Cloud, a cloud-based EMR website, you can schedule an appointment with a Clinical Laboratory Technician to get a blood test done and you can also speak with a doctor online about your symptoms, though we encourage you to go gynecologist near you.

In Conclusion

Having a good understanding of the events that take place before and during pregnancy is beneficial as it helps to increase your knowledge on planned parenthood and your journey to parenthood begins with conception. Happy Pregnancy!