When a woman is considered to be six weeks pregnant, she has at most two weeks to realize this.
This is because the gestational age of the fetus is not counted from the time the sperm fertilizes the egg or from the time you have a positive pregnancy test, but from the first day of the menstrual cycle weeks earlier. That means two weeks after her period, a woman is six weeks pregnant, says Dr. Dawnette Lewis, MD, director of the Maternal Health Center at Northwell Health in New York and a maternal-fetal medicine specialist.
If a person has a normal menstrual cycle, it lasts about four weeks. But a number of factors — including stress, perimenopause and certain medical conditions — can make the menstrual cycle so unpredictable that it can take more than six weeks for a person to realize they might be pregnant.
“People come in and say, ‘I always had regular periods and I thought I was gaining weight,’ and here they are pregnant,” says Dr. Shruti Mahalingaih, a fertility doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital. and Professor of Environmental and Reproductive Health at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.
The question of how quickly a pregnancy can be detected and confirmed has come into focus as a new abortion ban came into effect on May 1, six weeks after abortion bans went into effect in 21 states. Explain to prevent abortion during this period of pregnancy.
We asked experts to explain what the first six weeks of pregnancy are like and what makes pregnancy difficult to spot.
1 to 2 weeks:
If the egg is not fertilized, the uterus sheds its lining. The first day of bleeding is considered to be day 1 of the menstrual cycle. Typically, this bleeding lasts three to seven days, Dr. Lewis said.
As the blood thins, estrogen and another hormone called follicle-stimulating hormone, or FSH, are released. Together, they rupture the ovaries to produce a mature egg and form a new lining of the uterus where a new potential egg can develop.
On or around day 14 of the cycle, the ovary normally releases an egg. If an egg is released and sperm is present, fertilization can occur in the fallopian tube a day or two after ovulation.
3 to 4 weeks:
If an egg is fertilized it becomes an embryo, which normally travels to the uterus and implants itself on the lining. This can take a week or more, says Dr. Michael Belmonte, MD, an obstetrician and a fellow at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
After this happens, the body starts producing a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin, also called the pregnancy hormone. This tells the ovaries to stop producing another egg.
At the time of implantation, a woman is technically considered to be four weeks pregnant, based on how gestational age is calculated. But she may not have physical symptoms of pregnancy, such as nausea or fatigue. HCG levels may be too low to detect with a home pregnancy test; It can only be detected a week after implantation, Dr. Belmonte said.
It is not possible to know whether the embryo has developed normally or implanted in the uterus, said Dr Mahalingai. In Care Of Half of the hybrid embryos It doesn’t end up being planted at all. approx 2 percent Pregnancy, the embryo implants somewhere else, like the fallopian tube. This is known as ectopic pregnancy and can be life-threatening, requiring medical or surgical intervention.
5th week:
If you are pregnant, this is literally the first time you can detect pregnancy at home. If you have a regular four-week cycle, miss your period, and think you might be pregnant, you may have a urine test later this week, which will show an elevated hCG level.
But there are many reasons for irregular periods and not thinking about taking a pregnancy test at this time. Polycystic ovary syndrome, which affects up to five million women in the United States, can disrupt ovulation and cause irregular menstrual cycles, as can other endocrine disorders, such as thyroid disease. High levels of stress in the first two weeks of your cycle can delay ovulation or periods, says Dr. Mahalingaiah, just like a bad cold. Those in perimenopause, the transition to menopause, experience increasingly irregular ovulation as they near the end of their reproductive years. This means that their menstrual cycle can change in length every month, often by several weeks.
Even if you suspect you’re pregnant around week 5, a healthcare provider can’t use an ultrasound to confirm a possible pregnancy because there’s no fetal heartbeat yet. The pregnancy could be what is called a biochemical pregnancy, said Dr. Mahalingaya. When this happens, a person may test positive on the first home pregnancy test, but the fetus will not grow any further. This can easily lead to pregnancy loss that looks like a missed period. Some studies suggest approx 22 percent of pregnancy Finish this way.
6th week:
This approximate ultrasound scan can pick up fetal heart activity, which may sound like a heartbeat. Some states require an ultrasound before a woman can have an abortion, including medical abortions. Florida requires two physical visits 24 hours apart, including an ultrasound. The new law also prohibits it Telehealth providers From prescribing medicine to stop pregnancy.
Dr. Belmonte said that time leaves a “very small window” in which women can confirm pregnancy and obtain an abortion.