After fertilisation, your baby’s egg quickly divides into a large number of cells within 24 hours. The embryo transforms into a foetus at the eighth week of pregnancy. A normal pregnancy lasts roughly 40 weeks. Three trimesters make up the duration of the school year.
When does a pregnancy start?
The first day of your last menstrual cycle marks the beginning of your pregnancy. The gestational or menstrual age is known as this. Pregnancy happens roughly two weeks prior to this day. The first day of your last menstruation is a vital date to consider when establishing your due date, despite the fact that it may seem weird. In order to determine how far along you are in your pregnancy, your doctor will inquire about this date.
How does conception work?
Reproductive cycles occur every month and might conclude in one of two ways. You will either become pregnant or have a period. From puberty in your teens through menopause at the age of 50, this cycle repeats itself over and over again.
There are various stages in a pregnancy cycle. To begin with, the eggs (called oocytes) in the ovary are ready to be expelled (release of the egg). Small, fluid-filled cysts, known as follicles, house the developing eggs. Consider each of these follicles to be a little egg. It is possible that just one of the eggs in this group will develop and go through the cycle. The rest of the follicles in the group are then suppressed by one follicle. At this stage, the other follicles cease developing.
The egg is released from the ovary when the follicle matures. Ovulation is taking place right now. In most cases, ovulation occurs two weeks prior to your next menstrual cycle beginning. It’s usually in the midst of your menstrual cycle.
The corpus luteum is formed when the follicle is burst during ovulation. Progesterone and oestrogen are released as a result of this. Progesterone aids in endometrial preparation (lining of the uterus). The fertilised egg settles in this lining and begins to grow. This lining is lost each month if you are not pregnant throughout that cycle.
After your last menstrual cycle, fertilisation occurs on average two weeks later. In order to prevent additional sperm from entering, the protein covering of the egg undergoes modifications as the sperm enters.
Your baby’s genetic makeup, including its gender, is finalised at the time of conception. The sperm that fertilises the egg during conception determines the baby’s gender. XX is the most common genetic combination for women, whereas XY is the most common for males. Women add an X to each egg they produce. Sperm may be classified as X or Y depending on how it was formed in the male sperm donor. It’s a boy if the fertilised egg and sperm are both X and Y. It’s a female if there are two Xs.
What happens right after conception?
The egg starts quickly dividing into numerous cells within 24 hours after fertilisation. Pregnancy causes the fallopian tube to become dilated for three days. As it moves down the fallopian tube to the uterus, the fertilised egg (known as a blastocyte at this point) continues to divide. As soon as it reaches the endometrium, its next task is to adhere. Implantation is the term for this.
The blastocyte, on the other hand, sheds its protective coating just before to implantation. There is a hormone exchange that occurs when a blastocyte comes into touch with the endometrium. One or two days after implantation, some women detect spotting (light bleeding). You don’t need to be concerned about this. A mucus plug seals the cervix (the hole between the uterus and the birth canal) and the endometrium thicken.
The blastocyte cells develop into an embryo within three weeks. The first nerve cells have begun to develop at this point.
You’ve already had your foetus go through a few name changes in the early stages of your pregnancy. In most cases, an embryo is referred to as such from the moment of conception all the way up to the eighth week of development. A foetus is a pregnant woman’s unborn child after the eighth week of pregnancy.
How early can I know I’m pregnant?
Human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) is present in your bloodstream from the time of conception. The cells that make up the placenta produce this hormone (food source for the growing fetus). When you take a pregnancy test, this is the hormone that comes out as positive. This hormone is there from the start, but it takes time to build up in your body. Pregnancy tests often detect hCG levels three to four weeks after the first day of your last menstruation.
When should I reach out to my healthcare provider about a new pregnancy?
Most healthcare providers need you to wait until you obtain a positive home pregnancy test before scheduling an appointment. Once your body has a sufficient supply of hCG circulating, these tests are quite precise. A few weeks after conception, this may occur. You should make an appointment with your healthcare practitioner as soon as you get a positive pregnancy test.
Healthcare providers may inquire as to whether you’re taking prenatal vitamins throughout your phone contact. Folic acid is included in these pills. To ensure that the fetus’s neural tube (the beginning of the brain and spine) grows properly, you must take at least 400mcg of folic acid each day throughout pregnancy. Even if you are not pregnant, many healthcare experts recommend that you take prenatal vitamins containing folic acid. The sooner you begin taking prenatal vitamins, the better your chances of having a healthy pregnancy.
What’s the timeline for fetal development?
During a regular pregnancy, the foetus undergoes several changes. Trimesters are the three phases of this period. There are about three months in each trimester. You’ll likely hear about foetal development in weeks from your healthcare practitioner. Pregnancy lasts roughly 12 weeks when you’re three months along.
You will see distinct changes in the fetus, and yourself, during each trimester.
Pregnancy is often thought of being a nine-month process. Aside from the fact that this isn’t always true, Pregnancy lasts 40 weeks, or 280 days. Pregnancy may last anywhere from nine months to ten months depending on the length of your pregnancy and the week you give birth to your child. A natural and healthy reaction to this is to feel a little queasy.
Depending on how near you are to the end of your pregnancy, you may hear a variety of terms used to describe when you will give birth. Each of these designations represents a different phase of pregnancy. They may also be used to keep an eye out for specific infant problems. There is a greater chance of breathing, hearing, and learning difficulties for infants born early in the pregnancy than for kids delivered later in the full term period. It’s critical to be aware of the writing style on these labels. Week (38), then two numerals (6/7) with a slash mark in between them. Your current gestational week is shown by this metric. So, if you read 38 6/7, it signifies that you are now in week 38 of your life.
During the latter few weeks of pregnancy, there are three distinct categories:
- Early term: 37 0/7 weeks through 38 6/7 weeks.
- Full term: 39 0/7 weeks through 40 6/7 weeks.
- Late term: 41 0/7 weeks through 41 6/7 weeks.
- Post term: 42 0/7 weeks and on.
When in doubt about your due date or gestational age, ask your healthcare professional.
People also search
What are the fetal stages of development?
Prenatal development is divided into three phases. Two weeks after conception are known as germinal stage, three weeks are known as embryonic stage and the last two weeks are known as foetal stage.
What are the 3 stages of fetal development?
Prenatal development proceeded in an organised and sensitive manner from the time you were a single cell until the time you were born. Fetal and embryonic development may be broken down into three distinct phases throughout the early stages of pregnancy.
What factors affect fetal development?
Many factors may influence the growth of the foetus, including the health of the mother, baby, uterus, and even the placenta, itself. Blood flow via the uterus and umbilical cord, as well as glucose and insulin transported by the placenta, have a significant impact on a newborn’s growth.
