When you are eager to get pregnant, you will be tempted to look into any sign of pregnancy that you may experience. Among the surest ways of telling when you are pregnant is watching out for the signs of implantation. Implantation refers to the fertilized egg attaching itself on the walls of the uterus, which marks the beginning of pregnancy. Therefore many women are trying to figure out: when does implantation occur? To address this concern, this article will elaborate precisely when implantation takes place as well as signs and symptoms of implantation.
When Does Implantation Occur?
After fertilization in the fallopian tube, the egg undergoes repeated cell division to form a blastocyst. It is this blastocyst that adheres onto the walls of the uterus during implantation. As such, implantation marks the beginning of a pregnancy. For ladies with a 28-day menstrual cycle, ovulation takes place on the 14thday of the cycle (in this case, the first day of the period is considered to be the first day of the menstrual cycle). If the egg is fertilized, it remains in the fallopian tube for about three days before reaching the uterus. Once in the uterus, the blastocyst implants itself onto the walls of the uterus. As such, implantation takes place between the 6th and 10th day after ovulation. This is equivalent to between the 20th and the 24th day of the menstrual cycle. In some ladies though, implantation may take place earlier or later than this.
To understand your possible date of implantation, HERE is an implatation calculator.
Are There Any Signs Of Implantation?
In most cases, the process of implantation is normally very gentle; hence it is hard to notice the symptomsunless you have had a test to confirm that you are actually pregnant. This is to say that after you have been confirmed pregnant, you will realize that the signs and symptoms you felt a couple of days ago were signs and symptoms of implantation. However, some ladies can detect when implantation is taking place using the following symptoms and signs:
- Implantation cramps: When implantation is occurring, you may experience mild uterine cramps.
- Rise basal body temperature: This rise or dip in temperature is precisely between the 7th and the 10th day after implantation. During implantation, the basal body temperature tends to rise. Therefore, you may detect when it is happening by keeping a record of your daily basal body temperature.
- Temperature dip: If you normally record your basal body temperature every day, you may notice a dip in temperature readings for a day between the 7th and 10th day after ovulation. This may also be a sign that implantation is taking place.
- Implantation bleeding or spotting: During implantation, some ladies may experience implantation bleeding or spotting. This spotting or bleeding coincides with the rise in basal body temperature (between the 7th and the 10thday after ovulation).
Basically, very few ladies will notice when implantation is taking place. Thus, you should not panic if you have not felt such symptoms. If you have felt such symptoms and signs, you should take a pregnancy test or have a doctor carry out blood test to check whether you are pregnant.
When Can You Take A Pregnancy Test?
For a pregnancy to be detected using the majority of pregnancy test kits, the level of HCG hormone in the body has to be more than 25 nmol/l. This implies that if the level of this hormone is lower than this, the pregnancy will not be detected, even if implantation has taken place. To ensure that you have more accurate results, it is advisable that you wait until after two weeks (the suspected day of implantation) to take the test. Additionally, if you experience the implantation signs and symptoms mentioned above and a delayed period, it is very likely that you are pregnant. To get a more exact result, the following methods can help to check whether you are pregnant.
1. Home Pregnancy Test
A home pregnancy test should be taken a week after you have missed your period. The accuracy of home pregnancy test kits is influenced by the level of HCG hormone in the body. Different home pregnancy test kits have varying levels of sensitivity, ranging from 10mIU/mL to 40mIU/mL. The lower the sensitivity level of a test kit, the earlier it may be used after you have missed your period.
However, you still have to wait for about four days after you have missed a period, even when using a kit with better sensitivity. This is to ensure that you get accurate results. If you take the test too early, the level of HCG in the urine may be too low to be detected, hence give you false negative results. When does implantation occur may also be a point of concernwith regards to negative pregnancy test results. This is to say that your implantation may have happened later than you thought it did. If you get negative results, it is advisable that you wait for about three days and take the test again.
2. Blood Test
You may also have a doctor carry out a blood test to see if you are pregnant. While the test is to detect the level of HCG hormone in blood, it is more sensitive than home pregnancy test kits. As such, the test may give accurate results as early as six days after ovulation. However, many doctors will not administer this test, unless you have missed your period or due to medical reasons.