2 Weeks Pregnant: Baby Update
Surprise: You’re still not pregnant! But that doesn’t mean this week is void of excitement. On the contrary! During week 2 of pregnancy, your body is preparing to ovulate. Right now, your ovaries are primed to release a mature egg, which will travel to your fallopian tubes, and then…hang out between 12 and 24 hours, waiting to be fertilized. (PS: Sperm can live up to five days in your fertile cervical mucus, so there’s actually a little wiggle room surrounding when you can get pregnant.)
2 Weeks Pregnant: What to Expect
To help maximize your chance of conception during ovulation, tune into your body’s fertility signs and keep tabs on the calendar. If you normally have a 28-day menstrual cycle, for example, you’ll likely ovulate about 14 days before the start of your next period—which is by the end of this week. However, because the life of an egg is short and the life of sperm is comparatively long, experts advise having sex up to five days before your ovulation day. (Try an ovulation calculator to help you determine when you’ll be most fertile.) Beyond the calendar, there are also telltale signs that your body is getting baby-ready, like…
2 Weeks Pregnant Symptoms
These 2-week pregnancy signs and symptoms aren’t due to pregnancy; they’re due to ovulation, which is the must-have precursor to conception! Here are some typical signs that you are about to—or currently—ovulating:
- Watery discharge: Your cervical mucus is usually thick, sticky, or creamy, but come ovulation time it starts to thin out and becomes clear and watery. Some folks describe ovulation-ready discharge as resembling raw egg whites, with that signature gooey stretch. This new consistency allows sperm to survive and swim to the egg that’ll soon be released.
- Basal body temperature change: Your body’s at-rest temperature (aka basal temperature) rises less than a 1/2 degree Fahrenheit during ovulation. Experts note that you are at your most fertile during the 2 to 3 days before that slight hike. To learn your basal temperature, it’s a good idea to use a basal thermometer, which shows two decimal places. (Standard issue thermometers may only show one decimal place.)
- Increased sex drive: Feeling frisky? Ovulation is likely approaching! Research shows that hormone changes leading up to ovulation can increase sexual desire during your most fertile days. Very convenient!
- Lower abdominal pain: About 1 in 5 women experience abdominal pain (also called mittelschmerz) around the time of ovulation. You’ll feel this sharp, cramping pain only on one side of your body and it can last for mere minutes to a few hours.
2 Weeks Pregnant: To-Do List
- Have lube-free sex! Plan to have intercourse daily (or every other day) during ovulation but skip the lube. Experts recommend avoiding most lubes when trying to conceive because they can hinder sperm mobility. But if lube is a must for you, use a hydroxyethylcellulose-based one, like Good Clean Love’s BioGenesis Fertility Lubricant, which does not hinder sperm motility.
- Have the sex you want to have. No matter what sexual position you’re in, sperm can make its way to your fallopian tubes. So, don’t let any conception myths dictate how you have sex! Instead, do what feels good and makes you happy.
- Continue preparing your body for pregnancy. Along with taking your daily prenatal vitamins, it’s a good idea to lay off the fast food. Research shows that consuming fast food four or more times a week can delay conception by one month. At the same time, increase your fruit intake. The same study found that women who ate fruit less than once a month took about two weeks longer to get pregnant than those who enjoyed at least three servings of fruit a day. (Learn more about what to eat if you’re trying to conceive.)
- Prioritize rest and relaxation. First off, know that it’s very unlikely that stress can cause infertility. But experts do note that stress can interfere with your ability to get pregnant. If you’re feeling tense, now’s the time to try some proven relaxation techniques, like progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, and meditation. At the same time, prioritize sleep. Research has shown that not getting enough sleep can hinder the effective release of the hormones that are responsible for ovulation. (Shoot for between 7 and 9 hours a night. For help, consider a white noise machine, blackout curtains, and ditching screens an hour before bedtime.)
Pregnancy Fun Fact: The Journey to Implantation
Babies are not made in an instant! In fact, it can take up to 6 days after sex for fertilization to occur. Then you’ve got another 3 to 4 days of transit time as the fertilized egg moves toward your uterus. Once the fertilized egg arrives at its destination, it can still linger in your uterus for another 3 to 4 days before implantation! (Implantation is when the fertilized egg attaches to your uterine lining.)
