Does the third week of pregnancy mean that the doctor can detect it and you can see something on the ultrasound pictures? Or maybe it is worth doing a vaginal ultrasound then? Does abdominal pain indicate 3 weeks of pregnancy or are there symptoms different from before?
It is still a long way to be sure and finally confirmed, but the third week is the time when pregnancy with high probability is slowly becoming a reality. Observation of vaginal mucus may be helpful, or you can obtain a pregnancy test.
Third Week of Pregnancy: The Real Beginning
For the sake of simplicity, at an early stage, pregnancy is counted from the beginning of the last menstruation. Only later, the actual age of pregnancy is confirmed or corrected on the basis of the XNUMXst trimester ultrasound. After approx. 7-21 days ovulation begins when bleeding begins. The third week of pregnancy is therefore the time of fertilization or a few days after it.
Fertilization is a combination of a male and a female reproductive cell. It happens when an egg released during ovulation travels from the ovary to the fallopian tube, where the fastest and strongest sperm reaches it. Penetrating through its cell membrane, it gets inside and begins the division of the fertilized cell, i.e. the zygote, which, transforming into a morula, moves from the fallopian tube to the uterus. Fertilization is the beginning of the pre-embryonic period, which lasts about 7 days - it is the initial stage of pregnancy development, at the end of which the fetal egg, i.e. the later embryo, is implanted in the uterine wall. It then measures approx. 0,02 mm.
Can the third week of pregnancy be detected by the test?
Women often ask questions on the forum about when the pregnancy can be detected the earliest and whether the doctor will detect it faster than the test from the pharmacy. Standard pregnancy tests from the pharmacy, they detect pregnancy 10-21 days after conception. A thorough laboratory test can be performed approximately 7 days after conception. It means that the third week of pregnancy is the boundary that separates the time when there is no point in taking the test (because it will definitely not detect pregnancy) and the time when you can do it.
From the moment of implantation of the fetal egg in the uterine membrane, begins to increase HcG concentration, or chorionic gonadotropin. It is a hormone whose level certifies that you are pregnant. About a week after fertilization, it is at a level that some tests can detect.
However, this is still very early, so for greater certainty, the test should also be repeated in a week. It may be that the pregnancy test at this stage will show nothing, even though the woman is pregnant.
3rd week of pregnancy, i.e. various symptoms
Symptoms observed in the third week of pregnancy may vary depending on:
- age,
- health,
- individual predispositions.
Ovulation in the 3rd week of pregnancy in some women can mean unpleasant sensations around one of your ovaries or stomach pain. 3 weeks of pregnancy are also possible symptoms such as greater breast tenderness or drowsiness.
On the occasion of implantation of the fetal egg in the uterus, it may or may not appear very much slight spotting - a few drops of blood, sometimes darker mucus. This happens when it is breached while it is nesting in the wall of the uterus. It is not a disturbing symptom in the third week of pregnancy. Other early pregnancy symptoms such as nausea, sudden fatigue, mood swings and irritability, although sometimes mentioned on online forums, are rather rare at this stage.
Does a woman's body change in the third week?
Regardless of the symptoms, it is impossible to notice your body shape in the third week of pregnancy. The belly looks like it did before. In the third week, the breasts won't be any more swollen than they usually do during ovulation. The condition of the skin and hair will not change either.
Additional pregnancy symptoms in the third week may be noticed by women who keep an ovulation calendar. The mucus is then thin and colorlessthat allows for the most effective fertilization. Body temperature may rise slightly.
3rd week of pregnancy: why an ultrasound?
In the third week of pregnancy, an ultrasound can be performed, but not to be seen on the monitor screen. If fertilization has already taken place, it is only under a microscope that you can see that the cells are dividing, which take the form of a mulberry fruit or a raspberry. Hence, at this stage, the name morula, from Latin more, that is, the mulberry.
What else is worth knowing about the development of pregnancy and ultrasound in the third week of pregnancy?
- The ultrasound examination in the third week allows you to determine the phase of the cycleby the way, you can also discuss with your doctor about future tests, e.g. for HIV or toxoplasmosis, which are recommended for all pregnant women.
- In the 3rd week of pregnancy previously ordered vaginal ultrasound can be performed. This will allow for a thorough examination of the ovaries to exclude tumors or cysts, as well as to determine the location and size of the uterus, exclude any changes (e.g. fibroids), assess the cervix and check the thickness of the endometrium (the lining of the uterus).
- By assessing the size of the Graff's follicle on ultrasound images, the doctor is able to determine the stage of the cycle.
- Ladies who are wondering whether the doctor will detect the third week of pregnancy during a vaginal ultrasound must accept the fact that it is too early for that.
Third week of pregnancy - how to take care of yourself?
Most women planning a pregnancy at this stage regularly reach for folic acid supplements. It is now recommended to take them 12 weeks before conception. If the mother's diet has so far been irregular or low in minerals, it can be done testing for shortages nutrients in the bloodor at least take care to introduce healthy habits from now on.
For now, however, there is no need to make radical changes in the lifestyle, for example in terms of sports or consumed products (apart from stimulants, of course). There will be time for that in the following weeks of pregnancy.
Consultation:
Ph.D. n. med. prof. IMID Tadeusz Issat - Head of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic at the Institute of Mother and Child;
Maria Krowicka-Wasyl - resident physician in the course of specialization in gynecology and obstetrics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Institute of Mother and Child.
