Early pregnancy symptoms 5-7 days after ovulation: are they possible?

Just after ovulation, if there has been fertilization of the ovum, is it possible that symptoms such as to indicate the beginning of a pregnancy will appear? Let’s see if and how.

I’ve had the opportunity to meet several women who said they understood that they were pregnant only a few days after ovulation , for having started to feel some early pregnancy symptoms .

There is no doubt that when one has been looking for a child for some time, sensitivity is very high and the woman pays attention to any slightest change she perceives in her body. Very often these are suggestions or phantasies, as we call them, other times instead these sensations are really linked to the beginning of the pregnancy .

Again, the pregnancy symptoms that precede the missed period are really very subjective and it is not possible to generalize in any way.

What we can do instead is understand what happens in the woman’s body in the first days after conception  and try to understand if it is actually possible to experience early pregnancy symptoms a few days after ovulation. If so, what symptoms are these?

What happens 5 days post ovulation if you are pregnant?

Five days after ovulation (5PO) the sperm has already reached and fertilized the oocyte, and the embryo has already reached the uterus in the form of a blastocyst .

Once the embryo arrives, it will look for the right place to dig a small nest, implanting itself in the uterine lining (endometrium).

At 5PO, implantation (or nesting) may be very recent, ongoing, or within days.

The implantation window , i.e. the period in which the uterus is available for implantation of the blastocyst, is in fact between 5PO and 9PO (PO= post ovulation).

Post ovulation symptoms or early pregnancy symptoms?

After ovulation, the corpus luteum produces progesterone (and to a lesser extent estrogen ) from the burst follicle.

If conception occurs and the blastocyst implants itself in the uterus, the production of beta hCG also begins . This pregnancy hormone causes the corpus luteum to become gravid to support the pregnancy, up to about 10 weeks gestation.

The very first symptoms that are felt a few days after ovulation are therefore mainly linked to the hormones normally present in the circulation during a menstrual cycle , progesterone and estrogen, and not to beta.

Early pregnancy symptoms

Specific pregnancy symptoms vary enormously from woman to woman. There isn’t an early symptom that we can define as “normal”, since every pregnancy is different and even in the same woman things vary greatly from one pregnancy to another.

In any case, there are some early symptoms that we can try to identify :

• Cramps and implantation bleeding

Women may experience small uterine cramps very early in pregnancy. They are due to nesting, i.e. to the process by which the fertilized egg “sticks” to the endometrium. Some women report feeling these cramps at about 5 to 7 po in the lower back, abdomen, or pelvis. Approximately 30% of women may also notice a slight bleeding during the implantation period , of a different color and consistency from the menstrual flow.

• Increased basal body temperature

Anyone who monitors their basal temperature by compiling the graphs may notice a further rise in body temperature about a week after ovulation , which gives the graph a triphasic appearance .

According to the American  National Institutes of Health, in addition to these symptoms, others can be added:

• Breast tension

Hormonal fluctuations caused by pregnancy can cause breasts to enlarge. These symptoms may be noticed as early as 1-2 weeks after conception . Basically from the plant onwards.

• Tiredness

Hormonal changes and, in particular, a strong increase in circulating progesterone during the early stages of pregnancy, make women particularly sleepy during the day. This sense of fatigue can occur as early as a week after conception , in practice since the corpus luteum (which has become the corpus luteum of pregnancy) increases hormone production.

• Heachache

Increased hormone levels can trigger headaches in early pregnancy. When you suspect you are pregnant or in any case always in the post-ovulatory phase, if you have had unprotected intercourse, it is advisable to pay attention to the medicines you are taking. Someone trying to get pregnant and having headaches shouldn’t take medications that aren’t compatible with the new condition, such as ibuprofen .

• Food cravings

Many moms-to-be find they have very specific cravings during pregnancy, and they often start early. Some say they were no longer able to drink coffee a few days after conception . The smell or taste of some foods can be nauseating.

• Frequent peeing

In some women, the need to urinate more often is a sign of pregnancy. It may be due to increased levels of circulating pregnancy hormones , which increase blood flow to the kidneys and pelvic region.

• Mood swings

This symptom can also be very early and is related to hormone levels, but it does not appear until two weeks after conception .

• Nausea

They usually appear (but you don’t need to have them), no earlier than two weeks after conception .

• Dizziness

Some women report feeling dizzy when they get out of bed or sofa.

Finally, other expectant mothers fail to describe specific symptoms, but feel that something has changed.

When can a pregnancy test be done?

5 or 7 days after ovulation, and therefore after conception, there are no reliable methods for identifying pregnancy. In fact, the beta HCG hormone begins to be produced only after the implant and therefore cannot yet be detected by the test.

While implantation can occur early in some women’s menstrual cycles, it takes some time for the hormone to build up to a level in the blood that will make it detectable in a blood or urine test.

According to the American Pregnancy Association , tests for beta HCG are accurate starting 11 days after conception, but it would be best to wait 12-14 days before doing a urine test.