What happens in the first 2 weeks of pregnancy?

Answer 1

The first two weeks of a pregnancy, actually happens before conception, as your body, first sheds the uterine lining from the previous cycle - starting with day one of menstruation. Once menstruation stops the lining begins to replace itself and several follicles on each ovary begin to mature.

In the first days after menstruation ends, the cervical mucus stays thick to prevent any bacteria from entering the uterus. As your body prepares to ovulate, the cervical mucus becomes thin and slippery, your cervix drops forward and the Os opens slightly to allow sperm to enter the uterus. The fluid in the semen and cervix will now preserve and nourish any sperm healthy enough to go the distance - as they wait for up to five days for the first ovum to become ripe and the ovarian follicle to rupture with a single ova ready to join with the first sperm cell that breaks through the cell's surface. You are now about half way through your monthly cycle.

Once ovulation occurs and a single sperm out of the millions in a normal ejaculation breaks through the membrane of the mature ova - they become one - instantly developing a protective barrier so no other sperm can enter the fertilized ovum. The Os closes, the cervix backs up, fresh cervical mucus develops into a mucus plug that sits tight in the Os until the woman is ready to deliver - this prevents anything foreign from entering the uterus - as progesterone tells the uterus not to break down it's fresh, new lining.

Chemical and hormonal activity do an amazing synchronized dance - as these two cells merge fully encoded with all the information that goes into making a baby; the gender, eye & hair color, body build and height, even the baby's IQ, and all the organs this baby will need to be fully functioning, prior to birth - are in place and waiting their turn to make this into a human being from the moment of conception. In these first days the two cells are dividing rapidly, separating and getting into order. Our amazing hormones protect this tiny group of cells, days before our conscious self has any awareness of the new life growing within.

As the cells continue to divide, they are now formed into a blastocyst that works it's way from the fallopian tube to the uterus, as it does a free-fall into the uterine cavity it will grab onto the lining of the uterine wall. Just days after conception this gives some women their first inkling they may be pregnant, as their baby-to-be implants itself - the woman may experience cramping or light spotting shortly before the time their period should be due. Following this, most woman start developing early symptoms of pregnancy - breast tenderness, fatigue, nausea and hormonal shifts that turn their moods 180 degrees in the blink of an eye. All caused by the defining hormone of pregnancy hCG(human chorionic gonadotropin)

Prior to implanting into the uterus, about 6 days after conception - the mass of cells had developed into 3 distinct layers. One that becomes the placenta, which will nourish and protect this new person for the remainder of the pregnancy - the umbilical cord, which is the lifeline between mother and baby - and the baby itself - All this happens before most women even know they have conceived!

Once the early placenta starts growing, hCG is being produced and rising quickly, from it's normal level of 0 to 5 - it will double every 72 hours and in just a few days it reaches 25mIU/ml - a serum level that is the standard laboratory proof of a an early pregnancy - two or three days later the level will reach a strong enough urine concentration to trigger a positive result in the HPT / EPT. Usually between 50mIU/ml and 100mIU/ml depending on the sensitivity of the brand of testing device. The hormone will continue to rise for 11 weeks, as it protects and cares for your growing baby - until the placenta is fully functioning and takes over at 12 weeks - the start of the second trimester.

Two weeks after conception your baby to be is just .078" - although not yet visible there is already movement in the developing main blood vessels and arm and leg buds have started to grow. A little tiny miracle in the making.