Whether you just started trying to get pregnant or you’ve been trying to conceive for months, the two-week wait to find out if you’re pregnant can be brutal! And we get it. When all you want is to be pregnant, being forced to wait two weeks to take a pregnancy test is hard because no one likes waiting!
If you are waiting to see if you’re pregnant or waiting for your period and hoping you’re not pregnant, you might be wondering:
- What is the two-week wait? And why is it so dreaded?
- Who decided I have to wait two weeks to take a pregnancy test?
- Do I really have to wait two weeks?
- Is there a way to test for pregnancy sooner?
The pregnancy two-week wait (TWW) generally refers to the time between ovulation and your next period — and it isn’t always two full weeks. Sometimes it may only be 12 days.
It’s dreaded by menstruating women because they experience premenstrual syndrome or PMS. For many women, TWW symptoms include bloating, headaches, food cravings, moodiness, depression, fatigue, cramping, irritability, forgetfulness, backaches, sore breasts, acne, and diarrhea/constipation. For women trying to conceive, the TWW is a long waiting game to find out if they are pregnant.
Trying to Conceive and The Two Week Wait (TWW)
Imagine you have something really fun and exciting on your calendar for a month from now. You think about it every day. You might shop for the event, do some research about the event, see what people say about it on social media, and maybe even make some sacrifices to prepare for it. Finally, on the 30th day — the day of the event — a flip of a coin determines whether or not the event happens.
Now, you knew about the coin toss from the beginning. So you had to decide whether you would get excited about it or not think about it all and stay calm. The thing is, no matter what you do, you can’t NOT think about it.
It almost seems cruel.
This is exactly what women refer to when they talk about the dreaded two-week wait. This is what women who are trying to conceive go through month after month, and sometimes year after year.
And it’s hard. used to tell patients at the fertility clinic that it’s ok to feel a little “crazy” while you go through the process of getting pregnant because it’s different for every woman. If that’s how you’re feeling, you’re not alone.
What Happens During The Two Week Wait
Hopefully, getting pregnant is the short answer. More specifically, you ovulate around mid-cycle and then the two-week wait begins.
During this time, the egg you ovulated (released) left its home in the ovary, and that remaining ovarian follicle is turning into a very helpful cyst called a corpus luteum, that stays around for at least 2 weeks. Its primary job is to secrete progesterone — often called the pregnancy hormone — to help support a potential pregnancy.
If fertilization takes place between the sperm and egg in the fallopian tube, the newly formed blastocyst will travel to the uterus and implant in the uterine lining around 6-10 days post ovulation. Once successful implantation takes place, the placenta will start to form and produce hCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin), which is the hormone that makes a pregnancy test positive and will be detectable by urine at the end of your two week wait.
Progesterone causes most of those uncomfortable and irritating side effects mentioned earlier. It is also what’s responsible for making your basal body temperature (BBT) go up. You can see this rise and use it to confirm ovulation by tracking your BBT in the Premom ovulation tracker app.
- Pregnancy: About 5-6 days after ovulation you will hopefully have implantation. Some women may experience symptoms like a little bit of spotting, implantation twinges, or a BBT dip, other women experience no symptoms. Try not to read too much into these things.
- No pregnancy: When your body sees that you aren’t pregnant, the corpus luteum stops producing progesterone. That immediate shutdown of progesterone will be responsible for the ensuing period. This is the same thing that happens when you stop taking the birth control pill.
Pregnancy Tests and The Two Week Wait
A pregnancy test checks your urine or blood for a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) to determine whether you’re pregnant.
- Your body creates hCG roughly 6-10 days after a fertilized egg attaches to the wall of your uterus. Levels of hCG will rise quickly after fertilization, doubling every 2 to 3 days during the first 60 days of pregnancy.
You can test for pregnancy days before your missed period, but while many tests today are marketed as simple and effective, getting accurate results relies on when the test is taken.
Some pregnancy tests can spot hCG 4-5 days before you miss a period, however, the results will be more accurate if you wait until the first day of a missed period. This is why it’s important to track your menstrual cycle to find the best time to start testing.
There are two types of pregnancy tests; one uses a urine sample and one uses a blood sample.
Both pregnancy tests detect the presence of the hCG hormone. We recommend testing in the morning because when there is the least chance of sample dilution. Be sure to use your first morning urine, when the hormone hCG is most concentrated.
Urine Tests
Urine pregnancy screening tests can be performed at home by collecting your urine sample in a cup and dipping a test strip into the urine or using a dropper on a cassette. Another option involves placing a test stick into your urine stream and catching your urine in midstream.
The benefit to urine tests is they are non-invasive. No needles! They’re also readily available, offer immediate results, and can be done in the privacy of your home. For most women, they are highly accurate and easy to read.
If your pregnancy test shows a negative result but you are experiencing early pregnancy symptoms, retest 48 hours afterward and/or follow up with a blood test at the doctor’s office to confirm pregnancy.
Blood tests
Blood tests are done at your doctor’s office. While blood tests are not used as often as urine tests, they can detect pregnancy earlier than a home pregnancy test, about 6 to 8 days after ovulation.
Doctors use either qualitative or quantitative tests. Qualitative tests give a simple yes or no answer, while quantitative tests (also known as the beta hGC test) determine the levels of hCG in the blood and can tell you how far along you are in your pregnancy.
Getting Through The Two Week Wait
The good news is that you can try to cut the typical two-week wait short and complete a pregnancy test as early as 10 days after ovulation — who knows, you may be one of the few women who get that positive result and discover you’re pregnant!
Know that this experience feels like a rollercoaster.
You can’t control the outcome, so it’s important to do whatever you must to keep your emotional and mental health strong. If you find yourself struggling, it’s okay! Seek help from family or friends, your doctors, and the Premom community, and try to avoid Doctor Google, because that can sometimes cause more grief rather than assistance.
Instead of worrying about whether you’re pregnant, keep yourself busy during the two-week wait and while trying to conceive, by focusing on the things you can control and ensuring your body is primed for pregnancy:
- Eat healthy, nutritious foods.
- Take your prenatal vitamins and/or supplements.
- Exercise and move your body daily.
- Stay hydrated.
- Avoid smoking and drinking.
- Get enough sleep.
- Reduce your stress levels.
If you would like to talk to a pregnancy advisor or a Premom fertility specialist, you can book a virtual consultation through the Premom app at any time.
References
- Mesen TB, Young SL. Progesterone and the luteal phase. Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics of North America. 2015;42(1):135-151. doi:10.1016/j.ogc.2014.10.003
- Kim SM, Kim JS. A review of mechanisms of implantation. Development & Reproduction. 2017;21(4):351-359. doi:10.12717/dr.2017.21.4.351
- Cha J, Sun X, Dey SK. Mechanisms of implantation: strategies for successful pregnancy. Nature Medicine. 2012;18(12):1754-1767. doi:10.1038/nm.3012
