It can take up to two weeks for a woman to realize that she is considered six weeks pregnant.
That’s because the gestational age of a fetus is counted from the first day of the previous menstrual cycle, several weeks earlier, rather than from the moment the sperm fertilizes the egg or the moment the pregnancy test shows a positive result. That means it’s only been two weeks since her period came and the woman is six weeks pregnant, says Dawnette Lewis, director of the Center for Maternal and Child Health at Northwell Health Center in New York and an expert in maternal-fetal medicine. the doctor said.
This is if someone has a typical menstrual cycle that lasts about four weeks. However, several factors such as stress, perimenopause, and certain health conditions can cause menstrual cycles to become very unpredictable, and by the time he realizes he may be pregnant, it can take up to 6 It may take more than a week.
Dr. Shruti Mahalingaiah, a fertility doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital, says, “When women come in, they say, “I’ve been having irregular periods and thought I was gaining weight,” but it turns out I’m pregnant.” talk. Professor of Environmental and Reproductive Health at Harvard University’s TH Chan School of Public Health.
Twenty-one states, including Florida, have enacted new abortion regulations, focusing on how early pregnancy can be detected and confirmed. Florida’s ban on abortions after six weeks went into effect on May 1. Florida is third. States that prohibit abortion at this point in pregnancy.
We asked experts to explain how the first six weeks of pregnancy unfold and what factors can make pregnancy difficult to detect.
Week 1 to Week 2:
If the egg is not fertilized, the lining of the uterus sloughs off. The first day of bleeding is considered her 1st day of the menstrual cycle. Dr. Lewis said this bleeding typically lasts three to seven days.
Once the bleeding subsides, estrogen and another hormone called follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) begin to rise. These push the ovaries together to produce mature eggs and create fresh endometrial lining for potential fertilized eggs.
Usually on or around day 14 of your cycle, your ovaries release an egg. If an egg is released and sperm are present, fertilization can occur in the fallopian tubes 1 to 2 days after ovulation.
Weeks 3 to 4:
Once an egg is fertilized, it becomes an embryo, which typically travels into the uterus and implants itself in the lining of the uterus. This can take about a week or longer, says Dr. Michael Belmonte, an obstetrician-gynecologist and fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
When this happens, your body starts producing a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin, also known as pregnancy hormone. This tells the ovary to refrain from producing another egg.
Based on how gestational age is calculated, a woman is technically considered to be about four weeks pregnant at the time of implantation. However, she probably won’t have any physical symptoms of pregnancy, such as nausea or fatigue. HCG levels may be too low to be detected by a home pregnancy test. Dr. Belmonte says it can only be detected about a week after transplantation.
Dr. Mahalingaiah said it is impossible to know whether the embryo will continue to develop normally or whether it will implant in the uterus.about half of a fertilized egg Don’t port at all.In estimation 2 percent When pregnancy occurs, the embryo implants elsewhere, such as in the fallopian tubes. This is known as an ectopic pregnancy and can be life-threatening and requires medical or surgical intervention.
Week 5:
If you are pregnant, this is generally the earliest you can detect your pregnancy at home. If you’ve had a regular menstrual cycle for four weeks but haven’t had a period and think you might be pregnant, an at-home urine test at the end of this week may detect elevated hCG levels.
However, there are several reasons why you might be anticipating irregular periods and not take a pregnancy test at this point. Polycystic ovarian syndrome, which affects up to 5 million women in the United States, can interfere with ovulation and cause irregular menstrual cycles, as can other endocrine disorders such as thyroid disease. Dr. Mahalingaiah says significant stress during the first two weeks of your menstrual cycle can delay ovulation and menstruation, similar to a severe case of the flu. People who are in perimenopause, or the transition to menopause, experience increasingly irregular ovulation as they approach the end of their reproductive years. This means that the length of your menstrual cycle can vary from month to month, often by several weeks.
Even if a pregnancy is suspected around the fifth week, health care providers cannot use an ultrasound to confirm a possible pregnancy because there is no fetal heart activity yet. Dr Mahalingaiah said the pregnancy could turn out to be a so-called biochemical pregnancy. In this case, even if an early home pregnancy test shows a positive result, the fetus may not develop further. The result is a miscarriage that simply looks like a missed period. Some studies suggest estimates. 22 percent of pregnancies It ends like this.
Week 6:
This is around the time when ultrasound can detect fetal heart activity, which can sometimes sound like a heartbeat. Some states require an ultrasound before a woman can undergo an abortion, including a medical abortion. Florida requires two in-person visits from her 24 hours apart, including an ultrasound.The new law also prohibits telemedicine provider From prescribing drugs to end the pregnancy.
Dr Belmonte said the timing leaves a “very small window” for a woman to confirm her pregnancy and terminate the pregnancy.
