Before a Pregnancy Test Says Positive

For several women, a positive home test result is what signals the beginning of the nine-month period that is pregnancy. The truth is, before a test even shows a positive sign, several events have already been occurring within a mother’s body. This article describes what happens during the early weeks of the first trimester:

From egg to embryo

When your partner’s sperm cell fertilizes your ovum, the union creates a zygote. This occurs within 24 to 72 hours after intercourse. During this period, and if union occurs, your baby becomes a two-cell organism, travelling in your fallopian tube down to your uterus. As it makes its way to your womb, it undergoes rapid cellular division. It is still too small to be seen by the naked eye, or felt by the mother. It travels for days to about a week while gradually growing into what can be described as a tiny clot of blood, which shall later on be called an embryo.

Hello, uterus!

While your tiny zygote is making its way to the uterus, the latter will be busy preparing for its guest. Blood flow to the uterus makes its lining thick with nutrients. When the zygote reaches the uterine cavity, it floats around for a while before implanting itself to the uterine wall. When implantation occurs, the zygote becomes an embryo. There will be minimal spotting and light cramping felt by the mother. She may interpret this as her period, but if actual menstrual bleeding does not occur, it means the embryo has implanted successfully into the womb.

Hormones everywhere.

The mother may continue to feel tension similar to premenstrual pains due to the surge of hormones in her body. As the embryo settles into the womb, it signals the creation of the placenta, which releases hormones crucial to the survival of the pregnancy till term. The placenta will act as a transport medium of oxygen and nutrients from the mother to the baby, as well as a filtering agent against wastes and other substances from the mother that aren’t baby-friendly.

All these happen within two weeks, give or take. Only after these have been completed will a mother see a positive result on her pregnancy test.

Read more of our articles on the first trimester

First Trimester Emotional and Physical Needs
Getting Used to the First Trimester
Fatigue and Morning Sickness in The First Trimester
First Trimester Worries
First Trimester Scans
Before a Pregnancy Test Says Positive
The First Trimester From a Mother’s Point of View
Zygote, Embryo or Fetus?
Should You Consider Back-up Prenatal Testing?

Read about the other trimesters

• Second Trimester
• Third Trimester