So, what happens when you are 3 weeks pregnant? Implantation! This is the week that you may actually have succeeded in making the baby of your dreams! Wait, hold up. Succeeded? Yes. Confusing right? Well, let’s break it down, so everything is much clearer before we proceed with our discussion.
3 Weeks Pregnant
Your pregnancy does not start at conception. It doesn’t start at the moment you have sex with your husband or your partner. It begins on the first day of your last period.
For two weeks since that first day, your body is getting ready for fertilisation. Your ovaries release your eggs and make their way to your fallopian tube. They are then whipped into shape, just waiting to be fertilised by a sperm.
The few days before your fertilisation period is the perfect time to make a baby. It’s high time for you and your partner to do the deed to make that mini-me. By the end of that week, the hope is that you can finally see that faint second line on a pregnancy test.
If not, there are telltale signs that you can have your eyes peeled out for to know if you’ve succeeded. In this article, we will tackle everything that you’ll need to know in this period of your pregnancy journey. So, grab a snack, sit back, and read on to learn more.
Image Source: Shutterstock
Early Signs of Pregnancy
Can you feel any signs at 3 weeks pregnant?
Now, before we dive into those signs, let us be real about something: For many pregnant women, 3 weeks is still pretty early. Some will not experience any symptoms until after they miss their period. But, there are a lucky few who show symptoms as early as 3 weeks.
Knowing these early signs might do you good if you are one of those lucky few. So, finally, what are these signs?
If you experience any of these symptoms, go make your way to the drugstore, buy a pregnancy test, pee on it, and wait for the two lines to appear.
Can I test positive for pregnancy at 3 weeks?
Testing positive for pregnancy at 3 weeks is typically quite early, as most home pregnancy tests are designed to detect the presence of the pregnancy hormone hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) in urine, and hCG levels may not have risen significantly at this early stage.
It’s more common to get an accurate result on a home pregnancy test after a missed period, which is usually around 4 to 6 weeks into pregnancy. However, some highly sensitive tests claim to detect pregnancy as early as 7-10 days after conception, but their accuracy can vary.
To be more certain, it’s advisable to wait until you’ve missed your period or consult with a healthcare professional for a blood test, which can detect pregnancy earlier.
Negative Pregnancy Test at 3 Weeks
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If that second line does not appear on the stick at 3 weeks, don’t feel defeated, because that doesn’t mean you’re not pregnant yet. As discussed earlier, for some women, 3 weeks pregnant might be too early as your body might not be producing enough hCG yet. If you’re wondering when to take a pregnancy test again, give it another week.
Getting False-Positives
False-Negative pregnancy results are said to be incredibly rare – rarer than False-Positives. If you’re curious about getting a false-positive result at 3 weeks, here are possible reasons why your results turned out that way:
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Fertility medications can cause false-positives
Your fertility expert may recommend you take fertility meds that have hCG in them. And, when you do not have a viable pregnancy but your pregnancy turns up positive at 3 weeks, it might just be your fertility meds. If you are on these drugs, take a pregnancy test at least a week or two from the day fertility meds were administered to get a more accurate result.
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You may also get a positive result if you have a condition
UTIs, ovarian cysts or cancers, kidney diseases, and pituitary glands are unfortunately other causes of false-positive results. So, it’s good to get a check-up from your OB-gynaecologist as soon as you get a positive result too, so you are more sure that that second line is not a false-positive.
Second Line Not Turning Up the Next Week
If you still turn up with a negative result after 21 days since you and your husband have had sex, you’re going to have to try again. Track your ovulation cycle, schedule your “baby-making” days, and take a test again.
Now, do not feel disheartened. Conception can be challenging for a lot of women especially if you’re in your 30s. So, keep having sex. Explore sex positions that have high turnouts of pregnancies. Eat your salmon, leafy greens, whole grains, and dark chocolate to help you become more fertile. And, avoid drinking or smoking.
It also helps to approach your gynae or a fertility expert to help you figure out what’s going on, as there are multiple reasons why conception might be more challenging for you and your partner.
The problem may be coming from you or your partner. And an expert’s advice will surely put you at ease. Experts advise women 35 years of age and above to seek out a medical professional after 6 months of trying.
When to Try Again
You are most fertile the week after your period, which is precisely the days leading up to your ovulation.
Why do you have sex before ovulation?
Because sperm can live up to 6 days while eggs from your ovaries can live up to 24 hours only. So, if you have sex just before ovulation starts, sperm has already entered your reproductive system and is actually only waiting for your eggs to come down from your ovaries before they can swim up and compete to make an embryo out of your eggs.
Your Baby at 3 Weeks
If you looked up a Google image of the keyword combination “fetus at 3 weeks,” you are not going to see a face or hands or feet or that long tube. Instead, what you will see is a tiny ball.
At 3 weeks pregnant, your baby is just a tiny ball of cells – a ball so tiny it is smaller than a grain of salt. And, it multiplies as it travels from your fallopian tube down to your uterus, where it will settle down and implant itself. The meat of that cell ball will turn into an embryo, while the cells that cover the ball will become the placenta, which is essentially your baby’s life support.
This placenta is the reason your pregnancy test revealed two lines. The placenta is responsible for releasing the pregnancy hormone hCG. Now, of course, this hCG was not just created to confirm your pregnancy. This hormone sends signals to your ovaries and tells them to stop releasing eggs too. They also tell your ovaries to keep producing progesterone, which is the hormone responsible for keeping the lining of your uterus intact.
In the long journey that cell ball has made from your fallopian tube to your uterus, the lining of the said uterus will thicken, making it much easier for that cell ball to implant itself. In implantation, that cell ball turns into an embryo.
Even when you haven’t confirmed your pregnancy yet, your body is already preparing to host the new life inside of you. Amniotic fluid, the one responsible for giving your baby a good cushion in the coming weeks and months, is already beginning to collect at the amniotic sac.
Image Source: iStock
At 3 weeks pregnant, everything about pregnancy may seem distant or even nonexistent. But soon enough, your pregnancy hormones will start kicking in and you’ll start experiencing the pregnancy signs we mentioned earlier. You’ll confirm your pregnancy, and so many changes will happen, you’ll forget how it felt like to not be pregnant.
If it’s your first time, you are going to have a heck of a ride, so enjoy every minute of it. And, if it is indeed not your first time down the motherhood lane, power to you, fertile mama!
Here at theAsianparent Singapore, it’s important for us to give information that is correct, significant, and timely. But this doesn’t serve as an alternative for medical advice or medical treatment. theAsianparent Singapore is not responsible for those that would choose to drink medicines based on information from our website. If you have any doubts, we recommend consulting your doctor for clearer information.
