The signs of implantation are some of the earliest signals of pregnancy. So, if you are eagerly looking forward to meet the latest addition to your family, it’s best to be familiar with the changes associated with this process. But before anything else, it helps to understand the process itself.
Introduction to Implantation
Once a sperm fertilizes the ovum released by your ovary during ovulation, it will begin its descent to your uterus. There, the zygote will try to burrow itself in your endometrium in a process called implantation.
How Soon Will Implantation Start?
It takes roughly 6-12 days after ovulation for implantation to occur. Also, implantation may occur 20-23 days after the first day of your last menstrual period.
How Soon Can I Take a Pregnancy Test?
A pregnancy kit will test your level human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). The levels of this hormone will immediately surge following implantation. On the average, it may take 3-4 days after implantation to test positive on a blood pregnancy test. And it will take another 2-3 days to test positive on a urine pregnancy test.
What are the signs of implantation?
There is no predictor test for implantation. That’s why your best bet is to look for some changes in your body that may be attributed to being signs of implantation. However, it is also important to keep in mind that there may be some other underlying causes to those changes you experienced. These signs are not diagnostic of implantation; only a positive pregnancy test is the most affirmative signal you can find.
With that said, here are the most common signs of implantation you may notice:
Basal Body Temperature
If you’ve been charting your basal body temperature (BBT), hoping to pin down your most fertile days, you may observe some changes when you are indeed at an implantation stage.
Usually, from a consistently low temperature, you will observe a rise during ovulation. The temperature would typically remain high, marking your luteal phase, until your next menstrual period. During implantation, however, you may notice a dip in your temperature followed by a sharp rise again.
These signs of implantation will only be noticeable if you’ve been charting your BBT for several cycles and you can see clear patterns that marks different stages of your cycle. Otherwise, dips in temperature could just be periodic deviations that are quite normal to everyone although they can also represent one of several ovulation symptoms.
Spotting
There may also be times when you’ll notice pink or brown spotting. This can be an implantation signal as well. This ovulation discharge is different from your normal menstrual period in that it is lighter and will usually disappear after a day.
Some women often mistook implantation spotting as their period; probably since implantation spotting occurs just a couple of days shy of the real menstrual period.
What are Other signs of implantation?
Aside from external body signals, there are other internal changes that your body goes through.
- Changes of the Uterus
Obviously, to make the uterus more receptive to the embryo’s burrowing, it has to undergo several transformations. The changes happens even before fertilization starts and is fully completed at about 7 days after ovulation. Check how long does ovulation last.
If there is such a thing as “fertility window”, there’s also “implantation window”. This refers to the time frame when your uterus is receptive to attachment of the embryo. There may be disparity in the length of time; but this occurs on average 7-9 days after ovulation. This is roughly about 20-23 days from your last menstrual period.
- Hormonal Changes
We’ve already discussed that there’s a rise in the level of human chorionic gonadotropin (hGC) right after implantation. However, there are hosts of other hormones at play here to make implantation possible.
For example, the corpus luteum will increase its secretion of progesterone. The surge of progesterone levels is needed to induce changes of secretion of the uterine epithelial glands. The embryo relies heavily on secretions for its nutrients since it cannot receive nourishment from you during implantation. Additionally, secretions also facilitate successful adhesion of the embryo to your endometrium.
It is important to note that there can be no pregnancy without successful implantation. That’s why if you have a hard time getting pregnant; and you’ve been trying everything to chart your fertility window just to improve your chances of getting pregnant, implantation failure may be the culprit.
If that is the case, you need to consult a fertility doctor. He is best qualified to diagnose where the problem lies and prescribe interventions to improve the receptivity of your uterus.
If you eagerly want to get pregnant, you may be on the lookout for the slightest signs of implantation that your body may exhibit. If you find some, it’s much better to confirm those with a pregnancy test before getting the word out. But if you don’t experience any symptoms discussed above; take heart, it is perfectly possible that you don’t have any of those symptoms; and yet, a baby is on the way.
Signs of Implantation 