Week 1-2

Carola Felchner is a freelance writer in the medical department and a certified training and nutrition advisor. She worked for various specialist magazines and online portals before becoming a freelance journalist in 2015. Before starting her internship, she studied translation and interpreting in Kempten and Munich.

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The first week of pregnancy (1st week of pregnancy) - that sounds promising. It is the official start of pregnancy. You are not yet pregnant at all - and not even in the 2nd week of pregnancy (2nd week of pregnancy)! Find out why this is the case and what happens to you in the first two weeks of pregnancy!

First week of pregnancy: how it is calculated

Although the name suggests: In the 1st week of pregnancy, the woman is not 1 week pregnant. Neither is she the second week pregnant in the second week of pregnancy. These two weeks are only retrospectively designated as the official start of pregnancy.

The first week of pregnancy begins on the first day of your last period. From this point on, the due date (40 weeks later) is calculated.

1st & 2nd week of pregnancy: That will change for you

Although there is not yet a fertilized egg, your body prepares for a possible pregnancy in the first and second weeks of pregnancy.

1st week of pregnancy: the uterus is preparing

The lining of the uterus must be thick and well supplied with blood so that the fertilized egg can implant. Therefore, in the first week of pregnancy, the old mucous membrane is removed and rebuilt during the menstrual period.

2nd week of pregnancy: ovulation

You are still not pregnant. However, you are now nearing the middle of the menstrual cycle - the fertile phase begins. That means, towards the end of the second week of pregnancy - about 14 days after the start of the last menstrual period - ovulation takes place:

The hypothalamus in the brain gives the pituitary gland the signal to release follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) into the blood. These stimulate the maturation of the follicles in the ovaries. Usually, however, only one follicle will fully mature per cycle. When ovulating, this follicle bursts on the surface of the ovary and releases the egg cell that is capable of fertilization. It is taken up by the fallopian tube and slowly travels down it into the uterus.

Some women feel ovulation as a slight pulling. Another good indicator is the consistency of the cervical mucus, which you can measure with the Billings method. The key here is that the mucus, which you simply wipe out of the vagina with a finger, pulls threads.

You can also determine the approximate time when an “egg is ripe” with an ovulation test from the pharmacy. The concentration of the hormone LH in the urine is measured with a test strip. This increases significantly around 24 to 36 hours before ovulation.

additional Information

You can find out how to determine when to ovulate in the article Ovulation.

2nd week of pregnancy: this is how you get pregnant

In order to make the first week of pregnancy the same, the mature egg must be fertilized in the second week of pregnancy. A woman is particularly fertile immediately before and after ovulation: the egg can be fertilized on its way through the fallopian tube to the uterus. The time window for this is 12 to 24 hours.

The good news: It is not essential to have sexual intercourse within those 24 hours.This is because sperm can survive in the woman's body for three to five days and wait for the egg cell.

By the way: If you want to increase the chances of conceiving, it is important not only for the first week of pregnancy, but in general: Hands off cigarettes and alcohol. Eat a particularly healthy diet. An adequate supply of folic acid is also important: women who want to have children and those who are pregnant until the end of the first trimester of pregnancy should take a folic acid preparation containing 0.4 milligrams per day. The vitamin is involved in cell division and growth processes.

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