Boston: Pregnancy Week 1 - When Does Pregnancy Begin?

Boston,

Pregnancy week 1 sees the hereditary coding of your baby’s blueprint in place before you even know that you are pregnant. Once the strongest sperm has penetrated the egg, known as an ‘oocyte’, it will cast off it’s tail which it no longer needs. The two combining cells of the egg and the sperm will now be known as a ‘zygote’. This moment of formation is when your pregnancy has begun.

The voyage along your fallopian tubes will commence within 24 hours as the ‘zygote’ develops into a ‘blastomere’ from rapid cell division. After arriving in your uterus, about 72 hours later, the cells will have developed into an functioning cell existence called a ‘blastocyst’ It generally takes around 1 week from the time of formation for the blastocyst to completely attach itself onto the wall of your uterus using little finger-like projections. The blastocyst will then excrete the hCG hormone to inform the body that it is now pregnant. This tells the body to continue producing progesterone as well which will help to keep the pregnancy viable.

The body’s production of these hormones ensures that the cells remain protected and are not destroyed. An immunosuppressant protein is also released to restrain the immune system from attacking the new foreign cell life which will now be developing into an embryo. Each separating cell will be assigned a development task that cannot be changed. Within a few days a microscopic embryo will have formed 3 cell layers, known as ‘germ layers’ and each layer is accountable for a unique part of the baby’s growth.

You are unlikely to know that you are expecting during pregnancy week 1, however, your pregnancy is already well under way. Your body is working overtime to prepare itself by making the walls of your uterus softer and your cervix will also begin to thicken. Your pregnancy can be confirmed by detecting the hCG hormone using a home pregnancy testing kit although it is not reliable in the first week as the levels of hCG will not be high enough yet. If you suppose that you may be pregnant then you will either need to wait until the end of the second week to effectively use a home testing kit or see your GP for a blood test – this will make certain of a 100% reading within the first week.

Source by Julie Watkins

Pregnancy Week 1 - When Does Pregnancy Begin?