2 weeks pregnant – Symptoms, Your Body & Tips

2 weeks pregnant

Pregnancy is a beautiful period in a woman’s life. You are full of joy and hope at being pregnant. However, pregnancy can also cause anxieties. Women often get loads of advice on the dos and don’ts of pregnancy, but staying healthy depends on you.

There are many things you can do to prepare yourself for pregnancy and ensure a healthy pregnancy. Knowing what changes occur in your body and what to expect is essential information for every pregnant woman. Read on to learn about the changes in your body during Week 2 of pregnancy.

Two weeks pregnant

You are not pregnant yet. Most doctors count pregnancy from the first day of your last period. This process helps them to estimate the due date more accurately. This period is the right time to try to conceive. Women have the best chances of conceiving between the 11th and the 21’s days of the menstrual cycle. This period is known as the fertility window.

You can purchase a home evolution test kit that helps to detect the presence of certain hormones in the urine, which helps to predict ovulation and plan conception.

Symptoms

During the second week, you have already had your last period before pregnancy, and your body is getting ready to ovulate. If you have a 28-day cycle, you will ovulate on Day 15. But some women who have a shorter cycle may ovulate during the second week. You are ovulating if you notice these signs during week 2 –

  1. Light spotting – You may notice some red or brown spotting in your underwear during ovulation.
  2. Increased sex drive – Your sex drive is naturally higher when you are ovulating.
  3. Pelvic ache – You may notice some pain on the side of the abdomen as your ovaries release an egg. This phenomenon is known as Mittelschmerz.
  4. Cervical changes – When you are ovulating, your cervix becomes slightly higher, softer, and more open.
  5. Tenderness of breasts – The hormonal changes during ovulation can make breasts sore and tender.
  6. Improved sense of smell – The hormonal changes during ovulation also improve your sense of smell.

Your Body at Week 2

After you ovulate, the egg enters the fallopian tube and has to be fertilized by a sperm within 12 to 24 hours. If this does not happen, the egg dies, and the process begins the next month again.

During most of your cycle, your vagina is acidic, and your cervical mucus is thick and sticky. As you approach your fertile days, your cervical mucus changes and becomes clear, stretchy, slippery, and welcoming to sperm. This change helps the sperm to travel more effectively to the egg.

In the days before the ovulation, your resting pulse rate also begins to rise. The resting pulse rate is lower during menstruation, and it increases by two to five beats per minute five days before ovulation. It continues to rise after ovulation and reaches its peak in the min-luteal phase. It remains high if you conceive.

During the second week, your uterine lining starts thickening to receive the fertilized egg. Some women claim to feel pregnant during the second week, but this is unlikely. Even if the egg is fertilized, there is no way to detect it. You can get a positive on the pregnancy test only after fertilized egg implants on the uterine wall, and you start producing the HCG hormone.

Your baby at Week 2

There is no fetal development yet. However, the mother’s body is getting ready to receive the fertilized egg.

Your Week 2 doctor’s visit

If you haven’t visited a doctor yet, it is time to make a doctor’s appointment. During this visit, our doctor or midwife will take your complete health and pregnancy history. This information helps your practitioner to get a good idea about your health and the kind of problems that you may face during your pregnancy.

If you haven’t started taking a prenatal vitamin yet, your doctor will recommend one that contains 400 micrograms of folic acid for you. Adequate intake of folic acid helps to reduce the risk of neural tube defects.

Tips to be follwed when you are 2 weeks pregnant

The second week of the pregnancy is the right time to conceive. This period is known as the fertility window. Having regular sex leading up to the day of ovulation will increase the chances of conception. You must also make some other changes in your lifestyle to increase your chances of conceiving and having a healthy baby. These include –

1. Keep track of your fertility window

The fertility window spans six days – five days before the day of ovulation and the day of the ovulation.  Though there are some fertility tracking apps, they are not very accurate. Having sex every other day during the fertility window can improve your chances of conceiving.

2. Maintain a healthy body weight

Research has shown that being overweight can reduce your chances of conceiving. Having too much body fat can increase the levels of estrogen, which interferes with ovulation.

Underweight women also have a lower chance of conceiving.  In some cases, women who are severely underweight stop getting their period and stop ovulating. Maintain a healthy body weight to improve your chances of conceiving.

3. Eat healthy food

Eat a healthy diet that provides you enough energy to support you during pregnancy.  Include proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals in your diet. This means eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, dairy, and healthy sources of fats. Avoid eating high-mercury fish like swordfish, king mackerel,  shark, and tilefish.

4. Start taking a prenatal vitamin

Most doctors recommend that you start taking a prenatal vitamin even before becoming pregnant. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention urges women to take 400 mcg of folic acid for at least one month before becoming pregnant. Folic acid supplementation helps to prevent congenital disabilities.

5. Exercise

Regular exercise during pregnancy helps to reduce the risk of excessive weight gain and back problems.  Moderate exercise during pregnancy also helps to give your newborn a healthy start in life. However, you should cut back on strenuous workouts, as it may lead to menstrual disturbance.

6. Give up smoking and drinking

Nicotine can reduce fertility and the chances of conceiving in some women. You must also avoid alcohol.

7. Reduce stress

You must also try to reduce your stress levels. Studies show that women who feel more stressed during the days leading up to ovulation are 40% less likely to conceive during the ovulation window.

Tips for the partner

Since you have committed to bringing a new life into the world, you have to help your partner in following a healthy lifestyle. Make health a priority by eating healthy food together, and make sure that she gets plenty of rest.

Many couples use lubricants during sex. According to a 2014 study, most commercial lubricants impair the sperm’s ability to move forward. So, when trying to conceive, you must use fertility-friendly lubricants like Conceive plus and Pre-seed.

Final thoughts

At week 2 of your pregnancy, you are not yet pregnant. Your body is getting ready for ovulating at this time. This is the right time to try to conceive. The signs that you are ovulating include light spotting, increased sex drive, pelvic ache, cervical changes, and tenderness in breasts. Keep track of our fertility window and have sex every other day during this time. Following a healthy lifestyle and reducing stress levels can also help improve your chances of conceiving.

Manveen had an illustrious career in journalism and writing. She is the mother of a super active 7-year-old. While chasing her around the house, she also finds time to pursue her passion for writing on parenting, education, health, fitness, and entertainment.