Your weeks of pregnancy are dated from the first day of your last period.
This means that in the first 2 weeks or so, you are not actually pregnant – your body is preparing for ovulation (releasing an egg from one of your ovaries) as usual.
Your "getting pregnant" timeline is:
- day 1: the first day of your period
- day 14 (or slightly before or after, depending how long your menstrual cycle is): you ovulate
- within 24 hours of ovulation, the egg is fertilised by sperm if you have had sex in the last few days without using contraception
- about 5 to 6 days after ovulation, the fertilised egg burrows into the lining of the womb – this is called implantation
- you're now pregnant
Find out more about trying to get pregnant.
You at 1 to 3 weeks
The first thing most women notice is that their period does not arrive.
Find out about the signs and symptoms of pregnancy
The most reliable way of finding out if you're pregnant is to take a pregnancy test.
Once you think you could be pregnant, it's important to get in touch with a midwife or doctor to start your pregnancy (antenatal) care.
You can do this by contacting:
- your GP surgery – if you're not registered with a GP, you can find a GP
- your local hospital's maternity unit – find maternity services
Things to think about
In the early days and weeks of pregnancy, you may not know if you're pregnant.
But you can do the following things:
- take a folic acid supplement of 400 micrograms a day while you're trying to get pregnant and until the 12th week of pregnancy
- take a vitamin D supplement of 10 micrograms a day
- avoid some foods to protect against infections
- stopping smoking is one of the best things you can do for your baby's health
You can get supplements from pharmacies and supermarkets, or your GP may be able to prescribe them for you.
If you want to get your vitamin D or folic acid from a multivitamin tablet, make sure the tablet does not contain vitamin A (or retinol).
You can get vitamin supplements containing folic acid and vitamin D free of charge if you're under 18, pregnant or breastfeeding and qualify for the Healthy Start scheme.
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