Surviving the Two Week Wait (TWW): Symptoms and Science

If you are actively trying to conceive, you are intimately familiar with the TWW: the Two Week Wait. This is the agonizing 14-day period between the day you ovulate and the day you can reliably take a home pregnancy test.

Time seems to stand still during the TWW. Every twinge, cramp, and mood swing is analyzed. Is it early pregnancy, or is it just PMS?

Here is the biological science of what is actually happening inside your body during those 14 days.

Days 1-5 Past Ovulation (DPO): The Journey

If an egg was successfully fertilized by a sperm in the fallopian tube, it becomes a zygote. Over the next five days, this microscopic cluster of cells slowly travels down the fallopian tube toward the uterus, dividing and growing along the way.

Symptoms: Absolutely none. You are not technically pregnant yet, and your body does not know the egg has been fertilized.

Days 6-10 DPO: Implantation

The cluster of cells (now called a blastocyst) reaches the uterus and attempts to burrow into the thick, vascular uterine lining. This process is called implantation.

Symptoms: Some women may experience "implantation cramping" (light twinges in the pelvis) or "implantation bleeding" (a few drops of light pink or brown spotting). However, the vast majority of women feel nothing at all.

Days 11-14 DPO: The Hormone Surge

Once the embryo is successfully implanted, it begins producing Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG)—the pregnancy hormone. It takes several days for hCG levels to rise high enough to enter your bloodstream and filter into your urine.

Symptoms: As hCG and progesterone rise, you may begin to feel early pregnancy symptoms: sore breasts, fatigue, mild nausea, and frequent urination. However, these are the exact same hormones responsible for PMS, making the symptoms identical.

When Should You Test?

While early-result tests claim they can detect pregnancy up to 6 days before your missed period, testing at 8 or 9 DPO often results in a false negative because your hCG isn't high enough yet.

To save yourself the heartache of stark white tests, the best practice is to wait until the exact day your next period is due.

Not sure when that is? Use our Ovulation Calculator to input your cycle details. It will tell you the exact day you should take that test for a definitive answer.

Track your health accurately: Try our free Ovulation Calculator to get instant, personalized medical math for your pregnancy journey.