3 Weeks Pregnant

3 Weeks Pregnant

Pregnancy is a normal event in almost every woman’s life, but this is a life changing event that can change your preferences, likes and dislikes completely. Your life will start revolving around your child in many ways that you cannot even fathom. You will wake up in hours you never even knew existed and you will sleep at times when you never thought you will sleep. Such is the change that can happen in your life when you become pregnant and have a child. Although, not major changes may occur in your life when you are just 3 weeks pregnant.

When you are 3 weeks pregnant, it is just the time when you have conceived. This is the period when the egg and the sperm are united and the egg gets fertilized. It is during this 3 weeks pregnant period when the first implantation symptoms will start. The 3 weeks pregnant symptoms are very important because it will mean that you are well and truly pregnant. The lack of implantation symptoms in the third week will mean that you have not conceived at all.

How Your Baby is Growing This Week?

The fertilization of your mature ovum with a healthy sperm has taken place in your body. After a few days, this fertilized egg starts its journey to reach the uterus where it implants itself to form a baby.

During this week, your baby is nothing more than a tiny ball of several hundred cells called the Blastocyst. These cells multiply rapidly to form the various parts of a developing embryo. A part of these cells which will later form the placenta already starts producing the HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin), a hormone that indicates the ovaries to stop releasing any further eggs, also increasing the production of progesterone and estrogen in the body of the mother. These hormones help your uterus stay healthy and not shed its lining, thus stimulating the growth of the placenta in your uterus.

At the same time, amniotic fluid starts getting collected around the cells forming a sac which will later form the amniotic sac. This amniotic fluid cushions your growing baby throughout its developing months in the uterus.

The multiplying blastocyst starts receiving oxygen and other essential nutrients, and also excreting wastes from the primeval circulation system (a series of microscopic channels which connect your baby with the blood vessels of your uterine wall). By the end of 4 weeks pregnant, this task will be then taken over by the completely developed placenta.

Implantation

The week 3 pregnancy symptoms are drastically different from the preceding week and the following weeks. It is because this is the week when you conceive and there are implantation signs present. These signs and symptoms of pregnancy are the key because when implantation signs occur, it means that the fertilization has occurred and the embryo is getting into the uterus for its long journey to life. When you are three weeks pregnant, there could be mild blood spotting and this could be because of the implantation. This is usually called as implantation bleeding and most woman should know to differentiate between the menstrual blood and implantation bleeding. This is the only pregnancy implantation symptom that is experienced.

How Your Body Changes at 3 Week Pregnancy?

Though the HCG levels at 3 weeks are high, there are not any major body changes that are visible to the naked eye. The pregnancy signs at 3 weeks are limited to implantation signs and symptoms, which usually occurs at 3 weeks 6 days pregnant. The 3 week pregnant symptoms do not include a bulging belly as some women envisage. All the changes are internal and physiological processes take place, but visible outside changes are not present. Women who are pregnant may also wonder what happens after implantation bleeding, as it is a worrying sign for most women. At 3 weeks after conception, the egg gets embedded in the uterus and starts growing. This is an internal body change that leads to some blood loss like what happens during periods, but the visible symptoms of 3 weeks pregnant is limited to this and there are no other major body changes during the third week of pregnancy. So, women need not worry about this kind of implantation bleeding.

3 Weeks Pregnant Symptoms

The other week 3 pregnancy symptoms include the following:

• Increase in your body temperature – This could be a mild change, but is one of the most significant symptoms of pregnancy at 3 weeks. This means that your metabolism is increasing slowly but steadily because of your pregnancy.
• Vaginal discharge – Usually, there is no cause to worry about this discharge because it is normal. But, when there is a foul smelling vaginal discharge in the 3rd week of pregnancy, you should meet your doctor.
• Headache – You may experience mild or severe headache without any particular reason.
• Abdominal cramps – Mild abodominal cramps, similar to your menstrual cramps are also a major symptom
• Nausea – This is the very first symptom of pregnancy in 3 weeks which almost all women experience.
• Fatigue – Tiredness and feeling sleepy all the time without any physical activity is yet another pregnancy symptom.
• Bloating – Feeling bloated all the time, despite of a light and healthy diet indicates to your pregnancy/
• Lower backache – Most women complain of a constant lower backache during the first few weeks of pregnancy. This symptom stays throughtout pregnancy in most women.
• Mood swings – With the changing hormones in the body, mood swings are a common pregnancy symptom.
• Breast tenderness – With pregnancy, the entire body of a woman changes, including her breasts and the areola.
• Food cravings – Cravings for different foods and nausea to certain smells also are prominent pregnancy symptoms.
• Diarrhea – A very rare symptom, not many women suffer from diarrhea in the initial few weeks of pregnancy.

The next major change will occur when you are 4 weeks pregnant and more.

HCG Fluctuations Pregnancy Symptoms Week 3

There will be no baby at 3 weeks in your uterus, but there will only be an embryo that is rapidly changing and growing to form a baby. On the other hand, there are HCG level changes which are also part of the pregnancy symptoms week 3. The HCG changes are what helps to make the diagnosis of pregnancy. When a woman is about 3 weeks and 5 days pregnant, the HCG levels will be elevated in the urine and the blood. This can be detected with home pregnancy tests or through a blood test in a laboratory. These pregnancy symptoms 3 weeks are present till the end of the first trimester. The signs of pregnancy at 3 weeks may not be much different from the symptoms of second week of pregnancy. The increased level of HCG is a major difference in the third week of pregnancy.

Other Diagnostic Tests for Pregnancy

Other than the urine or blood tests for pregnancy, ultrasound is the other diagnosis for pregnancy. An ultrasound test can also detect the heartbeat of the baby. There will not be any major difference in the ultrasound whether it is done when you are 4 weeks 3 days pregnant or when you are 4 weeks 5 days pregnant. There will only be marginal changes. However, when you are 5 1/ 2 weeks pregnant, there could be first signs of life in the baby. The major changes in symptoms after implantation is the increase in HCG levels dramatically and so most women use this as a diagnostic test rather than go in for ultrasound at this stage. The HCG levels after implantation are at their peak and the 3 week fetus is just beginning to grow from a single cell to many cells.

Pregnancy Health Tips

Most women don’t know about their pregnancy until they are mainly 3 weeks pregnant. But, in case you get to know, here are certain tips that can help you enjoy a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.

• Give up habits like drinking alcohol and tobacco consumption
• Reduce caffeine intake
• Informing your medical practitioner about your pregnancy before an X-ray or other health treatments
• Avoid going near life-risking substances, particularly pesticides.
• Start taking prenatal medications such as vitamins and folic acid pills.
• Avoid stress

Live healthy and enjoy a healthy pregnancy!

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