Can Women Feel Conception?

I will never discount the gut feeling that some of us have that something has happened. There are people who are in tune with their senses, and while they can’t tell you exactly what it is that they sense, they just know something.

This is true of conception, too. Doctors will tell you there is no specific pain or feeling that is caused by conception. There are plenty of other sensations that might give you clues that things are going on, but not the moment of conception. For one thing, it isn’t happening to you—the egg is a free-floating entity as is the sperm. When they meet up, that is not something you will feel, but again, some people just sense that something is in the air.

One thing some women do feel is the pain of ovulation. When the egg bursts from the ovary, it can cause what has been termed “mittelschmertz,” or literally “middle pain.” For some women, it might even be severe, perhaps because of endometriosis that might block the follicular rupture. If so, they should see a doctor because there are certainly other pains in that general vicinity that are quite serious. While uncomfortable for some, ovulation pain is not considered dangerous. I guess I even envy women who have it because they get a clue that something is going on.

After ovulation, if conception does occur, a few days later or even up to the time of their expected period, some women may experience what appears to be a light period. This can possibly be “implantation bleeding” when the fertilized egg, now a blastocyst, begins to imbed in the uterine lining. Usually, this is not bright red blood, but rather pink or even light brown. It also can be accompanied by some mild cramping. Implantation is not a single day event—it continues for a few days as the blastocyst burrows into the lining and continues to grow.

At that point, a woman, if pregnant, is only four weeks pregnant by the way doctors calculate it. Really, she is two weeks gestation, counting from ovulation. The typical pregnancy symptoms don’t start yet, and sometimes home pregnancy tests taken right at 14 days post-ovulation still don’t register the HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin). But the fact that a period has not arrived on time and there is a lack of feeling provide very good clues. Still, waiting at least another 3-5 days to test saves you the disappointment of a negative pregnancy test. Of course, if you really want to confirm your suspicions, you can get a blood test at your doctor’s office as soon 10 days post-ovulation.

Perhaps, though, that “mother’s intuition” starts early for some women. I would believe it. Conception is really a miracle, and I trust that some people have finer tuned senses of these things. The rest of us get to spend a fortune on home pregnancy tests.