When Does Pregnancy Start

                                                                  When does pregnancy start?

There are two distinct ways to view the start of pregnancy, each with its own implications:

Biological Start :

• From a purely biological perspective, pregnancy begins with fertilization, which is the moment a sperm fuses with an egg. This generally occurs within the fallopian tubes 12-24 hours after ovulation. However, pinpointing the exact timing of fertilization is difficult.

• After fertilization, the resulting zygote (fertilized egg) takes about 6-10 days to travel down the fallopian tube and implant itself in the lining of the uterus. This implantation marks the beginning of embryonic development.

Medical and Gestational Age :

• In the medical world and for tracking pregnancy progress, the start date is commonly set as the first day of your last menstrual period (LMP). This is because :

• It's easier to remember and calculate compared to pinpointing ovulation or fertilization.

• It coincides with the hormonal shifts that prepare the body for pregnancy, even though conception hasn't happened yet.

• This method allows for more accurate prediction of your due date, usually calculated as 40 weeks from the LMP.

Therefore, depending on the context :

Biologically: Pregnancy starts with fertilization (12-24 hours after ovulation) or implantation (6-10 days after fertilization).
Medically and for gestational age: Pregnancy starts on the first day of your last menstrual period (LMP).
It's important to understand both perspectives for a complete picture of the pregnancy timeline.