Can you tell if you re pregnant right after intercourse

Here are some common pregnancy symptoms, but be aware that there are other medical conditions that can cause these symptoms. If you have been sexually active and experiencing any of these possible pregnancy symptoms, it’s important to get a pregnancy test and talk to someone about your situation. The Pregnancy Care Center can provide a free pregnancy test, a free pregnancy ultrasound (in most cases) and a verification of pregnancy that can be used to apply for OHP and WIC.

Are You Experiencing Any of These Common Pregnancy Symptoms?

Implantation Bleeding can be one of the earliest pregnancy symptoms. About 6-12 days after conception, the embryo implants itself into the uterine wall. Some women will experience spotting as well as some cramping. Other Explanations: Actual menstruation, altered menstruation, changes in birth control pill (switching brands), infection or abrasion from intercourse.
Delay/Difference in Menstruation - "My period is late!" Delayed or a missed period, (menstruation), is the most common pregnancy symptom leading a woman to test for pregnancy. A missed period may be part of answering the question, "How far along am I?" When you become pregnant your next period should be missed. Many women can bleed while they are pregnant, but typically the bleeding will be shorter or lighter than a normal period. Other Explanations: Excessive weight gain/loss, fatigue, hormonal problems, tension, stress, ceasing to take the birth control pill or breast-feeding.
Swollen or Tender Breasts - Swollen or tender breasts are a pregnancy symptom which may begin as early as 1-2 weeks after conception. Women may notice changes in their breasts; they may be tender to the touch, sore, or swollen. Other Explanations: Hormonal imbalance, birth control pills, impending menstruation (PMS) can also cause your breasts to be swollen or tender.
Fatigue or Tiredness - Feeling fatigued or more tired is a pregnancy symptom which can also start as early as the first week after conception. Other Explanations: Stress, exhaustion, depression, common cold or flu, or other illnesses can also leave you feeling tired or fatigued.
Nausea/Morning Sickness - This well-known pregnancy symptom will often show up between 2-8 weeks after conception. Some women are fortunate to not deal with morning sickness at all, while others will feel nauseous throughout most of their pregnancy. Other Explanations: Food poisoning, stress, or other stomach disorders can also cause you to feel queasy.
Backache - Lower backache may be a symptom that occurs early in pregnancy; however, it is common to experience a dull backache throughout an entire pregnancy. Other Explanations: Impending menstruation, stress, other back problems, and physical or mental strains.
Headaches - The sudden rise of hormones in your body can cause you to have headaches early in pregnancy. Other Explanations: Dehydration, caffeine withdrawal, impending menstruation, eye strain or other ailments can be the source of frequent or chronic headaches.
Frequent Urination - Around 6-8 weeks after conception, you may find yourself making a few extra trips to the bathroom. Other Explanations: Urinary tract infection, diabetes, increased liquid intake or taking excessive diuretics.
Darkening of Areolas - If you are pregnant, the skin around your nipples may get darker. Other Explanations: Hormonal imbalance unrelated to pregnancy or may be a leftover effect from a previous pregnancy.
Food Cravings - While you may not have a strong desire to eat pickles and ice cream, many women will feel cravings for certain foods when they are pregnant. This can last throughout your entire pregnancy. Other Explanations: Poor diet, lack of a certain nutrient, stress, depression or impending menstruation.

Women experiencing these symptoms should make an appointment to verify pregnancy. The Pregnancy Care Center offers a pregnancy test for free, performed in a confidential setting. Our pregnancy tests are laboratory quality and up to 99% accurate. A positive pregnancy test suggests a possible pregnancy; however, results should be confirmed by a physician or by obtaining an obstetrical ultrasound scan. If a test is positive, our medical staff will answer questions regarding the result, and discuss all pregnancy options.

Photographed by Ashley Armitage.

We all know that P-in-V sex can lead to pregnancy, but you can’t just take have sex, chill for a minute, and then take a pregnancy test. Well, you can do that in the Sims, but it doesn’t work that way for real-life humans.

To understand pregnancy, first we have to talk about ovulation. Once a month, an egg leaves the ovary. This is called ovulation and it occurs about halfway through your menstrual cycle. After the egg leaves the ovary, it travels through the fallopian tube, which takes about 12 to 24 hours. If there is semen in the vagina, the sperm cells will swim up the fallopian tubes, looking for an egg. If a sperm cell meets an egg, that egg becomes fertilized, at which point it's called a zygote. According to Planned Parenthood, sperm cells can live inside the body for up to six days, so you don’t have to have sex on the same day you ovulate to become pregnant.

A fertilized egg isn't the same thing as a pregnancy. First, the zygote divides into more and more cells, at which point it’s called a blastocyst or a pre-embryo. The blastocyst arrives at the uterus three to four days after fertilization. Then, it hangs out in the uterus for another two or three days. If it attaches to your uterine lining, this is called implantation, and it’s considered to be the beginning of pregnancy. The implantation process can take, you guessed it, another three or four days. If the fertilized egg doesn’t implant, it will leave your body during your period. This happens to about half of all fertilized eggs that make it to the uterus.

All these days add up. According to Planned Parenthood, it can take up to two or three weeks between having sex and actually being pregnant. To make it more complicated, doctors measure pregnancy from the first day of your last period — even though you weren't technically pregnant yet.

Different types of pregnancy tests detect different levels of hCG. “If intercourse happens around the time of ovulation, then approximately 14 days later, a positive urine home pregnancy test should be detectable,” Shahin Ghadir, M.D., F.A.C.O.G., tells Refinery29. While some tests may work slightly earlier, usually, you'll want to wait to take an over-the-counter pregnancy test the day after your missed period to avoid the risk of a false negative. A blood test from a doctor can detect pregnancy earlier, about ten days after ovulation, or a week before your period is due.

If you’re conceiving through in vitro fertilization (IVF), things work a little differently. The egg is fertilized outside your body (that’s where the term “in vitro” comes from), and then a doctor puts the fertilized egg or eggs directly in the uterus in a process called an embryo transfer. If any of the fertilized eggs implant (which again, can take a couple days), that’s when pregnancy begins. However, many people receive a dose of hCG as part of the IVF process, so at-home pregnancy tests may not be accurate. “Generally, a blood test will work ten days after the embryo transfer into the uterus,” Dr. Ghadir says.

Can you feel pregnant after 2 days?

Early symptoms of pregnancy are usually different for every woman. Some women might experience the first symptoms a week or two after conceiving, whereas others don't feel anything for months.

Can you be pregnant the day after intercourse?

Conception (when the egg is fertilized by the sperm) can take place as soon as three minutes after sex or it may take up to five days. Implantation (when the fertilized egg attaches to the uterine wall) occurs five to 10 days after fertilization—which means it can happen anywhere from five to 15 days after you had sex.