Ah, the time-bending power of TTC. Every minute feels like an hour. And as for days, can it really be only 5 DPO?
Yep, this waiting room can be cruel. So why can’t you just take a test and get the whole thing over and done with? Unfortunately, it’s a little more complicated.
Let’s have the conversation—but first, a quick recap of some useful TTC acronyms:
TTC: Trying To Conceive
TWW: The Two Week Wait between ovulation and your next expected period
DPO: Days Past Ovulation
BFP: Big Fat Positive
BFN: Big Fat Negative
For the full list, head here.
Right. Back to our regular programming.
In this article 📝
- What can I expect at 5 DPO?
- How many DPO is implantation?
- Can you get a positive pregnancy test 5 days after ovulation?
- 5 DPO symptoms
What can I expect at 5 DPO?
When you ovulate, one egg (or maybe 2, or more) is released into your fallopian tube. It hangs out there for about 24 hours.
If a sperm is hanging there too, they might join forces to become a zygote.
The zygote then makes the long trip down the fallopian tube. Destination: lining of your uterus.
When it gets there, its plan is to implant itself so that it can begin its nine months (plus or minus a couple weeks) of growing and changing.
How many DPO is implantation?
The window for implantation is usually somewhere between 6 DPO and 12 DPO.
Can implantation occur 5 days after conception?
While 5 DPO is early for implantation, it’s not impossible at this point.
From the outside, it’s pretty tricky to know if implantation is taking place—so much so, in fact, that we track pregnancy from your last period rather than conception. (If you’ve ever heard of four weeks pregnant actually being two weeks pregnant, yep, this is why.)
That being said, there are some signs to watch out for.
If you’re experiencing spotting and/or cramping five days after ovulation, for example, it could be a sign that an ambitious zygote is implanting itself.
Another way to get some clues as to whether implantation has taken place is by tracking your Basal Body Temperature (BBT).
This is your body’s temperature when you’re at rest.
Your BBT generally goes through a brief spike when you ovulate and starts dropping when your period is on its way.
If implantation happens, your BBT may dip and then rise again.
This is called an implantation dip and can happen five to 12 days past ovulation.
So if you see a dip you’re pregnant, right? Ugh. Frustratingly, not always.
Sometimes the dip happens when you’re not pregnant. Sometimes you can have no dip and be pregnant.
The bottom line? Tracking your BBT can be a useful strategy to get to know your cycle when you’re TTC.
An implantation dip may give you some intel into what’s happening—but it’s by no means confirmation of the start of pregnancy.
Can you get a positive pregnancy test 5 days after ovulation?
A 5 DPO BFP is not the easiest thing to come by.
That’s because pregnancy tests work by detecting a hormone called hCG that is produced when implantation takes place.
By 5 DPO, even if implantation has taken place, hCG levels may not be at the levels where they can be detected by a pregnancy test.
5 DPO symptoms
If you’re TTC, you may be feeling hyper-vigilant about any changes in your body.
“Could this be a sign of pregnancy? What about that?”
Pregnancy symptoms can hit you as early as 5 DPO—but it can be quite difficult to tell the difference between them and period pain.
Here’s some of what you could experience:
- Food cravings. And food sensitivities. You want what you want and definitely don’t want what you don’t
- Aches. In your head. In your muscles. In your abdomen. If you’re experiencing 5 DPO cramping, this could be a sign of implantation.
- Breast tenderness. Your nipples might be more sensitive than usual.
- Urine, urine, urine. When did your life become all about peeing?
- Low energy. More pooped than usual? This could be a sign of early pregnancy.
- Over it all. Feel like your moods are swinging like a giant pendulum? Also a sign.
- Urine, urine, urine. (Yep, it’s worth mentioning twice.)
- Spotting. Implantation could be responsible here too.
Good luck. 🌸
Further reading All You Need to Know About 6 DPO