Prenatal Development: Week 2

Despite the fact that it is counted as part of pregnancy, you are not 2 weeks pregnant at this point. You haven't even ovulated yet! At the end of this week, though, the egg will be released into the fallopian tube. As the egg divides, your uterine lining and your body start to secrete follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) which stimulates an egg to mature. Now that you are at the midpoint of your menstrual cycle - if you have a regular 28-day cycle - you are ovulating and you're most likely to conceive. If you have sexual intercourse without protection during this week, you can become pregnant.

Pregnancy Tip
 
Prenatal Vitamins
Even if you're not yet pregnant, you should start taking supplements to help ensure a healthy pregnancy. Biotegrity's Stage 1  give you extra folic acid and vitamin B12 to help reduce the chances of improper fetal development.

 

What's Happening
After your partner ejaculates, millions of sperm will travel from the vagina to the fallopian tube where your egg is waiting. An enzyme is released that allows one sperm to penetrate the egg and fertilization then takes place.

During fertilization, the genetic material of the sperm and egg are combined. You are now pregnant - although your body is not yet letting you know that just yet. Fertilization has just occurred so by the end of this week, your baby's sex will be determined. Depending on whether the father's sex chromosome is an X or Y, your child will be a girl or a boy respectively.

During this week, the fertilized egg goes through a process of division from one cell to two cells to four cells and more. By the time it gets to the uterus, this group of cells numbers 32 and is called a morula. And at just one week after fertilization, there are already 250 cells! Read up on the fascinating subject of the reproductive process.

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Wondering if you're pregnant? Visit the forum to get a recommendation on a home pregnancy test from other women

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