Week 1 Pregnancy

One Week after Menstruation

Pregnancy is measured by gestational age; it is the age that is counted from the first day of the menstrual period. This is considered as the standard id two weeks before the actual fertilization event. Once fertilization has taken place, the growth of the resultant fertilized egg or fetus is measured in terms of embryonic age.

Fetus

There is no fetus yet! This week is the first week after menstruation, and begins it with the first day of the menstruation bleeding. Conception has not yet occurred, but the counting towards it has begun. Wishing you all the luck!

Even though fetus development will not begin until conception which will occur two weeks later, development of pregnancy is counted from the first day of your last menstrual period, or from the LMP. From day 1 of LMP, your body begins its preparation towards pregnancy. Even in later stages, keeping your LMP date in mind is important as even in the later stages once the pregnancy is established, LMP will provide you and your doctor a standard for measuring the growing embryo's exact developing changes; keeping track of conception date is difficult and definitely not accurate.

Mother

Understanding your menstruation cycle is the most critical aspect for couples considering to start a family. There are days in your monthly cycle which are perfect for conception, and these coincide with the ovulation phase.

As you might already know, your two ovaries have many eggs nestled in them that they release every month- a process called ovulation. Released from the ovary, the egg travels through the fallopian tube and reaches the uterus, where it attaches itself to the uterus wall lining. The uterus wall lining thickens its wall lining in advance in order to receive the egg.

The unfertilized egg will wait to get fertilized; if that does not occur; the unfertilized egg along with the uterus lining is shed, which you see as menstrual bleeding.

Gentle Care

You can do your part in increasing your chances of conceiving; among these are a balanced diet and a regular exercise routine. Additional supplements like vitamins go a long way to good health, while care should be taken to avoid caffeine, alcohol, nicotine and artificial sweeteners.

For the Father

A future father may feel at this point he has no role to play. However, a father's health and lifestyle are as important in a successful conception as is mother's. A balanced nutrition, vitamin supplements, and refraining from alcohol, smoking and drugs will help.

Pearl of Wisdom

For this week, stay clear of stress and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Ladies, do calculate your 'fertility window', i.e. the most fertile time for after ovulation; sexual intercourse during this period has the highest chances of leading to a pregnancy. Generally it is between days 11- day 21 of the menstruation cycle.