{"id":28234,"date":"2018-10-31T10:43:00","date_gmt":"2018-10-31T17:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.avawomen.com\/?p=28234"},"modified":"2020-02-17T15:02:59","modified_gmt":"2020-02-17T23:02:59","slug":"implantation-calculator-when-did-it-happen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.avawomen.com\/avaworld\/implantation-calculator-when-did-it-happen\/","title":{"rendered":"Implantation Calculator: When Did It Happen?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you think you may have conceived this cycle, you might be looking for an implantation calculator. These little tools were developed to estimate when the fertilized egg may have burrowed into your uterine lining, thereby beginning your pregnancy. You\u2019ll find a plethora of these nifty little calculators online promising to tell you your implantation date. But the reality is, they can\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before getting into the details on why these calculators aren\u2019t very accurate, here\u2019s how they work. Implantation most often occurs 9 days<\/a> after <\/span>ovulation<\/span><\/a>. Based on this information, there are two common ways to estimate when <\/span>implantation occurs<\/span> for you.<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. If you know the date you ovulated, add 9 days.<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    Ovulation date + 9 days =<\/span><\/td>\n\u00a0Implantation date<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
      \n
    1. If you know the first day of your last menstrual period (LMP), <\/b>add 23* days.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
      Date of last menstrual period + 23 days =<\/span><\/td>\n\u00a0Implantation date<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

      *23 days =\u00a0 14 (average number of days between LMP and ovulation ) + 9 (average number of days between ovulation and implantation)<\/span><\/p>\n

      Important note: The above calculations are a <\/span>very<\/span><\/i> oversimplified guess. The reality is that your cycle is variable and the day you ovulate won\u2019t necessarily be consistent from cycle to cycle. <\/span><\/p>\n

      So while using averages like 14 days (between LMP and ovulation) and 9 days (between ovulation and implantation) will tell you when implantation tends to happen <\/span>on average<\/span><\/i> for women as a whole, it won\u2019t tell you much about when implantation happened for <\/span>you<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

      What is implantation?<\/h2>\n

      Implantation is the process of an embryo attaching to the uterine lining. This attachment to the uterine lining is what allows the embryo to receive oxygen and nutrients from the mother, and continue to progress and grow into a fetus.<\/p>\n

      As soon as implantation is complete, the embryo begins to produce the hormone hCG. This is the hormone that turns a pregnancy test positive.<\/p>\n

      HCG plays an important role in early pregnancy. When you are not pregnant, a drop in the hormone progesterone is what causes your period to begin (progesterone is the hormone that maintains the uterine lining). But the presence of hCG sends a signal for progesterone production to continue, and your uterine lining is maintained throughout your pregnancy.<\/p>\n

      What does implantation mean for pregnancy?<\/h2>\n

      When you\u2019re trying to get pregnant, \u201cWhen did I conceive?\u201d is a pretty common question. However, a better question might be, \u201cWhen did implantation occur?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

      Many people assume that pregnancy begins at conception\u2014the moment that sperm enters the egg.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      A more accurate beginning of pregnancy would be the implantation <\/span>date rather than the conception date. Implantation, or the process of the combined egg and sperm cells attaching to the wall of the uterus, marks the actual start of a viable pregnancy.<\/span><\/p>\n

      According to <\/span>recent research<\/span><\/a> published in <\/span>Nature Biotechnology<\/span><\/i>, conception occurs much more readily than implantation, but this does not ensure pregnancy. For the pregnancy to be viable, the cells must make contact with the endometrium and attach to the uterine wall. <\/span><\/p>\n

      As many as two thirds of embryos fail to implant. This indicates that embryos are likely predestined for survival or death before even the first cell division.<\/span><\/p>\n

      If progesterone hasn\u2019t adequately prepared the endometrial lining to support life, or if the blastocyst contains abnormalities, implantation will fail. When this happens, the egg dies and is excreted during your next period.<\/span><\/p>\n

      When does implantation occur?<\/h2>\n

      In most successful pregnancies, implantation occurs 8 \u2013 10\u00a0 DPO<\/a> (days after ovulation). The most common day is 9 DPO. <\/span><\/p>\n

      While it’s possible for implantation to occur <\/span>between 6 \u2013 12 days after ovulation,<\/a> implantation earlier than 8 days after ovulation is rare.<\/p>\n

      Can you have late implantation?<\/h2>\n

      According to a study published in the <\/span>New England Journal of Medicine<\/span><\/i><\/a>,<\/span><\/i> the estimated risk of early loss is strongly related to the time of implantation. The study found that early loss was least likely when implantation occurred by the 9th day past ovulation (DPO) and the risk increased with each successive day\u2014most substantially after day 11*.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Here are the specific results:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
      Implantation Date (in Days Past Ovulation)<\/strong><\/td>\nRisk of early pregnancy loss<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      9 DPO<\/td>\n13%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      10 DPO<\/td>\n26%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      11 DPO<\/td>\n53%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      after 11 DPO<\/td>\n82%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

      If implantation occurs later, it is more likely to result in early loss or a <\/span>chemical pregnancy<\/span><\/a> (chemical pregnancy is the term given to a miscarriage that occurs before the fifth week of gestation, and early loss is a miscarriage that happens in the first six weeks of gestation.). <\/span><\/p>\n

      While it’s not fully understood why later implantation tends to result in early pregnancy loss, <\/span>researchers speculate<\/span><\/a> that embryos that are slow to implant must be impaired in some way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      When did implantation occur for me?<\/h2>\n

      Based on your knowledge of your last menstrual period or ovulation date, you can\u00a0<\/span>estimate<\/span><\/em> when implantation might have taken place. (This is why tracking your cycle<\/a> is incredibly valuable, as it can help you find out when ovulation occurs for your body, specifically.) <\/span><\/p>\n

      If you have a pretty good idea of when ovulation happened, then you can estimate that implantation most likely happened\u00a0 8 \u2013 10 days past ovulation (DPO).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      How long does implantation last?<\/h2>\n

      Most of the time, implantation follows a relatively stable <\/span>timeline<\/span><\/a>. Sperm can live for about five days, waiting for an egg\u2019s release. Once an egg is released from the ovary, it begins a journey down the fallopian tubes and must be fertilized within 24 hours.<\/span><\/p>\n

      If a sperm does fertilize the egg, and the resulting blastocyst makes it to the uterus, it can still take several days to implant itself in the uterine wall. In all, the entire process usually takes 8 \u2013 10 days, though, in some rare cases, implantation may occur as early as the sixth day, or as late as 12 days, after ovulation. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      What are the signs and symptoms of implantation?<\/h2>\n

      Many women wonder when they can start expecting signs and symptoms confirming their hoped-for pregnancy. Who hasn\u2019t Googled \u201cearly pregnancy symptoms<\/a>\u201d 24 hours after sex?<\/span><\/p>\n

      However, <\/span>implantation symptoms<\/span><\/a> are a debunked myth. Even though many sources use the word \u201cburrowing,\u201d which certainly sounds like it should feel like <\/span>something<\/span><\/i>, implantation involves only a few cells and causes no unique pain or cramping. <\/span><\/p>\n

      In fact, the cramping people often associate with <\/span>implantation cramps<\/span><\/a> results from the high levels of progesterone already present during the <\/span>luteal phase<\/span><\/a> of your menstrual cycle.<\/span><\/p>\n

      If you’re wondering what implantation feels like, remember that the embryo is about half the size of a dust mite\u2014not large enough to cause cramping, pain, or other physical sensations.<\/p>\n

      How about <\/span>implantation bleeding<\/span><\/a>? People talk about that all the time, right? Sorry, this one\u2019s a myth, too. <\/span>One study found that while 9% of women did experience light bleeding<\/a> or<\/span> spotting during early pregnancy<\/span>,<\/span><\/a> it was rarely on the day of implantation.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Essentially, in the very early days of pregnancy, it’s nearly impossible to differentiate between the signs of an impending period and the signs of early pregnancy.<\/span><\/p>\n

      In fact, many of the symptoms often attributed to implantation can be explained by other causes:<\/p>\n