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How Long From Conception Is Implantation?

To understand how long it takes from conception to implantation, you need to understand what the terms mean, and what happens in the whole process of conception and implantation.

Conception, in this context, is assumed to mean the fertilization of the egg by the sperm. The physical act of sexual intercourse can occur anywhere from a 5 days to a couple of hours before an egg becomes fertilized, as sperm can survive up to 5 days after ejaculation.

Implantation refers to the process in which the fertilized egg, also known as the blastocyst, becomes attached to the wall of the uterus and starts to produce hCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin). As hCG is the hormone that pregnancy tests look for, implantation needs to occur before a pregnancy can be detected through a pregnancy test.

If an egg is going to be fertilized and conception is going to occur, it will have to happen within 12 to 24 hours after ovulation. The egg won’t survive in the fallopian tube longer than this. Once the egg is fertilized, it will travel to the uterus for implantation. As it travels, it will continue to grow in size, its cells dividing and reproducing. The process of traveling and implanting will take somewhere around 7 to 10 days altogether.

Implantation can sometimes cause a bit of spotting or bleeding, known as implantation bleeding. Implantation bleeding is a small amount of bleeding in the uterus that occurs when the egg implants into the uterus. A specific tissue, known as trophoblast, develops from the fertilized egg and it surrounds it. It attaches the egg to the inside of the uterus, and basically eats its way into the uterus. The trophoblast pulls the egg to the inside of the endometrium. Trophoblast even invades the mother’s blood vessels and diverts her blood to the fertilized egg. Sometimes, this blood will leak and this causes implantation bleeding.

Thus, it can take as many as 7 to 14 days between the time of sexual intercourse and the time that the fertilized egg implants in the uterus.

  • http://www.earthsmagic.com/ Vickie B.

    Good Luck!

  • val

    I finished up my period on 4/3 and had unprotected sex on the 19. Here lately I have been having these wierd and very dull cramps in my lower abdomen and i feel bloated, which I think is weird because I never cramp. So I googled it and it brought me here. Is there a possibility I could be pregnant. Im really hoping im not because it was an accidental thing that happened with a real good friend of mine. But I just have that ” im preggers” feeling. Which is really freaking me out because with my son who is now 8, I knew at 3 weeks. I have never tried for a child so im not really sure how the whole counting days works.

  • http://www.facebook.com/deborah.foland.9 Deborah Foland

    my daughter had a normal period on feb 26 2013 and in march she had sex with her ex on the 12th and then had sex with her new boy friend on the 23 of march she had no period in march on April fisrt she had what she called a period but had a positive pregnancy test on April 17 who do you think the father is

  • http://www.earthsmagic.com/ Vickie B.

    After plugging in approximate dates into our ovulation calendar, with the assumption that you have a regular 28 day cycle (calculated by counting the number of days from when you start your period to the day before the next one starts), it would appear that you had sex after you ovulated which is good if you don’t want to get pregnant. You can try it out by clicking on the ovulation calendar linked above and entering numbers in there.

  • http://www.earthsmagic.com/ Vickie B.

    It really depends on if she has regular monthly cycles. If she has the typical 28-30 day cycle (calculated by counting the number of days from when you start your period to the day before the next one starts) it would appear that she would have been ovulating around the 12th.

  • Emily

    Is one day after intercourse too soon for implantation bleeding?

  • http://www.earthsmagic.com/ Vickie B.

    Absolutely. It typically takes 7 to 14 days between the time of sexual intercourse and the time that the fertilized egg implants in the uterus.

  • Ryan23

    I am 23 weeks pregnant due to my last period which started november 18th which my periods usually started between 16th-18th of each month lasting about 4 days.. I was seeing someone in november and slept with him on november 22nd, I got back with my ex and slept with him on december 4th and around the middle of december (not sure exactly what dates) i started to feel sharp pains in my abdomen , i didnt have a period or spotting in december at all. i went in to doctors on christmas and found out the news that day. My question is, would i of more likely got pregnant by the guy in november or is it possible december 4th or after did i get pregnant?

  • http://www.earthsmagic.com/ Vickie B.

    Unfortunately, with the dates you have provided, it is hard to tell who the father would be. When you plug in the dates into our ovulation calendar, with the start date of 11/18/12 and a 28 or 30 day cycle, you didn’t have sex in the time frame when you should have been ovulating. The only way to definitely tell, would be to get a paternity blood test.

  • Stacy Nance

    My lmp WA 4/15/13 I had unprotected sex on 4/20/13 & two days late populated, (positive on ovulation test) is it likely I’m pregnant & when would a test show positive? Praying for a positive result!

  • Stacy nance

    Predictive text butchered my post! Lol

  • http://www.earthsmagic.com/ Vickie B.

    It’s really difficult to tell as your indicators are a bit off. If your period started on the 15th, and you have a normal 28 day cycle, you should have ovulated on April 28th. The fact that you got a positive ovulation test on the 22nd indicates that something is off. A positive ovulation test indicates that you will ovulate in 24 to 36 hours, placing ovulation around the 23rd or the 24th. If ovulation did occur then, there is a chance that conception occurred as sperm can survive up to 5 days after ejaculation. If the egg was fertilized, testing with a pregnancy test should work somewhere around 5/3 – 5/7.

  • ivy

    Hi. Can sperm go through layers of clothes? I and my fiance were caught up in an intimate moment but never had intercourse. we dry-humped with me in my underwear and him in his boxers. I think he ejaculated in his boxers. Is it possible that his semen got to me???

  • anon

    Hi, i have my periods every 28 days, to the day and never seem to be late although i had unprotected sex on 27th march and had the morning after pill on 28th march, i then had my regular period on 1st april, going by my last period and my regular 28 day cycle i still have no period (2 days late) for a strange reason i have a feeling i could be pregnent so on monday (the day i was due i did a test, a cheapo one which was a negative result) could i be pregnent and is it it possible that the m.a.p didnt work, would i still have the last period which was 2 days after taking the pill ?

  • Inquiring Lady

    Thank you for your advice, I finally took the test and it is Positive :)

  • http://www.earthsmagic.com/ Vickie B.

    It is possible, but not very likely especially if you didn’t notice semen on you.

  • http://www.earthsmagic.com/ Vickie B.

    Based on your dates and the regularity of your period, it wouldn’t be probable that you are pregnant. You usually ovulate about 14 days before your period arrives. Unprotected sex around that time would have a likely hood of pregnancy, but it would be highly unlikely that you would get pregnant so close to your period arriving.

  • http://www.earthsmagic.com/ Vickie B.

    Congratulations!

  • kmr

    I was on the shot as well. It took my period over a year to come back regularly. In that time I had light spotting and no period at all. I finally get the regular, I also thought at least two separate occasions I was pregnant because of this and it was negative every time.

  • crystal

    hey my name is crystal i started to spot on may 3rd of this month it was pinkish color went to brown it only last one day this never happen to me before and i had baby 9 weeks ago how high chance i can be pregnant i has sex before my 6 week check and after it there any chance i can be pregnant after implantion bleeding when i can test for pregnancy

  • lauraems1

    does implantation bleeding always occur. im 3 days late with symptom of possible pregnancy such as lightheadedness nausea and tiredness. we had protected sex around ovulation however was on medication which could affect reliability of contraception. ive had no implantation bleeding and would like advice. thankyou

  • Nicci

    The ovulation thing is not always accurate because I ovulate before you are “supposed” to. When I was pregnant with both of my children, I felt the way you stated above. I knew I was preggers before the pregnancy tests would show a postive result… I bloat very big durring the first month of pregnancy, so none of my clothes fit, that is one of the ways I “knew” before the tests showed +. I wish you the best!

  • http://www.earthsmagic.com/ Vickie B.

    Implantation bleeding does not always happen. If you are late, I would suggest taking a pregnancy test to see what it shows. Medication can definitely affect your cycle so that could be the cause of your lateness.

  • Harpgirl

    My last period was April 12. On April 19, 20, and 27th had sex and used the pull and pray method. On April 19th an 20th each day were 2-3 different times and once on th 27th. I have regular 28 day cycles so should have gotten my period on may 10th. Today is the 14th. I took a hpt and it says negative. Is there a chance I could still be pregnant?

  • http://www.earthsmagic.com/ Vickie B.

    If you are having unprotected sex, the chance of you getting pregnant is always there. Based on the ovulation calendar and the fact that you have 28 day cycles, it appears you probably missed your fertile days.

    Monday 22nd April 2013 – A little bit fertile
    Tuesday 23rd April 2013 – Fertile
    Wednesday 24th April 2013 – VERY fertile
    Thursday 25th April 2013 – Time to ovulate

    Stress, exercise routine, medications, change in sleep patterns and more can cause your cycle to be off. If your period doesn’t come soon, you may want to contact your doctor to see if you can figure out what is going on.

  • onlywee

    Okay so here is my history, I have PCOS and my husband and i have been trying to have a baby for about two years almost now. I had my period start on the ninth of April. i have been expecting period to come as last week, approximately a week ago now i had slight bleeding i was expecting period to start but that was the only day i have seen spotting and it was one time. On the 28th of april i had sever nausea to the point of where it was hard for me to be at work and a low fever highest was 101? but I felt like crap, no energy sore muscles and nauseous. thought i was coming down with a flu, but for the past two weeks since then my temperature has been elevated up in the 99′s, not to mention along with elevated temp, i get stabbing pain in the side of my boob, have cramping slight but no period, and ive gained about two pounds in the last week lol. My husband told some of his guy friends with children about my symptoms they said I need to take a pregnancy test. what do you ladies think!? any feedback would help me im scared with my temp being up all the time everyday… it doesnt start out that way but it always ends up in the 99′s in afternoon and evening. Must add I am inside not outside all day in the heat:( Please feedback:)

  • onlywee

    also had sex on april 26th and 27th.

  • Ttc84

    I am currently on day 21 of my cycle of which is usually around 30 day cycle. I had intercourse on day 12 14 16 and 18 and I’m pretty sure that I ovulated on day 17. I have had some unusual symptoms I never get on day 19 and 20 I had light cramps and today I had a streak of blood in cervical mucus when I went to the toilet. Can someone please tell me what it all means. I am also on my second round of Clomid.

  • http://www.earthsmagic.com/ Vickie B.

    Taking a pregnancy test would be a good idea. Fever is not a symptom of pregnancy so you may want to contact your doctor if it continues as it could be a sign of some sort if infection in your system.

  • http://www.earthsmagic.com/ Vickie B.

    It could be implantation bleeding, but the only way to know for sure is to wait until you can take a pregnancy test. You should be able to test the later part of next week and get a positive if you are pregnant.

  • Ttc84

    Thank you. I have one more question. I am now day 24 and I am still experiencing cm is that normal?

  • http://www.earthsmagic.com/ Vickie B.

    You typically will have cervical mucus all the way though your cycle. Are you talking about the fertile CM? Unfortunately, where cm and pregnancy is concerned, it will differ from woman to woman. Some go back to the sticky cervical mucus where others seem to have the fertile variety (like egg whites). CM isn’t a particularly good indicator of pregnancy.

  • knowmore

    I have a semi-short luteal phase (12 days) and had sex on day of ovulation. I had a temp dip to my coverline at 8dpo, and then, 2 days early, started a very light af-like bleed for about 36 hrs. It was heavier than what would be considered IB, but nothing like my normal periods. My question is: Given my short-ish LP, is it possible that there was not enough hormone production yet to stop AF, but then it recovered? In other words, could I have a partial “period” yet still be pregnant?

  • knowmore

    Addendum: I had one debilitating bout with nausea for about 4 hours – which I’ve never had – and my temps have not dropped below coverline while I’ve been bleeding (I usually plummet to the 96.8ish area) but they are not super high either just about.5 degrees above….

  • Icy

    I had sex Thursday 5/16 thru Saturday 5/18. And according to my calendar I was suppose to ovulate on Friday 5/17. Now yesterday which was 5/20 I spotted this pinkish discharge and this morning it kinda turned dark brown. I’m wondering what might be the cause of this. Could I be pregnant? Did a hpt this morning but it came up negative

  • http://www.earthsmagic.com/ Vickie B.

    Typically implantation bleeding won’t happen for a couple more days, but it could be possible that is what you were seeing. A hpt won’t come up positive until 4 or 5 days before your period is due because it takes a while for the hcg to build up to levels that are detectable.

  • http://www.earthsmagic.com/ Vickie B.

    Unfortunately, this is a bit more technical for us as we are not charters. You may want to ask your question on the Taking Charge of Your Fertility message boards. I am sure they would be able to answer your question. http://www.tcoyf.com/forums/

  • armygf

    Ok so here is my question…. So my last period was on 4/25 and I had sex (unprotected) on 5/3. Well my periods are always on time and as of today… I am 5 days late. On 5/10 I woke up with some spotting and thought that I was getting my period again which I was kinda confused about because I had just had it. for about a week and a half ive been craving pickle juice and now I really want green chili. My stomach feels like it is cramping all day everyday. My breasts arent tender and I dont really have hightened smells. But throughout the day I will feel very sick. Could I be pregnant? Is it too early to test?


Last modified: February 10, 2013

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The information provided here should not be considered medical advice. It is based on the average experience of women trying to conceive and may not be what you may be experiencing. It's not meant to be a replacement for any advice you may receive from your doctor. If you have any concerns about your cycle or our ability to get pregnant, we advise you to contact your doctor.