No symptoms in the 2ww? Is this true?

[Nodecentnickname]

I have read recently that it is wishful thinking and not possible to have any symptoms in the 2ww as hcg levels are too low.

Is this true?!

I was led to believe that the increase in progesterone was also accountable for some symptoms?

Can anyone shed any light on this?

There have been many long discussions about whether it is possible to have symptoms in the 2WW.
I have never been pregnant so I can't comment from personal experience.
However given that implantation doesn't happen until about 6 to 10 days after conception it is possible to assume that the body doesn't know its pregnant therefore there can be no symptoms.
That said there are many women here who will tell you differently.

In my opinion, and as I said I have never been pregnant, women who are TTCing are far more tuned in to their bodies and more likely to notice symptoms like sore breasts. I'm sure many women who are not actively trying get beyond the 2 weeks before they suspect they may be pg. My friend for example was 8 weeks before she tested and her first symptom was that she went of tea. She may have had other things that we would see as symptoms but as she was not TTCing she just didn't notice them.

The long and short of it is: doctors will tell you no, you can't have symptoms, other women will tell you they have.

Are these male doctors by any chance who are making this opinion

I have been pregnant twice (mc both times) but I knew by 7dpo each time that I was pregnant. I just knew and was right. I felt nauseous and craved Vegemite each time. I hate Vegemite normally but my body just wanted it. To the point where I would wake up in the morning craving a hit of it! This has never happened unless I was pregnant. Months where I'm in the 2ww but not pregnant, I don't crave it and I definitely am wishing to be pregnant that month.

I am currently 3dpo and the thought of a Vegemite roll doesn't make me want to be sick. Everyone will say that it's not possible but we shall see what happens in just under 2 weeks and see if I'm right again!

Ok that makes sense. I have been pregnant a few times and each time symptoms or changes in my body have happened at about 9 - 11 days past ovulation. Prior to that, nothing. Felt totally normal. So not understanding these women who swear they feel different at 3 dpo onwards.

Then I read the post about there being NO symptoms in the 2 weeks and have been thoroughly confused!

Ah. The no symptoms post was made by a lady who has never been pregnant and was going through a tough time and was medically minded... so think she liked to be quite rigid in her idea of ttc and wanted to share it.

I have had symptoms before getting a BFP but am also aware that I am sensitive to progesterone so do always get sore boobs, sicky feelings etc in the 2ww. I think it depends on who you are and how sensitive you are to hormones. There is also something called 'early pregnancy factor' which means mums can sometimes tell straight off that they are pg.

If you want to symptom spot, go ahead and don't feel silly. We are all unique!

good luck ttc!

The simple answer is 'every body is unique' no one is going to have the exact same symptoms at the exact same time in their cycle.

I have no major symptoms in the 2ww except sore boobs. i had a chemical pregnancy last month, however before my faint BFP - I had electric tingling in my nipples, painful and tickly at the same time. Whereas some women dont realise till they have missed their period. So everyone is different.

As pipbin says you ovulate, then if the sperm and egg meet and fertilize it may stay in your fallopian tube for up to 3 days and then travel down to your uterus. So it would take 6 - 12 days for this journey to complete and implant.

I for one, dont feel anything till implantation has happened. With my cp last month I had the tingly boobs and tiredness at 15/16dpo until then nothing.

Nothing wrong with obsessing :)

I am hoping that this isn't true as I am 9dpo and today started feeling dizzy and queasy for no apparent reason. Then I threw up (copiously) yet am feeling fine now. Fingers crossed.

Thanks for the responses. I am finding it difficult to believe when there seems o be such a wealth of info that women get symptoms within two weeks, personal experience aside.

Following the medically-minded posts that wilde refers to, I had a look at progesterone graphs (who needs doctors when we have google, right?).

PMS is mostly caused by progesterone. It goes up after ov to prepare the body in case there's a pregnancy. It then starts to decline gradually towards menstruation, falling off really suddenly in the two or three days before AF arrives. If implantation occurs, the eggy thing (can't remember medical word) sends a chemical signal during the gradual decline that sends the progesterone back up again.

I think that if you have an egg implant quite quickly after OV then your progesterone graph would look quite different from your normal monthly graph? And you would be just beginning to have hcg in your system. If I'm right and if you're tuned into your body I can't see how anyone else can deny that you have noticed the difference.

Likewise, I tell myself strictly that there is just no point symptom-spotting because pre-AF symptoms and most of the very early pregnancy symptoms are both caused by progesterone. So, what I feel (never having been pg) is just my body processing the same hormone that is there either way. I just have to wait it out. That's more about sanity than science though!

I should say I have absolutely no qualifications for saying any of that!!

Excellent post swimming - do you mind sharing where these progesterone graphs are?

im in an obsessive symptom spotting mode. The thing is what you have described is pretty much what happened to my boobs this cycle. Post OV when progesterone starts to rise my boobs were alert and sticking out at 3dpo they became tender and sore till 9dpo when progesterone must have started to fall suddenly and boobs deflated for a day - but a sharp rise the next day resulted in more achy sore boobs.

I have never had sore boobs so close to AF - shes due this weekend and my boobs normally stop being sore 4 days before AF.

That is interesting Swimming

Thank you.

I just googled lots of combinations of "progesterone graph", "hormone graph", looked at google image search for "pregnancy hormones", that kind of thing. I worry that if you look at only one website it might turn out to be nonsense (what someone once described to me as a webshite ) so I tend to try a few that look legit and only trust what they agree on iykwim

I think there is an element of wishful thinking in 2ww symptoms. Again, disclaimer, I've never been pregnant despite over 2 years of trying. However, there have been a few cycles where I have utterly convinced myself I must be pregnant due to "symptoms" I thought I had.

Fact is, a lot of early pregnancy symptoms are the same as pre-AF symptoms - bloating, sore boobs, sometimes nausea.

They key is everyone is different, some people get no symptoms at all and others get lots. The most important thing is not to wind yourself up too much scrutinising what you think may be a symptom. After a few months of no success it starts to become totally disheartening. After the length of time I've been trying, I've put myself into a mindset of "ignore" everything!

Have been pregnant six times. I've "known" each time around 7-9dpo. In fact on cycles when I've been TTC I've been certain (and correct) that I'm "out" by 8dpo because I just don't feel "pregnant". I get early BFPs (8/9dpo) and usually get the feeling a day before the BFP.

That said, I do get symptoms some months, whether TTC or not, that most people would swear were pregnancy symptoms, especially as I don't get them every month. Things like nausea, metal mouth, even a certain amount of fatigue and moodiness. Obviously those things increase as time goes on if I am pregnant, but they're often there regardless. But the "pregnant" feeling is something else on top of that for me - it's undefinable but I know it when I feel it. And the sort of fatigue where it feels like somebody is pulling your eyelids down rather than just feeling a bit knackered.

That plus the need for fake cheese sauce like the sort you get on nachos or in Wotsits. That's a dead giveaway!!

It would be good to hear other people's opinions and experiences on this.

With my last pregnancy, I knew simply because of the way I felt. I actually was in denial but when my period didn't arrive, I accepted it.

About 9 days after sex, I had a nasty stabbing abdo pain that had me doubled over. It vanished within a minute. I remember thinking 'wtf'? 2 days later I was in the supermarket feeling so tired and drained, as if I was coming down with a virus or something! At that point, i quite clearly knew I was pregnant, but the rational part of my mind dismissed it for various reasons. Forward onto day before my period, a cup of tea made me queasy and my DH asked if I was pregnant as the made me queasy in earlier pregnancy. I laughed... A day after period was due, I had a massive dizzy spell so reluctantly took a test and there it was!

I had a blood sugar crash at 11dpo. Most unusual for me but shrugged it off. 12dpo the deep clean team came into work. The smell was so extreme I threw up. I thought that was a bit odd - so I tested and got a BFP! I'd felt tired and had for a few days but often got that in the tww. The heightened smell and nausea have increased, the tender boobs didn't decrease in anticipation of AF like they usually would. I wasn't expecting to get pregnant (don't get me wrong we've been TTC a long time so we are delighted) but I wasn't symptom spotting like I have been at times. It's just that these symptoms didn't fit with my typical tww and haven't gone away since I realised I was pregnant!

I'm TTC and it's driving me crazy. I have a 10 yo already but recently married my new partner and we are desperate to have a child together. I've read every post going about early symptoms and how to improve your chances. Really just need a bit of a PMA boost as starting to feel overwhelmed by all the obsessing over every little detail.

I drove myself mad last month symptom spotting. First month off the pill I had strong nausea from 3 days po for 7 days and was convinced I was pregnant, then the symptoms disapeared and AF arrived a few days later 😐 now 4 days po and same thing is happening. I think I've just become very sensitive to progesterone in the 8 years I've been on the pill. Was thinking though when I do fall pregnant the progesterone level won't drop so assuming that the nausea will just continue/increase.

@Ratata

What was the outcome?

I think it must be possible to have no symptoms. Otherwise how would people get to 6 months etc befor realising they are PG?

I'm on the 2ww and going crazy normally I can guess and have always guessed right. This time I'm not sure! I think I may be in denial to the fact it's not happened but trying to keep the faith. I felt pregnancy symptoms last week then this week nothing! Help! Has anyone felt less pregnant the second week and still got a BFP?!!

I had absolutely no symptoms in my dc1. I was so convinced I'd not conceived that month as I'd been symptom spotted through out my previous ttc cycles. That being said every person and pregnancy is different.

Thanks for replying. I've calmed down a little since this afternoon. Will do the test next week fingers crossed x

With my first I swear I knew as soon as we dtd! With my second I was convinced I hadn’t caught. Stood up from the couch too quickly and took a funny turn so thought I’d better check and got a bfp! Stared at that test for about 20 minutes, completely astounded that it was pos. Was convinced throughout my entire pregnancy that something was wrong, barely felt pg. So I suppose, it probably is different for everyone and for every pregnancy.

Thank you for your message! It's funny it doesn't matter how many times you read about the 2ww you still want to know more or everything. So pleased you had positive results I'm keeping everything crossed for our miracle x