Conception in Pregnancy: How It Works, Result And More

During sexual intercourse, a man ejaculates semen into the vagina of a woman. The semen or seminal fluid contains millions of sperms. These fight their way into the cervical mucus of a woman. Some of them make it while most fail to do so. 

From this point, the healthiest and strongest sperm swims up to the fallopian tube to fertilise the egg. When the sperm and the egg meet successfully, conception happens. It is not the end of conception in pregnancy. There is more to it.

Even after fertilisation, it involves many complicated steps to ensure the pregnancy is carried well up to the term and childbirth. This blog will take you through the definition of conception in pregnancy, how it works, symptoms and other information related to pregnancy.

What is Conception?

The word conception defines the first stage in the biological process called pregnancy. It occurs when a sperm meets an egg and fertilises it. Many conception symptoms mark the onset of pregnancy. These include-missed menstrual periods, morning sickness, fatigue, frequent urination, swollen or tender breasts etc.

How Does Conception Work?

Conception in pregnancy starts during the ovulation phase of your menstrual cycle. Ovulation is a process in which your ovaries release a mature egg or ovum that goes down to one of your fallopian tubes to continue the rest of the process.

The egg waits there for around 12 to 24 hours to get fertilised. If sperm is present in your fallopian tube at that time, the egg may get fertilized.  

Generally, day 1 of your period is considered the first day of your menstrual cycle. And ovulation occurs around day 14 of the 28-day cycle. 

What Are The Pre-requisites For Conception?

Several crucial factors need to fall into place to ensure conception. Let's have a quick look at the prerequisites:

• The egg that is released must be healthy. 

• According to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the quality of eggs tends to decline after the age of 35 years. So in some cases, age also plays an important role.

• The quality of sperm also matters when it comes to fertilisation. Like the egg, the sperm also needs to be healthy. 

• The sperm needs to be motile enough to travel to the fallopian tube. Otherwise, conception may not be possible.

• A receptive cervix is essential for the sperm to survive.

• If you have a health condition that's preventing ovulation, you should consult a gynaecologist. 

How Does Fertilisation Occur?

Fertilisation may occur in a couple of ways. These include the following:

• Sexual intercourse: When you have sex, sperm is most likely to enter your vagina and travel towards the fallopian tube via the uterus to find its egg. A healthy sperm can survive inside your body for around five days. If your ovary releases the egg during this period, fertilisation or conception in pregnancy may occur.

• Intrauterine Insemination (IUI): It is an artificial way of fertilisation where a doctor puts sperm into your uterus using a thin tube (a medical device). Doctors usually use IUI when you try to conceive artificially through surrogacy or sperm donation. 

• In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF): During IVF, doctors collect eggs from the ovaries and fertilise them in the laboratory. Although it does not ensure fertilisation, the procedure creates the best parameters to make it happen.

Where Does Fertilisation Occur?

The egg may take approximately 30 hours to move from the ovary to the fallopian tube, where the sperm fertilises it, according to the experts at the University of California, San Francisco. During its journey down to the fallopian tube, the egg houses itself in the ampullary-isthmic junction (an area between the ovary and the uterus). This is part of the uterus where eggs get fertilised usually.

Once the egg is fertilised, it swims down to the uterus and implants itself. A fertilised egg is called an embryo.

Do All Fertilised Eggs Result in Pregnancy? If Not, Why?

Well, a fertilised egg doesn't always implant and ends up in pregnancy. Several factors come with implantation. These may include the following:

• In some women, damaged fallopian tubes owing to a medical condition or pelvic infection may restrict implantation. 

• In some cases, implantation happens in an inappropriate location leading to a health emergency like ectopic pregnancy, where the embryo implants in one of the fallopian tubes (outside the uterus). An ectopic pregnancy is quite dangerous to the mother and may eventually lead to the rupture of the fallopian tube, if not detected early.

• There can be scenarios when implantation fails due to a woman's thin uterine lining.

• Sometimes, the quality of the sperm, egg or embryo may not be up to the mark to facilitate implantation.

• In many women, even if the embryo reaches the womb, implantation does not take place. 

How Does Conception Result in Pregnancy?

Once fertilisation is complete, the embryo happens to divide rapidly. After a week, it turns into a blastocyst and implants in the womb.

During the movement of the egg via the fallopian tube right before implantation, the level of progesterone (female hormone) rises. It causes the thickening of the uterine lining to support implantation.

The period between ovulation and implantation is around one to two weeks. This is when you may experience conception symptoms and take the home pregnancy test to confirm pregnancy. 

A pregnancy test is done to detect the hormone, human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG), in the body. If you are pregnant, the level of hCG in your body will be high.

Seek Medical Assistance

Technically, conception is a process where a sperm fertilises an egg. However, in reality, many factors make the journey from conception to pregnancy to delivery, successful. During the period when you're trying to conceive, It is important to eat healthy food and avoid alcohol, smoking and medicines without your doctor's prescription. 

If you are planning a baby or have questions about conception and pregnancy, make sure to visit your doctor.