Let’s say you ovulated a few days ago and you want to know if you could already be pregnant. Would that even be possible?⁣⁣ ⁣⁣

The little eggs’ journey

After you’ve ovulated, the egg has less than a day to get fertilized. So assuming that happened, your now fertilized egg goes on a journey that takes about 5 days. In those 5 days, it will go through many cell divisions and will grow to what is called the blastocyst stage. ⁣⁣ ⁣Once that happens, your egg is developmentally ready. It will hatch out of its protective shell (zona pellucida) and can find a place to implant in your uterus.

Why timing is important

The earliest this has been reported to happen was 6 days after ovulation. Most embryos aren’t that quick though, and on average, it takes between 8 and 10 days after ovulation. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣Fun (or not so fun?) fact: Embryos that implant late have a lower chance of making it. About 80% of embryos that implant after 11 days past ovulation (DPO) end in a loss, while embryos that implant on or before 9 DPO have about a 1 in 10 chance of ending in a loss. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣

Reference: Wilcox, Allen J., Donna Day Baird, and Clarice R. Weinberg. 1999. “Time of Implantation of the Conceptus and Loss of Pregnancy.” Obstetrical & Gynecological Survey