When implantation happens
After an egg is fertilized, it travels down the fallopian tube for several days and then attaches to the lining of the uterus. In a study of 221 women trying to conceive naturally, implantation in pregnancies that lasted at least 6 weeks happened 6 to 12 days after ovulation. In 84% of them it was on day 8, 9 or 10.
If you’re doing IVF, use the IVF due date calculator instead. It counts from your embryo’s age at transfer.
Can you feel it?
Most people feel nothing. Some notice light spotting around the time of implantation, but spotting is also common for other reasons, and its absence means nothing either way.
When to test
Pregnancy tests detect hCG, a hormone made after implantation. Levels take a few days to rise high enough to show. Many home tests can pick up a pregnancy from the first day of a missed period, but not all: the FDA says 10 to 20 of every 100 pregnant women won’t get a positive test that day. For the most reliable result, the FDA says to test 1 to 2 weeks after a missed period. Testing early can give a false negative. If a test is negative and your period doesn’t come, test again a few days later, and call your provider if you’re still unsure.
Sources
- Wilcox AJ, Baird DD, Weinberg CR. “Time of implantation of the conceptus and loss of pregnancy.” New England Journal of Medicine, 1999. nejm.org
- MedlinePlus, “Pregnancy test.” medlineplus.gov
- US Food and Drug Administration, “Pregnancy.” fda.gov