Can you feel conception?

Short answer: no. You can’t feel the moment a sperm fertilises an egg, and there are no symptoms at that point. Here’s why, and what any twinges you notice are more likely to be.

Why you can’t feel it

Fertilisation happens inside a fallopian tube and involves cells far too small to cause any feeling. At this stage your body hasn’t started making any pregnancy hormone. The pregnancy hormone hCG only starts once the fertilised egg implants in your womb, about a week later.

So what are the twinges I feel?

Ovulation pain

About 14 days before a period, some people feel a dull ache or sharp twinge low down on one side, sometimes with a little spotting. This is usually ovulation pain, when the egg is released, and it happens whether or not you conceive. It can last from a few minutes to a day or two.

Hormone changes after ovulation

In the days after ovulation, changing hormone levels can cause sore breasts, bloating, tiredness and mood changes in every cycle, pregnant or not.

Everything else

Wind, constipation and tummy muscles can all cause twinges that are easy to notice when you’re paying close attention to your body.

“I just knew”

Some people say they knew they’d conceived straight away. It’s a lovely story when it turns out to be right, but there’s no physical sign at conception that anyone could feel, and lots of people ‘just know’ in months when they turn out not to be pregnant. Try not to measure your chances by how you feel.

Myths about conceiving

Lying with your legs up after sex. Sperm start moving up through your cervix within minutes. There’s no good evidence that lying with your legs up makes pregnancy more likely, though there’s no harm in lying still for a bit if you want to.
Orgasm being needed to conceive. You can get pregnant whether or not you have one.
Being able to tell by your cervical mucus. Mucus changes around ovulation, but it can’t tell you whether an egg has been fertilised.

When could I notice something?

The earliest changes some people notice are around implantation, about 6 to 12 days after ovulation, such as light spotting or mild cramps, though it isn’t certain implantation causes them. Most early pregnancy symptoms start around the time of a missed period or after. See can you feel implantation? and early signs of pregnancy.

How to find out

The only way to know whether you’re pregnant is a pregnancy test.

Most pregnancy tests are designed to be used from the day your period is due. Test makers say they’re over 99% accurate from then, though that figure comes from lab testing. A positive result is almost certainly right, but a negative result is less reliable.

Some early tests can be used from 5 days before your period is due (the packet may call this ‘6 days before your missed period’), and some people do get a positive that early. One leading brand says that in lab testing, its most sensitive test picked up 78% of pregnancies at that point, and more the closer you get to your period.

A negative result can be wrong if there isn’t enough hCG yet, even on the day your period is due. Everyone ovulates and implants at a slightly different time, and one study found that on the day women expected their period, about 1 in 10 pregnancies hadn’t implanted yet, so no test could have found them. If you get a negative result and your period doesn’t come, wait a few days and test again. If it’s still negative and your period hasn’t arrived, speak to your GP.

Questions people ask

Can you feel the egg being fertilised?

No. It’s a microscopic event inside the fallopian tube and doesn’t cause any sensation.

Can you feel sperm meeting the egg?

No. Any cramping straight after sex is from the muscles of your womb and pelvis, not from fertilisation.

How soon after conception do symptoms start?

Not until after implantation, at the earliest, and for most people not until around a missed period. Read our day-by-day guide.

When to get ovulation pain checked

See a GP urgently or call NHS 111 if one-sided pain is severe, keeps coming back, doesn’t ease with painkillers, or you think you might be pregnant, as it can have other causes, including an ectopic pregnancy.

When to get help

Mild cramps that ease with rest are usually nothing to worry about. But if you’re pregnant, or think you could be, get urgent advice from your maternity unit, an early pregnancy unit or NHS 111 if you have:

any bleeding or spotting, even if it’s light
tummy pain that’s severe, on one side, or hasn’t eased after resting for 30 to 60 minutes
pain in the tip of your shoulder

Call 999 if you have bleeding along with severe tummy pain, pain in your shoulder, or feeling sick, faint or dizzy, or if the bleeding is heavy (soaking a pad soon after putting it on). Also call 999 if you have sudden, sharp and intense tummy pain and you feel very dizzy or faint, feel sick or look very pale. These can be signs of an ectopic pregnancy or a miscarriage that need treating straight away.