What is the two week wait? And how to get through it

The two week wait (often written TWW or 2WW) is the time between ovulating, or having an embryo transfer, and being able to take a reliable pregnancy test. It can feel like the longest two weeks ever, especially if you’ve been trying for a while.

Why is it two weeks?

Your period usually starts about 10 to 16 days after you release an egg. If an egg is fertilised, it takes several days to travel down the fallopian tube to your womb and settle into the lining, usually 8 to 10 days after ovulation. Only then does the pregnancy start making hCG, the hormone that pregnancy tests pick up, and it takes a few more days to build up. By the time your period is due, there’s usually enough for a home test to find, which is roughly two weeks after ovulation.

Our day-by-day guide from conception to a missed period explains each step in detail.

What’s happening, week by week

Week one: the journey to the womb

If an egg has been fertilised, it divides into a ball of cells as it moves towards your womb, arriving about 5 days later. It usually implants between 6 and 12 days after ovulation, most often 8 to 10 days, so mostly in week two. Until then there’s no hCG, so no test can tell you anything and there are no pregnancy symptoms to feel.

Week two: implanting, and hCG starts to build

Once implanted, hCG starts to rise, roughly doubling every couple of days at first. Some people notice light spotting or mild cramps around this time, but many notice nothing at all. Towards the end of the week, very sensitive early tests may start to pick it up.

Why every twinge feels like a sign

After you ovulate, your body makes the hormone progesterone whether or not you’re pregnant. Changing hormone levels in the second half of your cycle can cause sore breasts, bloating, tiredness, spots and mood changes, which is why the days before a period can feel a lot like early pregnancy. Most true pregnancy symptoms, like feeling sick, start around the time of a missed period or later. It’s very hard to tell the difference until you can test, so try not to read too much into each symptom.

It’s also completely normal to have no symptoms at all and be pregnant.

Can I carry on as normal?

Yes. Just follow the same advice as when you’re trying to get pregnant:

take 400 micrograms of folic acid every day
don’t drink alcohol or smoke
keep caffeine under 200mg a day
avoid vitamin A (retinol) supplements and cod liver oil
check with a pharmacist before taking any medicines (paracetamol is usually fine)

You don’t need to rest, stop exercising or take time off work. Read is there anything you can do to help implantation? for the myths you can safely ignore.

When can I 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.

If you don’t know when your period is due, test at least 21 days after you last had unprotected sex.

The two week wait after IVF or IUI

If you’re having fertility treatment, test on the date your clinic gives you. Testing early can give a false result. If you had a ‘trigger’ injection containing hCG, it can stay in your body for up to about 10 days and give a positive that isn’t a pregnancy. Keep taking any medicines your clinic has prescribed until they tell you to stop, even if you have some bleeding, and contact your clinic to let them know about any bleeding. Some clinics suggest avoiding strenuous exercise during this time, so follow their advice. Licensed fertility clinics have to offer you counselling, and many people find it helps during the wait.

Coping with the wait

Waiting is hard, especially if you’ve been trying for a while or you’ve had a loss before. A few things can help:

Plan things to look forward to. Dinners, walks, a box set: anything that fills the evenings.
Limit symptom searching. Every symptom has two possible answers until you test.
Decide in advance when you’ll test, and stick to it. Fewer early tests means fewer confusing faint lines and negatives.
Talk about it. With your partner, a friend, or other people going through the same thing. You don’t have to pretend you’re fine.
Be kind to yourself if your period comes. It’s not because of anything you did in these two weeks. Give yourself time to feel disappointed before thinking about next month.

If you’re finding it hard to cope, or the wait each month is affecting your mood, talk to your GP.

When to see a GP about getting pregnant

Most couples where the woman is under 40 get pregnant within a year of having regular sex without contraception. See your GP if you’ve been trying for a year, or sooner if you’re 36 or over or you know of something that might affect your fertility.

Questions people ask

Can you be pregnant and have no symptoms in the two week wait?

Yes. Most people have no clear pregnancy symptoms before their period is due, and plenty have none for weeks after. No symptoms doesn’t mean it hasn’t worked.

Is spotting during the two week wait a good sign?

Not necessarily. Light spotting around the time your period is due is common whether or not you’re pregnant. Read about implantation bleeding, and get any bleeding checked if you could be pregnant.

How many days past ovulation can I test?

From about 10 days past ovulation a very sensitive early test may pick up some pregnancies, but it’s far more reliable from the day your period is due, about 2 weeks after ovulation.

Does stress stop implantation?

There’s no good evidence that everyday stress during the two week wait stops a pregnancy from implanting. Looking after yourself still matters, for how you feel.

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.