When Does Conception Occur? Here's How Long It Takes to Get Pregnant

We know that intercourse leads to pregnancy, but people often wonder how soon after sex you can get pregnant. As it turns out, multiple variables are at play, so the answer isn't exact. You could conceive within minutes, it could take a few days, or you might not get pregnant at all.

Keep reading to learn how long after sex implantation occurs, how to maximize your chances of conceiving, and when you can expect pregnancy symptoms to begin.

When Does Conception Happen?

Conception occurs when sperm fertilizes an egg in the reproductive tract. It can take place minutes after sex, or it might happen up to six days later.

Here's the reason for the variation: Sperm can survive inside the female reproductive system for up to five days, while the egg survives 12-24 hours after it's released from the ovary. You can conceive anytime during this six-day fertile window.

In other words, the day you have sex isn't necessarily the day you get pregnant. If you had sex on Monday and ovulated on Thursday, for example, the sperm might still exist in the reproductive tract to form a pregnancy.

But what happens if you have sex during the time of ovulation, and there's already an egg waiting to be fertilized? In this case, conception can occur mere minutes after sexual intercourse. Studies have shown that sperm take, on average, between two and 10 minutes to travel from the cervix through to the fallopian tubes where they hope to meet an egg. This action occurs regardless of gravity; sperm can swim through the uterus no matter what position your body is in.

How Long After Sex Does Implantation Occur?

To form a pregnancy, the fertilized egg implants itself into the uterine wall. To do this, it must travel from the fallopian tubes into the uterus, and it also needs to go through several developmental stages.

You’re not technically pregnant until the embryo becomes implanted in the uterus. Implantation generally takes place six to 12 days following conception. Some people notice signs of implantation, which might include light bleeding and cramping, but most don't have any symptoms.

How Fast Can You Get Pregnant While Trying to Conceive?

Many people think they'll get pregnant soon after they start trying to conceive. In reality, some people will be successful after one month, while others need to try for several months.

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), couples in their 20s or early 30s have a 25-30% chance of conceiving each month—and this number decreases as the person ages. One study focused on 1,400 people who had planned their pregnancy, and it found that as many as 44% of them said it took longer than expected.

Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive within six months of regular unprotected sex (or one year if you're over 35 years old). If you're experiencing infertility, make an appointment with a fertility specialist, who might be able to help you treat the problem.

Can You Improve Your Chances of Conceiving?

Want to increase your chances of conception? Start by understanding your menstrual cycle and fertile window. It's important to have sex around the time of ovulation (when the ovary releases a mature egg) for the best chances of success. There are various ways to determine ovulation, including the following:

• Using an ovulation predictor kit
• Charting your basal body temperature
• Monitoring your cervical mucus
• Using an online ovulation calculator

While you're more likely to get pregnant if you have sex two or three days before ovulation, you can conceive from sex that occurs up to five days before an egg is released from the ovary.

Can laying down right after sex increase your odds of conception? Not likely. While some may lay down or put their feet in the air as a way to guide the sperm to the cervix, there is no scientific evidence to support this theory. (That said, there's no harm in trying!) Luckily, the same goes for peeing after sex—you won't lose any sperm that way.

The best thing you can do after sex is try not to stress. As long as you've tried to conceive around the time of ovulation, you've already boosted your odds.

Recognizing Early Pregnancy Symptoms

Whether conception occurs within minutes of sex or days later, some people wonder if they'll feel pregnant when it happens. The answer is probably not. The symptoms of early pregnancy can start as early as a week after intercourse, when the embryo implants in the uterine lining, but most often take several weeks to start.

Aside from a missed menstrual cycle, common early pregnancy symptoms include:

• Implantation bleeding or spotting
• Sore breasts
• Fatigue
• Frequent urination
• Headaches
• Food aversions or cravings
• Nausea

Some people don't have any noticeable early pregnancy symptoms, which is also normal.

When to Take a Pregnancy Test

Remember that a home pregnancy test can’t detect a pregnancy at the moment of conception—or even the day of implantation. That's because your body needs to produce enough hCG (a pregnancy hormone) to trigger a positive result.

To get the most accurate pregnancy test, wait until you miss your period. Otherwise, you may get a false negative test (the result shows you aren't pregnant when you really are).

If the pregnancy test results are negative, but you still think you might be pregnant, wait a few days and try again. Contact your health care provider with any questions.

Preventing Pregnancy With Emergency Contraception

Some people with questions about conception and implantation are trying not to get pregnant. In fact, nearly half of all pregnancies in the United States are unplanned. If you have unprotected sex or you think that your birth control method has failed, it's possible to prevent conception and implantation if you act quickly.

One option is emergency contraception. Most types work by preventing or delaying ovulation—the release of an egg from the ovary—but they're not effective if you've already started ovulating.

For the best results, emergency contraception should be used as soon as possible after having unprotected sex, though it might still be effective if taken three to five days afterwards. Note that emergency contraception pills don't harm a fetus if you're already pregnant.