3DPO: pregnancy symptoms and testing at three days post ovulation
Zara Mohammed
WriterWondering what symptoms to expect at 3dpo? Want to know if it's too early to take a pregnancy test? Here's everything you need to know about what to expect at three days post ovulation.
If you're trying for a baby you may have come across the term 'days post ovulation' or 'dpo'. This basically refers to the number of days that have passed since you last ovulated.
Ovulation happens around the middle of your cycle. The NHS says that it usually occurs about two weeks before your next period. If you're not sure you can try using our ovulation calculator, and read more about how ovulation works.
Now that you've worked out that you're three days post ovulation (3dpo), we know you'll have plenty of questions. So we've gone through the research from the NHS, Healthline and other experts, and picked out the most important and interesting bits, so that we can help you know what to expect...
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What's happening in my body at 3dpo?
You may just be starting out on this exciting journey, having only ovulated three days ago, but there is a lot of fascinating stuff going on in your body right now. Exactly what's happening will depend on how long your cycle is and when the last time you had sex was.
At 3dpo these are the scenarios that could be happening in your body:
- Three days ago your ovaries released an egg and it started travelling down through the fallopian tube towards the uterus, but it wasn't fertilised by sperm. (This means you're not pregnant, and you'll have to try again next month.)
- Three days ago your ovaries released an egg and it was intercepted by sperm and fertilised. (This means that conception took place, but you are still not yet pregnant, as the fertilised egg hasn't implanted in your womb.)
Here's how it works:
When you ovulate, your ovaries release an egg. The egg had a 24 hour window to get fertilised and sperm can live up to five days in the body, which means that if you had sex up to five days prior to having sex, or you had sex on the day of ovulation, or the day after, you gave your egg a pretty decent chance at getting fertilised.
At 3dpo the opportunity for your egg to have been fertilised has now passed, but if sperm did fertilise the egg, it's called 'conception', and the egg will carry on travelling down the fallopian tube towards the uterus where it will attempt to burrow into the lining of your womb. This is called 'implantation'.
According to Healthline, the fertilised egg usually implants in the womb about 8-9 days after fertilisation, though it can vary by quite a few days either way. This means that implantation can happen anywhere between 6 - 12 days past ovulation (6dpo - 12dpo). So in a few days time a miracle could very well be happening inside of you.
If the egg wasn't fertilised, or implantation isn't successful, then the egg will pass along with the lining of your womb when you have your next period.
After implantation, however, you are officially considered to be pregnant, and your body will start to make human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which is the pregnancy hormone. HCG is what pregnancy tests detect in order to tell you if you are pregnant or not.
It takes some time for levels of the pregnancy hormone to build up in your body though. As it does, you may begin to experience some early pregnancy symptoms, like nausea, sore breasts and fatigue.
According to Healthline, it takes about 7-12 days after implantation for hCG levels to be detectable. So that's anything from 13dpo onwards, or around the time that your period would be due.
What symptoms might I experience at 3dpo?
You're not likely to experience any real pregnancy symptoms at 3dpo. Anything you might be feeling this early on won't technically be 'pregnancy symptoms', because you're not pregnant until after implantation has taken place, and even if your egg was fertilised, you still have a few days to go before that could happen.
Some women do report early symptoms. We'd say these are most likely down to something else though.
According to the NHS, the main early symptoms of pregnancy to watch out for are:
- feeling or being sick
- feeling more tired than usual
- sore or tender breasts
- peeing more often
- strange tastes, smells or cravings
Learn more about the early signs of pregnancy.
What do other Netmums experience?
If you've noticed any of the above symptoms, or you're eager to hear about what other women have experienced in terms of early pregnancy symptoms, here are some quotes we've pulled from other Netmums at 3dpo:
'Wondering if anyone has or is experiencing what I am: since ovulating I have had cramping, and I have never felt this before. I don’t usually cramp at all around my ovulation (I have light symptoms usually and can’t tell without charting.) I’ve also had a headache all day, not normal for me. I know I am only 3dpo, but I just feel like somethingggg is happening. BBT has not gone down. Trying to be realistic but I’ve never felt this kind of cramping. Ttc 1st baby. Really hoping I keep getting symptoms and it leads to a BFP!'
'Extremely early I know, but today 3DPO I’m getting twinges, dull achy feeling, I’m exhausted & I’ve got lower back pain!! Has anyone ever had these symptoms and had a BFP? I’ve ordered some tests online to do when I can!' (Later updated to say she was not pregnant)
'Has anyone ever experienced this so soon after ovulation? We dtd night before positive opk and I'm having these symptoms. I'm by no means getting my hopes up that this is a pregnancy symptoms due to only 3dpo, but just curious, has anyone else experienced this and had a positive result in the end? I have a dull aching sensation in lower back and uterus which I have never experienced before.' (Symptoms lead to pregnancy)
– cathD
'Hi there. I had this with my first child. I was 3 days past ovulation and we dtd two days prior. I had pulling in lower abdomen and aching in my lower back. The TWW was so long to find out for sure but I kind of knew myself. He’s now 2 and has a little brother at 7 months. Good luck. Hope you get your BFP xx' (Symptoms lead to pregnancy)
'I'm 3dpo today & I've been having cramps for 2 days now which I don't normally have. I've got a lot of creamy cm which it normally dries up by now lol my tummy feels sore aswell which I've never had before? This would be my 3rd child if I did concieve this month. If I did concieve I'd be due around 3rd March! Fingers crossed we get our BFP xx' (Pregnancy not confirmed)
'I'm 3dpo today, yesterday evening I had quite sharp cramps, today I have been getting the odd twinge, but I don't know if that's in my head. Have you been getting any symptoms? It would be great to hear some bfp stories with early signs xxxxx' (Pregnancy not confirmed)
'I know this sounds weird and may well not be down to pregnancy but, since my day of ovulation (or what I believe to be, due to ewcm) I haven't been able to sleep. This is very unlike me as I can usually sleep for Britain - day or night.. Today I also have a terrible headache and have had a few milder headaches the past couple of days as well. I also feel dizzy today, but this may be down to lack of sleep! I feel slightly sick, off food and have had a few twinges in my lower belly, similar to af pains.. Oh and quite a lot of white creamy cm yesterday (sorry tmi). Anyone else experience similar? As I thought it was too early for symptoms at 3dpo.. Or am I just generally unwell? I may have ovulation wrong as I haven't really tracked it, just going by cm. Ovia says I was due to ovulate sat. So I'm potentially 3-5dpo. Sorry for the ramble lol. I'm a bit excited, but also feeling rough as lol. Baby dust to you all xx' (Pregnancy not confirmed)
– Kir35bjd
'I'm either 2/3dpo and since a few days before ovulation to now I've been feeling sick, off food today, headache, bottom back ache, belly ache like period pains and I can't sleep! I think it's too early yet as the egg probably hasn't planted it's self yet but I think something is happening because I never feel like this!!' (Pregnancy not confirmed)
Can I take a pregnancy test at 3dpo?
Unfortunately. it's still too early to take a pregnancy test at 3dpo. Implantation definitely hasn't happened yet, so even if your egg was fertilised a few days ago, you won't actually be pregnant yet.
Your body hasn't begun to start making any hCG, the pregnancy hormone, either. This only starts to happen after implantation, and it is what pregnancy tests detect in order to tell you whether or not you're pregnant.
The NHS recommends taking a pregnancy test from the day your period is due, which is typically about 14dpo if your cycle averages at around 28-days Extra sensitive pregnancy tests may be able to tell you a lot sooner, for example, from as early as 9dpo, but if you're looking for accuracy it's best to wait.
Don't forget that it does take some time for hCG levels to build up in your body, and the stronger they are, the more likely you are to get that coveted BFP (big fat positive).
Learn more about when to take a pregnancy test.
How can I get through the TWW?
When you're trying to get pregnant and you have to wait two whole weeks to find out if there's anything exciting happening inside your body, the TWW can be torturous. It can certainly seem a lot longer than it actually is, and you're still at the very beginning, so you're probably wondering how on earth you're going to get through it.
Well, there's really only one sensible answer to this, and that is to be kind to yourself. If you've already joined the club and started obsessing over the days and potential symptoms, just know that this is perfectly normal, and all part of the process on your journey towards motherhood.
If you can be kinder on yourself, and know when to pull away and try to take your mind off things, the time will go more quickly. You know what they say – never look at the clock if you're waiting for time to pass, do something else!
It's the perfect time to lose yourself in a good book or box set, spend time with friends and family, take up a hobby, or download some new games onto your phone for times when you need an easy distraction to stop you from spending hours on pregnancy forums.
Forums can be a healthy outlet if you use them wisely though. Why not chat about the changes you might be noticing in your body, and find buddies to support you through the TWW by joining a Trying To Conceive Club in the Netmums Forum?
One thing we definitely recommend is to avoid testing too early. At 3dpo, there really is no point. So hold out until your pregnancy test actually has a chance to do its job properly.
You can also check out our other top tips for surviving the TWW.
More on DPO
If you want to keep an eye on your potential pregnancy symptoms and what's going in your body on each day post ovulation, check out our articles from day 1 to 19:
1DPO • 2DPO.• 3DPO • 4DPO • 5DPO • 6DPO • 7DPO • 8DPO • 9DPO • 10DPO • 11DPO • 12DPO • 13DPO • 14DPO • 15DPO • 16DPO • 17DPO • 18DPO • 19DPO
