What happens during the fifth week of pregnancy? It is very possible that the first symptoms begin to appear (especially the most obvious ones), while your future baby continues to develop.
Fifth week of pregnancy. The most important:
You are in the fifth week of pregnancy. The embryo is already implanted and continues to develop. If you have an ultrasound (although it is still early), it is possible that only the gestational sac (and hopefully the yolk sac, which would confirm the presence of an embryo inside) can be seen.
Week 5 of pregnancy (Week 3 of pregnancy).
Remember that following a varied, nutritious and varied diet is essential during pregnancy. This week you can eat more green leafy vegetables (rich in folic acid), and dairy or nuts such as almonds and walnuts (rich in calcium and phosphorus).
Folic acid, iodine and iron supplements are essential before and during pregnancy. If you still do not take it, your gynecologist will prescribe it.
It is the ideal time to have a first appointment with your gynecologist. The pregnancy test has already given you positive, and you can start planning the pregnancy. Calmly, yes.
It begins the fifth week of pregnancy, and it probably does it with a wonderful feeling of change for you: if last week you noticed a delay in menstruation, you may have taken a pregnancy test, especially if your menstrual cycle is usually regular and you also suspect that you may be pregnant. And if the pregnancy test has given you positive, congratulations! You are already aware that a new life is growing within you.
During this week, unlike the previous one, great changes begin to take place both in the development of the baby and in the mother-to-be’s own body. And, in addition, the secretion of the hormone chorionic gonadotropin (also known as beta-hCG) increases considerably as the days go by, so the result of the pregnancy test is even safer if possible this week, compared to the previous one.
But it is also possible that your menstruation is delayed a few days and you still cannot suspect anything. Therefore, it is likely that you actually do the pregnancy test at the beginning of this week, when the delay is much clearer and more evident.
The development of the embryo in the fifth week of pregnancy
We are in the fifth week of pregnancy, and in the third week of pregnancy. That is, 3 weeks have already passed from the moment of conception, and 22 days of embryonic development have already passed.
Over the past week the implantation of the embryo took place, and from this moment, what is medically known as gastrulation occurs: the cells of the bilaminar germ disc of the embryo migrate and move until they form a total of three embryonic layers that will make up all the baby’s tissues in the future:
- Ectoderm: It is the outermost layer, from which the nervous system, the mouth, the skin and the outermost part of the body will be formed. It originates from the epiblast.
- Mesoderm: Intermediate layer from which the circulatory system, skeleton, muscles, as well as the reproductive and excretory system will develop. All of this is also formed from the epiblast.
- Endoderm: consists of the innermost layer from which all the organs of the digestive system develop (stomach, intestines, pancreas, liver), as well as the lungs.
The embryo is still very small in size and it may not yet be visible inside the gestational sac if you undergo an ultrasound scan this week, since it is barely between 1 and 2 mm in size. Its shape is similar to that of a bean or bean, and during these days there are also important changes – and advances – in its development:
- The embryo takes the form of a bean. A series of bumps form at its ends. The smallest will give rise to the limbs, and the largest to the head.
- The notochord is formed from the mesoderm, which is a structure that helps support the embryo until its spinal column is formed.
- A still primitive heart begins to develop. But it’s still too early to have a heartbeat.
Although the embryo receives the nutritional contribution thanks to the presence of the yolk sac, the placenta also begins to form, which is extremely important for the development of the future baby because it will be the means by which the oxygen and necessary nutrients are transmitted.
What changes and symptoms occur in women during week 5 of pregnancy?
During this week it is possible that the first symptoms of pregnancy are somewhat more evident. Small, somewhat more visible changes are already beginning to occur in your body, such as an increase in the volume of the breasts, which will also feel more sensitive and warm.
In addition, other obvious symptoms also appear or continue, such as:
- Tired and sleepy you may feel more like sleeping and resting.
- Morning sickness, accompanied or not by vomiting.
- Pain that is located in the lower abdomen.
- Appearance of cravings or rejection of some smells and foods.
- Fluid retention.
Have an ultrasound in the fifth week of pregnancy
Many gynecologists still do not advise to have an ultrasound because it can lead to confusion or error and lead in turn to increased nervousness for future parents.
The reason is that, even in this week, it may be possible that the embryo is not fully visible inside the gestational sac, although sometimes it is possible to distinguish the yolk vesicle inside the sac, which would confirm the existence embryo and that the gestation continues to evolve.
Therefore, it is safest to perform the first ultrasound during the sixth week of pregnancy.
