How long after becoming a surrogate did you feel the symptoms of pregnancy?

by Taylor
(Texas)

I am becoming a gestational surrogate for my sister within the next few months. Since the egg will already be fertilized when it is implanted, will my pregnancy be more advanced than a traditional pregnancy? Will I feel the symptoms of pregnancy quicker than a tradition pregnancy? Will my pregnancy last as long as a traditional pregnancy?

Thanks!

Reply by Rayven

These are really great questions! Actually, the pregnancy will be slightly shorter, but will seem longer. Let me explain.

The 40 weeks of pregnancy are calculated by your last menstrual cycle. The start of that cycle is considered your first day of pregnancy, though a typical woman gets pregnant about 10 days later. With IVF, you will have 3-5 day old embryos transferred into your uterus, so technically your pregnancy would be 3-5 days shorter.

But, most women don't know they are pregnant for at least another month. Since you are going through IVF, not only do you know the exact date you "got" pregnant, you know your due date in advance. You're aware that much sooner than a typical pregnancy, so it lasts longer!

As far as feeling any symptoms, its easy for the mind to tell you the body is pregnant when you go through a transfer. You'll feel fluttering, some cramping, and you'll not know exactly what it means. Luckily, you only have to wait two weeks from the time of the transfer to the time of the Beta test, which is where they will draw blood twice, two days apart, to verify if you are pregnant or not.

The whole transfer/beta test two week wait can be agonizingly slow (again, the mind somehow slows down time!) but really, when compared to a typical pregnancy, it goes by very fast!

Best wishes!