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What Is Implantation?
Definition, Symptoms and What It All Means
By Lisa A. Goldstein
When asked about implantation – the kind related to pregnancy, that is – many women ask for clarification. So if you had the same reaction upon reading this, you're not alone.
Christine Anthony of Evanston, Ill., asked for clarification, but it turns out her definition was right on target: "Do you mean when women are aware of the timeframe when the fertilized egg actually embeds itself in the uterus ... the absolute first step in pregnancy establishment?"
For a more medical definition, here's one from Dr. Lori Marshall, a Seattle, Wash., based fertility expert: "[Implantation] is the process that involves attachment of the embryo to the lining of the uterus. The embryo penetrates through and embeds into the endometrial lining."
In other words, without implantation, there can be no pregnancy. It's a complex process that involves signals sent back and forth between the embryo and lining of the uterus, Dr. Marshall says. A lot of things have to occur: The embryo must extrude or hatch from the membrane surrounding it; the uterine lining must be receptive to implantation. This requires preparation with estrogen and progesterone and only occurs for about a four-day window.
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What Is Pregnancy Implantation? by Anonymous on 07/17/2009 10:27PM
I had some light spotting right about the time I thought I should be ovulating. Now I have gotten a positive result today! This answers some questions that my husband & I were having about why I bled a couple of weeks ago.
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What Is Pregnancy Implantation? by Ashleigh on 11/25/2009 02:34PM
Hi I was wondering when u are told by the hospital that u are 9 weeks and 1 day pregnant does it mean the 9 weeks and 1 day ago implantation happen?