Conception is a small miracle - a matter of chance - and the length of time it takes to conceive a baby varies enormously. Some will be lucky and fall pregnant at the first attempt; others will still be trying a year or more later.
Now the real miracle begins ...
The egg will be fertilised within about 24 hours of its release. The genetic material from the sperm combines with the genetic material in the egg to create a new cell that will rapidly start dividing. You're not actually pregnant until that bundle of new cells, known as the embryo, travels the rest of the way down the fallopian tube and attaches itself to the wall of your uterus.
However, you can have an ectopic pregnancy if the embryo implants somewhere other than the uterus, usually in the fallopian tube. An ectopic pregnancy is not viable, and the embryo has to be surgically removed to prevent rupture and damage to the fallopian tube.
That final leg of the trip, from fallopian tube to uterus, can take another three days or so, but it will be a couple of weeks until you miss a period and suspect that you're going to have a baby. Once you have missed your period or noticed one of the other signs of pregnancy, you can use a home pregnancy test to find out for sure if you've got a little one on the way. If so, congratulations, and welcome to the start of another incredible journey.
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