Wondering what symptoms to expect at 15dpo? 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 fifteen days post ovulation.

' Dpo ' stands for ' days post ovulation', and it refers to how many days have passed since you started ovulating. You'll need this info to work out where you are in your cycle so that you'll know when it's time to take a pregnancy test and expect pregnancy symptoms.

To work out how many days post ovulation you are, you'll need to know when you ovulated. Ovulation takes place approximately mid-cycle . The NHS says that it occurs about two weeks before your next period . Everyone's cycle is a different length, and so your ovulation date might not land directly in the middle.

If you're having trouble working it out using other methods, like observing changes in your cervical mucus or checking your basal body temperature, use our ovulation calculator to check your dates, and find out more about how ovulation works .

At 15 days post ovulation (15dpo) big changes could be happening in your body and you're probably dying to know all the details. Lucky for you we've looked at research from the NHS , Healthline and other experts, so that we can help you know what to expect...

What’s happening in my body at 15dpo?

We can't say exactly what's happening in your body because it depends on a few different things, like how long your menstrual cycle is, how regular, and when you last had sex.

However, in the past few days you have reached an exciting milestone in your pregnancy journey - you reached the end of your TTW (two-week-wait). This means you're free to start taking pregnancy tests, and they should be able to give you an accurate result.

If you haven't taken one yet, at 15dpo, it's possible that:

• an egg has been released from your ovary, but made it through your fallopian tube without being fertilised (you’re not pregnant)
• an egg has been released from your ovary, was fertilised, and has now implanted in your womb (you’re pregnant)

Here's how it works:

Two weeks before your period is due ' ovulation ' will have taken place, meaning your ovaries released an egg. The egg has a 24 hour window to get fertilised.

If you had sex during the five days leading up to ovulation, on the day of your ovulation, or on the day after, then you've given your egg a good chance to get fertilised. These seven days are called your 'fertile window'.

Sperm can live up to five days inside the body so they would have been waiting for your egg to be released so that they could try to fertilise it. If they succeed, it's called ' conception '.

Either way the egg will continue to travel through the fallopian tube until it gets to the uterus. If it wasn't fertilised then it will leave your body with your next period. If it was fertilised it will instead try to burrow into the wall of your uterus. This is called ' implantation '

Implantation normally happens between 6 – 12 days past ovulation, which means if you are pregnant it should already have occurred.

Implantation marks the success of your pregnancy, and your body will now start to produce human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), or the pregnancy hormone . Pregnancy tests detect this in order to display a bfp (big fat positive), but it won't be detectable straight away.

Expect to wait around 7-12 days after implantation for hCG to build up to levels that will give a positive result . This is usually around the time you might start to notice early pregnancy symptoms like nausea, fatigue, and sore breasts.

What symptoms might I experience at 15dpo?

If you've taken a pregnancy test and it has rewarded you with a bfp (big fat positive) - Congratulations on your pregnancy!

If you've taken one and the results are negative or unclear, don't lose hope just yet. You may have got your dates slightly wrong. There's also still time for more hCG to build up in your body.

We know you want to know what to expect next in terms of pregnancy symptoms. Unfortunately, it's probably still too early for you to experience many pregnancy symptoms at 15dpo because the hCG levels are still too low. However, there are some women who do report super-early symptoms.

The big sign to look out for at this stage is your missed period! But be aware that there could be many different reasons for a missed period, and at 15dpo your period could still arrive any day.

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

What do other Netmums experience?

Here are some quotes from the Netmums forum, sharing real-life experiences at 15dpo:

'I had period cramps all day yesterday but my period never came and I have only had some niggles on my left side today. Feeling when I stand up too quickly I get stars in my eyes which I don't normally get, bad heartburn with a sicky feeling but I've not actually been sick, headache, tiredness, dizziness, may be too early for cravings if I am pregnant but I craved cauliflower cheese a few days ago - I rarely eat cauliflower lol... I had sore nipples yesterday! (Tmi). I am maybe reading too much into it & symptom spotting but it is so frustrating! I am going to buy a couple of other brands of tests tomorrow if I haven't got my period by then as different brands have different sensitivity!' (Confirmed NOT PREGNANT)

– Kim65myc

Hi! Got my BFP since 11 DPO. I'm on 15 DPO and I have these pretty painful cramps for about a few days. I don't know if it's still normal. My appointment with the doctor is in 2 weeks. Should I be worried?' (Confirmed PREGNANT)

– Rej M

'Ladies, I have not been on here for a while but need some advice, its 15DPO for me today and AF is due, 7DPO I have noticed brown tinge to CM when I wiped only once though, and then yesterday (14DPO) I wiped a couple of times with slight brown tinge but nothing else, cramping like AF is coming for last 2 days on and off. Today I was going to test but couldn't bring myself to do it. Still cramping and just been to the loo and only slight amount of brown (looks really old dry blood) when I wiped, nothing first thing this morning. Could I still be in with a chance? BD day before and day off Ovulation so not too much this month' (Pregnancy not confirmed)

– Sha70mtr

'So I can feel it in my gut that this month isn't my month so I am just writing down my symptoms to keep for my records. It's so hard to distinctly tell the difference between AF signs and PG signs. My AF signs are SO strong and always have been so if I ever fall pregnant, it's going to be so hard to tell.

1 Day before O, I went to the doctor that morning due to chronic migraines and my temperature was SKY HIGH. It was 38.2 if I remember and my heart rate was 120 when it should normally be between 60-100 my doctor said. He also said my body is fighting off something so he prescribed antibiotics that I didn't even end up taking. He thought maybe another sinus infection but it ended up being chronic migraines. I go see a neurologist next week and maybe a CT scan if I don't fall pregnant. I was told to basically stay away from work the whole week.

My app "Flo" believes I ovulated on February 7th 2017 but not too sure how accurate that was. I had all of the cramps that day and the cm so I'm 90% sure I did. Anyone else use that app?

1-5 DPO I was on bed rest and didn't do much. I had migraines for a week straight, it was terrible. But other than that, I didn't have any symptoms. I did notice that my pee was very, very strong. Even after drinking tons of water.

6-10 DPO - Cramps, eggwhite/watery CM, backaches started to kick in, on 9 DPO I was getting a light brown/red discharge as I wiped, none on underwear - in the morning but it subsided in the afternoon. I also had TERRIBLE bloating that today and was super tired. By this time before my period, I normally get really sore boobs but didn't feel really anything? This was a week before AF was due so that was weird. Also normally get extreme acne too but my face till this day (15 DPO) is still glowing. I also got spells of nausea here and there but nothing out of ordinary. My DH did notice that some dinners I wasn't eating that well and wouldn't finish my plate as I was so bloated. My cramps were different to AF though, they weren't so tight but they were weird sharp pains all in my pelvic area, especially around my hips.

10 DPO - I got a somewhat BFP on my lunch break but I'm guessing it might have been an EVAP as I got a negative that night around 5:30pm.

11 & 12 DPO - Noticed my boobs starting to hurt now, probably AF sign. But noticing some really distinct blue veins in my boobs and behind nipples. My DH noticed Montgomery Tubercles forming on my nipples, they were there before but he said he's never seen them this big before. Got my hopes up with this sign.

13-15 DPO - Tested again on 14 DPO with afternoon urine after peeing quite a bit that morning and got a BFN. Noticed an increase in appetite in these 3 days and needing to again pee A LOT.

15 DPO - Feeling a lot of pressure and a somewhat burning sensation when I pee so this is a sign for me that AF is going to make an appearance. I've kind of made up my mind that this month is not mine but is there any chance that I could possibly be pregnant? These signs have been a very emotional rollercoaster for us because my DH really thinks I'm pregnant. Should I wait to test again? Keep in mind I haven't used FMU yet.' (Pregnancy not confirmed)

– Kie92pdz

What if I’m spotting or bleeding at 15dpo?

If you've noticed a small amount of bleeding at 15dpo and you haven't had a positive pregnancy test result, you might be wondering if it's implantation bleeding or if your period is on its way.

According to Healthline , 'Early pregnancy bleeding is fairly common and may occur in up to 25 percent of the population. In many cases, it’s the first sign of pregnancy.' They say that implantation bleeding can take place 'between 7 and 14 days after conception.' So there is a small chance that the bleeding you have noticed is related to implantation.

Implantation bleeding is thought to occur when the fertilised egg burrows into the uterine wall and ruptures a small amount of blood vessels in the lining.

If you're struggling to tell the difference, implantation bleeding is typically lighter than period bleeding, and it will only ask a few days (24 - 48 hours). Other symptoms of implantation bleeding can be similar to the symptoms you get with your period.

According to Healthline implantation symptoms can include:

• mood swings
• nausea
• headaches
• back pain
• light cramps
• tender or swollen breasts

Can I take a pregnancy test at 15dpo?

Yes, you can take a pregnancy test at 15dpo and expect accurate results. The NHS recommends taking a pregnancy test from the day your period is due, which is typically about 14dpo. Just keep in mind that the results may vary if your cycle is different.

Some very sensitive tests may be able to give you a result even before your period is due (from as early as 9dpo ), but we recommend waiting to get the most accurate results. If you have already taken an early test and received a BFN (big fat negative) then now is a great time to try again.

Pregnancy tests detect the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Your body doesn't start producing hCG until after a fertilised egg has implanted in your womb, and it takes several days for your body to produce enough hCG to be detected by a pregnancy test. Around 15dpo there should be enough hCG in your system for a pregnancy test to detect.

Learn more about when to take a pregnancy test.

If you get a BFP (big fat positive) congratulations! Now's the time to call your GP or midwife to book your first antenatal appointment.

My period hasn’t arrived, but the pregnancy test is still negative

You've suffered through the TWW and your patience has run out, so you've taken a pregnancy test but it's a BFN (big fat negative). What does it mean if your period still hasn't arrived though?

A pregnancy test at 15dpo is likely to be accurate, but you can try taking another one in a few days if you're not sure.

There are a few reasons your period may be late:

1. You could be pregnant but have low hormone levels

If your hCG levels are low, a pregnancy test might not be sensitive enough to detect them, even at 15dpo. This may be the case if you conceived later on in your cycle.

According to Healthline , ''there can be as much as a 13-day difference in when ovulation occurs, meaning that you may think you are 4 weeks pregnant when you’re only two weeks along. Pregnancy bleeding, recent hormonal contraceptive use, or breastfeeding can all interfere with accurately knowing your dates, as well.'

2. You may be experiencing an ectopic pregnancy

According to the NHS , 'an ectopic pregnancy is when a fertilised egg implants itself outside of the womb, usually in one of the fallopian tubes.'. Healthline adds that, in about 3% of cases, an ectopic pregnancy doesn't lead to a positive pregnancy test.

If you notice any of the following symptoms you should seek immediate medical advice:

• severe pain in your lower abdomen or on one side
• dizziness or lightheadedness
• bleeding or spotting
• nausea and vomiting

3. Your lifestyle may have an effect on your cycle

Stress and poor diet are common factors when it comes to irregularities in your menstrual cycle. What you eat and drink can also have an impact, for example, dirking too much caffeine or not eating enough food. Sudden changes like starting a new intensive exercise routine, or doing a lot of overtime at work can also cause changes to your periods, as can being very overweight or underweight.

4. Breastfeeding could cause irregularities in your cycle

When your period returns after having a baby, it'll take some time for it to settle back into its usual flow. Breastfeeding is also unpredictable because your growing baby's needs are constantly changing, so growth spurts and more frequent night feeds could have a knock-on effect on your periods.

5. Medical conditions can affect your period

Irregular cycles, heavy periods and missed periods are common if you suffer from certain medical conditions. You should speak to your doctor if you are concerned about any of these things.

Here are some of the medical conditions likely to impact your cycle:

• polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
• thyroid problems
• menopause

6. Medications can interfere with your menstrual cycle

You might be aware that birth control can cause irregularities in your cycle, but other medications can also have an impact and throw it off. If you're taking any medication, it may be worth having a chat with a pharmacist or GP, to check whether it could be affecting your cycle.

If you still think you might be pregnant, it's worth testing again in a few days. If tests continue to be negative, there are plenty of other reasons that you might miss your period this month, and many don't mean there's anything wrong. According to the NHS , you should see your GP if you've missed more than three periods in a row with no positive pregnancy test (but do speak to them sooner if you have any other symptoms that concern you).

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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