13 DPO: Symptoms, Fertility, and Whether You Should Take a Pregnancy Test

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You’ve made it to 13 DPO, or 13 days past ovulation, and the final stretch of the infamous two-week wait. If your egg was fertilized, it’s implanted and your body has started preparing to support the pregnancy, which can lead to a variety of physical and emotional symptoms. What should you look out for? Is it time to take a pregnancy test? Here’s everything you need to know at 13 DPO.

What's happening in your body at 13 DPO?

If your egg was successfully fertilized, by 13 DPO, you haven’t only gone through implantation. At this point, your body has also started preparing to support the pregnancy. Once your zygote (fertilized egg) became a blastocyst, or ball of cells, it traveled down the fallopian tubes to implant into your uterine lining. When the blastocyst embedded, it sparked an increase in the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), the hormone that pregnancy tests measure. As hCG levels rise, the corpus luteum responded by producing more progesterone, essential for supporting the uterine lining and sustaining the pregnancy.

On the flip side, if fertilization and implantation haven't occurred, the corpus luteum, formed after ovulation, began to regress. This decline in progesterone production sets off the shedding of the uterine lining, eventually leading to menstruation.

13 DPO symptoms

By 13 DPO, the heightened levels of hCG and progesterone often bring about early pregnancy symptoms. So, you might start to feel some signs that you might be pregnant!

However, it’s important to remember that many of these signs are similar to premenstrual (PMS) symptoms, and often it can be difficult to tell them apart. Also, every person’s experience with pregnancy symptoms is completely different. Some people feel symptoms right after implantation, while others don’t feel anything at all. Whether you feel symptoms or not doesn’t confirm or deny pregnancy; only a pregnancy test can accurately tell you if you’re pregnant.

Implantation bleeding

Up to one in five people experience implantation bleeding—typically pink or brown spotting that occurs during implantation. 

Breast sensitivity

While you may have had breast sensitivity as early as 1 DPO, tenderness, swelling, or sensitivity may intensify post-implantation. Breast sensitivity is also a common PMS symptom; breast sensitivity during early pregnancy can be distinguished by a feeling of fullness and, in some cases, darker areolas or more noticeable veins due to increased blood flow.

Cramping

Like breast sensitivity, cramping is possible starting as early as 1 DPO. Some people feel cramping because of their body’s reaction to the changes in their reproductive system; others even say they feel cramping around implantation. 

Of course, cramping is also a common PMS and period symptom. However, there are some differences between period cramps vs. early pregnancy cramps! Period cramps are pain in your lower abdominal area, typically in a specific spot right about your panty line. Early pregnancy cramps tend to cause pain in a more general area in your lower abdomen and low back.

Fatigue

As your body prepares to support your pregnancy, you might feel more fatigued than usual. 

Changes in discharge

Cervical mucus or discharge may continue to change at this stage. This can manifest as a thicker, creamier discharge or increased clarity and stretchiness, varying from person to person.

Frequent urination

As your uterus grows, it puts pressure on the bladder, which can mean more frequent bathroom trips. 

Emotional changes

Mood changes are another common PMS symptom, but also an early pregnancy symptom, too. As your hormones fluctuate, you may feel more severe emotions or sudden changes in mood. 

Nausea

Morning sickness usually doesn’t arise until later in the pregnancy, but at the initial stages of pregnancy, like 13 DPO, you may experience nausea.

Should you take a pregnancy test at 13 DPO?

You’re so close to the end of the two-week wait, and it’s likely that your hCG levels are rapidly increasing. Pregnancy tests work by measuring the levels of hCG in your urine—so is it time to take one? 

Technically, it’s best to wait to take a pregnancy test until you’ve missed your period. However, it is possible to get a positive pregnancy test—or a BFP—at 13 DPO. Here’s what you should consider:

• Test sensitivity: By 13 DPO, some more sensitive pregnancy tests can accurately detect hCG levels.
• Accuracy: While implantation might have occurred as early as 6 DPO, waiting until your expected period is closer ensures higher test accuracy. 
• Emotional readiness: It’s no secret that the two-week wait can be frustrating and emotionally challenging. Consider how you might feel if you get a negative test at this stage.
• Your cycle: Not every person’s cycle is 28 days—in fact, most people have cycles that are shorter or longer. The two-week wait is named for people with 28 day cycles, implying that they should expect their period on 14 DPO. If you know your cycle or luteal phase is longer, testing later than 13 DPO will likely be more accurate. 

13 DPO negative pregnancy test

While a positive pregnancy test is possible at 13 DPO, a 13 DPO negative pregnancy test doesn’t necessarily mean you aren’t pregnant. It might be too early for the test to detect pregnancy, or the test's sensitivity might not be sufficient. While the wait for retesting can be challenging, a few extra days can provide more accurate and reliable results.

There’s only one more day of the two-week wait! Follow along for the culmination of this journey with Oova’s 14 DPO guide.