What Not To Do During The Two-Week Wait

Anyone that is a part of the trying-to-conceive (TTC) community is all too familiar with the term “two-week wait.” If this phrase isn’t ringing a bell, it represents the time between ovulation and an expected menstrual cycle. For anyone trying to get pregnant, whether naturally or through assisted reproduction techniques like IUI or IVF, this waiting period is nothing short of nerve-wracking. For couples trying for years, waiting two weeks to find out if they are pregnant is even more excruciating. During the fourteen days spent waiting, hopeful parents go through a gambit of emotions and “what if’s?” Uncertainty can fill the mind with questions like, “What if this round fails?” “What if we get pregnant and then miscarry?” “What if we can’t afford to do this again?” In addition to the mental anguish, well-meaning friends and relatives tell you to “just relax” or “think positively,” which, shockingly, doesn’t help at all as you check the date on your phone for the fifth time that day. While there are many tips online about how to survive the two-week wait, which may or may not help you, there are some things you’ll definitely want to avoid to keep yourself mentally sane during this time. Here’s our list of what not to do during the two-week wait.

What Not To Do During The Two-Week Wait

We get it; waiting to find out if you are pregnant is kind of like waiting for Santa to come on Christmas eve. Your parents told you to go to sleep, but it’s hard to resist tip-toeing downstairs to catch a glimpse of the man in red. However, just like waiting for Santa, patience is a virtue. Avoid these five things if you want your two-week wait to be a little more bearable.

Take A Pregnancy Test

Your doctor told you not to, your friends told you not to, and now we’re telling you not to. Do not take a pregnancy test during your two-week wait. If it’s not time for your period to come, taking a test is just like throwing money down the drain because it’s too early to tell if you are pregnant or not. Home pregnancy tests work by detecting the levels of the beta-hCG hormone in the urine; however, that doesn’t show up until at least one day past when your normal period would start. It’s best to wait to get a pregnancy test at your fertility doctor’s office but if you just cant wait, take a test at least one day past the first day of your normal cycle.

Stay Home

While you’re not-so-patiently waiting to find out if you’ve got a bun in the oven, try to stay as busy as possible. If you can, get out of the house, go on a walk, take a trip to the beach, see a movie, practice a new hobby, do some retail therapy, or get dinner with a friend, but avoid sitting at home twiddling your thumbs. If, for some reason, you don’t want to or can’t get out of the house, take your mind off of fertility by deep cleaning your space. Is your closet a mess, or are your junk drawers overflowing? Tackle some of the chores you normally avoid to keep your thoughts at bay and your home sparkling.

Over-Exercise | What Not To Do During The Two-Week Wait

Although exercise is good for you and can provide much-needed stress relief during challenging times, going overboard with your physical fitness can actually work against you. It’s recommended that you avoid strenuous physical activities like heavy weight-lifting or high-impact cardio during your two-week wait as it could lead to uterine contractions and affect the implantation process. After the first few days of our waiting period, you can do some light exercising like walking or swimming. Here are some beginner swimming workouts to get you started.

Google “Pregnancy Symptoms”

If you find yourself Googling, “Is indigestion a symptom of pregnancy?” after you’ve just finished a big mac and fries, it’s time to put the phone down. Googling every single tummy problem, ache, pain, or “strange feeling” is only going to send you down a rabbit hole and make waiting even more challenging. A lot of what you are feeling may be psychological or caused by normal hormone changes in your body. Plus, many women do not have any symptoms early on in their pregnancy. If possible, delete or hide the search app on your phone temporarily.

Talk To Unsupportive People

What not to do during the two-week wait? Talk to people that don’t support you or are known for saying insensitive things. Perhaps your nosey co-worker who is on her third pregnancy likes to say, “When it’s meant to be, it will happen,” with an overly enthusiastic smile, or your mother-in-law likes to claim that, “You’re over-stressing confidently. When you least expect it, BAM, it will happen.” Although most of the time, people are not malicious, their words can still sting, and right now, you need to guard your heart. So, avoid the judgy friends that think IVF drugs cause cancer, the relatives that give well-meaning but ignorant advice, and the co-workers that make you want to run back to your cubicle during this time. If you cant avoid certain individuals, change the subject or tell them you are not discussing fertility right now.


Everyone has a different infertility journey, but we all have a common goal: to be parents. So whether you’re on your first or fifteenth “two-week wait” we are sending you all of the love and hope in the world.

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