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What are periods at the beginning of pregnancy? Normal menstruation or bleeding

Every girl knows that menstruation is a sign that conception has not occurred. But it’s worth remembering that every girl’s body reacts differently to pregnancy, so you can expect many surprises. Many people are alarmed by the fact that symptoms of pregnancy exist, but at the same time, periods do not stop and proceed as usual. Could this be possible? Is it possible to be pregnant if you are menstruating? The answer to such questions can be found in this article.

Why do you get periods during pregnancy?

To understand why menstruation began during pregnancy, you need to know the structure of a woman’s body. The uterus contains a wall that consists of three layers. The first layer is the inner one. The second layer is the endometrium, which makes up the uterine cavity. The third layer is the mucous membrane, which consists of blood vessels. The menstrual cycle lasts one month, and in the middle of it the endometrium begins to grow, which prepares the uterus for bearing a fetus.

The woman's ovaries then release a follicle containing a mature egg. When the follicle begins to grow, it produces estrogen. Under his work, the inner cover of the uterus increases. When favorable days arrive for successful conception, that is, ovulation, a temporary gland and corpus luteum appear at the site of the follicle, which produces progesterone.

Progesterone prepares the endometrium for early conception, and also has the ability to maintain pregnancy and prevent rejection of the fertilized egg. When conception does not occur, after a few weeks the corpus luteum becomes smaller and the amount of progesterone decreases. The iron takes on the appearance of scar tissue and disappears after some time.

Then, due to the fact that the amount of the hormone progesterone has decreased, the mucous layer of the uterus begins to peel off, in which the embryo was supposed to grow and develop. When sloughing occurs in the uterus, it opens up blood vessels that are partially destroyed. As a result, a woman can observe the onset of her critical days.

When conception occurs and a girl becomes pregnant, the corpus luteum expands and increases the amount of progesterone. In this way, a girl can completely protect her pregnancy and bear a healthy child. When your period starts during pregnancy, it means that the ovaries are not working well. The amount of production of the necessary hormones is not enough to fully develop the fetus. As a result, you can observe the usual onset of menstrual periods, and therefore a miscarriage occurs.

Due to hormonal imbalances, girls often menstruate during pregnancy. Many doctors believe that this phenomenon will not affect the development of pregnancy and the birth of a child, but this may be the first sign of pathologies in mother and child. When a woman observes bloody discharge during pregnancy, she should quickly consult a doctor or call an ambulance, as this is a sign of a miscarriage.

The main symptoms indicating pregnancy

To independently determine the presence of such a phenomenon as pregnancy, pay attention to the signals that the body gives us. These symptoms are based on changes in hormones and the individual characteristics of the body as a whole.

It happens that suspicions of successful fertilization may arise early or not be detected at all.

The whole point lies in the level of such a pregnancy hormone as hCG. As it increases, changes begin to occur, mood may change, strange taste preferences appear, and even pregnancy may lead to menstruation, which is normal implantation bleeding.

As for such a method of determination as a home pregnancy test, it is worth noting that the later you do it, the more reliable the result will be. This is due to the fact that the hCG hormone helps determine pregnancy, and after fertilization it increases every day.

Is it possible to have periods during pregnancy?

To decide on the question of how to find out whether pregnancy is possible during menstruation, it is worth remembering what the entire reproductive path in a woman’s body consists of.

At a certain period of time per month, one or more eggs mature in a woman’s body and await fertilization. But, if the meeting with the sperm does not happen, menstruation begins, during which the unused endometrium and the remains of the dead egg are released.

But, with successful fertilization, the reproductive organs begin to actively produce the pregnancy hormone progesterone. It controls the development of the embryo and promotes its active growth. Consequently, with a normal cycle, which lasts from 28 to 35 days, the possibility of menstruation is almost excluded.

If your period comes during pregnancy, what could it be?

In the event that menstruation began while carrying a child, then this phenomenon cannot be called full menstruation. If this is not associated with a biological process, then this may be a variant of the pathology of the reproductive organ. Often, bleeding during pregnancy can occur due to sudden rejection of the fertilized egg, which threatens an unforeseen spontaneous miscarriage.

Therefore, if you suddenly notice that while carrying a child you suddenly had periods, then you should urgently consult a doctor for advice in order to exclude the possibility of the occurrence of one or another pathology or the loss of the long-awaited child.

During pregnancy, bleeding is often observed due to the fact that the blood of the expectant mother contains little of the hormone progesterone. Consequently, this threatens miscarriage and this condition must be corrected with the help of drugs that contain this hormone.

If no measures are taken, the uterus will begin to reject the embryo and everything will end in severe bleeding and rejection of the fetus. But, if you seek help in a timely manner, such a threat is suspended, and the mother continues to lead a normal lifestyle. Sometimes, in the most severe conditions, a woman is recommended to spend the entire period until the birth of the baby in a hospital.

Cases are often recorded when, being pregnant for a short time, a woman notices heavy bleeding, which is accompanied by nagging pain. This may indicate that an ectopic pregnancy is developing in the body, which can be dangerous both for the reproductive and general health of the woman, and for her life. If you managed to get pregnant ectopically, you should consult a doctor so that he can quickly terminate the pregnancy. Only a highly qualified specialist knows how to identify and eliminate this phenomenon without consequences.

In the case of multiple pregnancies, there is a possibility that a woman may have her period in an interesting position. Thus, if blood can come, then there is a possibility that one of the fertilized eggs is being rejected from the uterine wall.

How to determine that pregnancy has occurred if you are menstruating?

Whether menstruation can occur during pregnancy depends both on the characteristics of the female body and on whether the woman has any pathology of the reproductive system.

The following symptoms may indicate that a woman is pregnant:

presence of toxicosis. Nausea may indicate that conception has occurred;
if discharge may occur during a long-awaited pregnancy, then you can measure the basal temperature in the rectal area;
How to find out if you are pregnant can be determined by the abundance of discharge. In most cases, such blood smears are scanty;
The woman's breasts increase significantly and become very sensitive.

All these signs can help a woman independently determine the presence of pregnancy during menstruation. This can happen often, so you should initially listen to the body’s signals.

In the event that deviations from the norm are recorded, it is worth seeking help from a specialist who will help solve all the problems that have arisen.

The absence of another menstruation is almost always a sure sign of pregnancy. It is the absence of menstruation on time that usually forces a woman to buy a test or do a blood test to find out whether she is carrying a baby under her heart. But sometimes even after conception, a woman may notice bloody menstrual-like discharge from the genitals. We will tell you in this article whether menstruation can continue in the early stages of pregnancy.

Mechanism of menstruation

To understand it, you need to clearly understand how exactly menstruation occurs in the female body. In medicine, they are often called regula, since menstruation is a regular occurrence. Bleeding is accompanied by rejection of the mucous membranes of the uterus. The main reproductive female organ gets rid of the functional layer of the endometrium only if there is no need for it - there is no pregnancy.

Typically, a woman's menstrual cycle after puberty lasts 28 days. However, both longer and shorter cycles (20-21 days or 34-35 days) are also considered completely normal, provided that they are regular. The first day of menstruation is the beginning of a new menstrual cycle. At the end of physiological bleeding, the follicular phase begins.

An egg matures in the ovaries and is released from the follicle approximately in the middle of the cycle. When the follicle becomes large, under the influence of special hormones it ruptures, and the egg is released into the ampullary part of the fallopian tube. This process is called ovulation. If on the day of ovulation or a day later the egg meets the male reproductive cell - the sperm, then conception and pregnancy are likely.

If conception does not occur, the egg dies 24-36 hours after leaving the follicle. The villi inside the fallopian tube push it into the uterine cavity. The mucous membranes of the reproductive organ thicken under the influence of progesterone from the moment of ovulation. The functional layer is necessary so that a fertilized egg can attach to it. If a dead egg drops into the uterus, progesterone levels decrease after about a week. The luteal phase of the menstrual cycle (its second half) ends.

The unclaimed physiological layer of the endometrium of the uterus begins to be rejected - menstruation begins, and at the same time the next menstrual cycle begins.

If conception has taken place, the level of progesterone remains high. Approximately 8-9 days after ovulation, the fertilized egg, passing through the fallopian tube, enters the uterus and implants into the loose endometrium “prepared” for implantation. The hormone hCG begins to be produced, for which the chorionic villi are responsible after the successful consolidation of the fertilized egg. Human chorionic gonadotropin stimulates additional progesterone production. “Adjusted” by hCG, progesterone does not decrease. Rejection of the endometrial layer does not occur. My period doesn't come.

Menstrual blood is called blood very arbitrarily, because it does not have the ability to clot. In fact, during menstruation, a woman’s genitals secrete menstrual fluid, which only partially consists of blood and the lining of the uterus. In addition to them, the fluid contains mucus secreted by the cervix, liquid secretion from the vaginal glands, and a number of enzymes that prevent the bloody fluid from clotting.

The average amount of menstrual fluid per cycle is about 50-100 milliliters. There are less and more heavy periods. However, the volume of fluid lost is less than 50 ml or more than 250 ml is considered a sign of pathology - such a woman must be examined and find out the causes of the disorder.

Do they happen after conception?

Nature itself provides everything so that after conception, if it takes place, there will be no menstruation. From a physiological point of view, the onset of menstrual bleeding becomes completely impossible, but in practice anything can happen, because we are not talking about a machine or mechanism, but about a living human body.

It is no coincidence that some women, when visiting a gynecologist, claim that they came for the first time only because other symptoms of pregnancy appeared - their breasts became enlarged, their weight began to increase, and some even experienced the first movements of the fetus. In fact, during the first trimester, these women continued to have monthly bleeding, which they mistook for menstruation. People used to say about such “menstruation” during pregnancy that “the fetus is washed.”

What's really going on? From a medical point of view, there is a small chance that in the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle a woman will mature not one, but two or three eggs. Their release of their follicles will not necessarily be simultaneous. Imagine that one egg came out, “waited” for a day and died without ever meeting the sperm. She descends into the uterus. The body begins processes that precede normal menstruation.

But the second egg may well be fertilized. While it moves into the uterine cavity through the tube (this is about 8 days), menstruation may well begin, which arose due to the death of the first egg. However, such periods will be noticeably different from normal ones. A woman may notice that the discharge, although it arrived on time, was more scanty and did not last 6 days, as usual, but only 3-4 days or less.

It must be said that this is the only more or less explainable and logical reason for the onset of menstrual-like discharge during pregnancy in the very early stages. In a month, under such circumstances, menstruation will no longer occur, since the pregnancy will already be in full swing.

Women who claim that they continued to have periods every month until the end of 3-4 months are mistaken. Even if they had menstrual bleeding in the first month due to the second egg, then in subsequent months it was not about menstruation, but about pregnancy pathologies - the threat of miscarriage, hormonal imbalance or other reasons.

Sometimes gynecologists do admit that a woman may continue to have bloody “spotting” on the days on which her period began before pregnancy. The reason for this phenomenon has not been fully studied and experts tend to believe that the body’s hormonal memory is “to blame” for everything. To be fair, it is worth noting that this phenomenon occurs very rarely in practice - approximately 0.5-1% of cases.

Discharge of unknown etiology is spoken of if a complete and detailed examination of the pregnant woman does not reveal the slightest disturbance in her condition - the woman is healthy, there is no threat of miscarriage, placenta previa, the balance of hormones is normal, the fetus is healthy and develops according to the gestational age.

Typically, such unexplained discharge goes away by the end of the first trimester and does not return until childbirth. Considering the rarity of this phenomenon, you should not particularly count on the fact that spotting that appears in the early stages is just such a harmless and mysterious menstrual-like bleeding. Most often, the reasons are completely different, more dangerous and threatening.

To answer the main question of this article - can menstruation occur in the early stages, you need to clearly understand that in 99% of cases this cannot happen. And only in rare cases can there be menstrual-like bleeding (not menstruation!) due to the second egg. In all other cases, the appearance of bloody discharge is an alarming symptom that has nothing to do with variants of the physiological norm.

Reasons for the appearance of blood in the early stages

So, full and harmless periods during pregnancy are impossible. So what are the reasons for spotting, which women mistake for menstruation?

Implantation

Implantation bleeding is not a universal phenomenon and does not happen to everyone. But if it happens, then there is nothing dangerous about it. Discharge of a bloody or spotting nature may appear about a week after ovulation, when the fertilized egg reaches the uterine cavity. Usually a woman who has no idea that conception could have occurred is surprised and thinks that for some reason her period simply came about a week earlier than expected.

In fact, the blastocyst implants into the functional layer of the endometrium of the uterus. During this process, the integrity of the layer is compromised and minor bleeding is possible. Such discharge is usually scanty and is not accompanied by pain. The color of the discharge can range from creamy pink to pronounced bloody. The number of discharges is small. Typically, implantation bleeding lasts from several hours to a couple of days, no more.

Tests will show pregnancy in about ten days, and a blood test for hCG will determine it within three to four days after a strange and untimely “smear.”

Implantation bleeding does not affect the development of pregnancy in any way; it does not harm the fetus or the health of the expectant mother. For many women, it does not occur at all, or scanty discharge goes unnoticed.

Hormonal imbalance

The cause of bleeding, including on days when a woman previously had menstruation, may be a lack of the hormone progesterone, which is important for bearing a child. A sufficient level of this hormone is necessary to prevent another menstruation while a woman is carrying a baby. In addition, progesterone suppresses the mother’s immunity, provides nutritional reserves for the baby, and maintains the smooth muscles of the uterus in a calm state, preventing tone and hypertonicity of the uterine muscles.

The cause of progestron deficiency is most often pathologies of the corpus luteum of the ovaries, chorion, chronic diseases of the kidneys and liver, thyroid gland, pituitary disorders, as well as gynecological inflammatory diseases of the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and endometrium. Previous abortions are another reason why, during a desired pregnancy, there may be a pathological lack of one’s own progesterone.

The reason for the appearance of bloody discharge may also lie in a lack of the hCG hormone. If there is little of it, then stimulation of progesterone production will be insufficient. Hormonal bleeding very often leads to spontaneous abortion if left unattended. However, if a woman consults a doctor in a timely manner, she is prescribed treatment with hormonal drugs - progesterone preparations, thus the deficiency of this important substance can be eliminated. If such a problem occurs, hormonal treatment is usually prescribed over a long course, up to 16-18 weeks of pregnancy, when the threat of miscarriage is considered less likely.

Hormonal secretions can vary in intensity, color and duration. What they are depends on the individual characteristics of the organism. Most often, women complain of the appearance of bloody red or brownish discharge, mixed with mucus, but the pathology is characterized by pink and bright orange discharge.

The more abundant the discharge, the more likely an unfavorable outcome. When blood clots appear in them, we are often talking about an incipient miscarriage.

Additional symptoms are a tightening in the lower abdomen, aching in the lower back, weakness and deterioration in well-being. Such signs are not always observed; sometimes the only sign of hormonal deficiency is abnormal discharge from the genitals.

Injury

A woman's reproductive tract during pregnancy, from the very first months, becomes more vulnerable, because progesterone has a softening effect on the mucous membranes. Therefore, injuring the vagina or cervix becomes as easy as shelling pears, without even performing any dangerous actions. During pregnancy, the mucous membranes are better supplied with blood, the amount of which, by the way, also increases. That is why even microtrauma of the vagina can lead to the appearance of bloody discharge, which a woman may mistake for menstruation.

Typically, a woman receives such injuries during sex, especially if the partners, with the onset of an “interesting situation,” have not reduced the intensity of frictional movements, continue to use sex toys, and generally make love frequently. After sexual intercourse, in this case, a woman may notice scarlet-colored bloody discharge - the blood does not have time to change color, because it immediately flows out.

The discharge is not abundant, is not accompanied by pain, and does not harm the child.

If the cervix is injured, the discharge is stronger, mixed with mucus. A woman can be injured during masturbation, when inserting a tampon (which is prohibited during pregnancy!), as well as during a vaginal examination by a gynecologist.

Post-traumatic discharge is not long-lasting; it usually stops completely after a few hours. If you do not introduce an infection to the wound site, then inflammation will not occur and nothing will threaten the pregnancy of the baby. In some cases, with excessive and pure vaginal bleeding, the doctor may prescribe the woman a more gentle regimen for intimate life, as well as iron supplements and hemostatic agents that improve blood clotting.

Ectopic pregnancy

If a fertilized egg is not implanted in the uterine cavity, but in the fallopian tube, cervix, or even enters the abdominal cavity, then for some time the woman may not even know about it. The tests will be “striped” and even signs of toxicosis are quite possible. However, a pregnant woman may be bothered by spotting brownish discharge, which is initially associated with an insufficient level of hCG, because less of it will be produced during ectopic attachment of the fertilized egg.

As the embryo grows, the walls and membranes of the organ to which the fertilized egg is attached will stretch. Quite localized pain in the abdomen appears, and the discharge intensifies. A rupture of the tube or the occurrence of cervical bleeding may be indicated by severe cutting pain, the occurrence of painful shock, loss of consciousness, profuse red bleeding with large clots. Rupture threatens by the end of 8-12 weeks, if the fact of an ectopic pregnancy was not established by ultrasound earlier than this period.

An ectopic pregnancy can be fatal for a woman. There is always only one prognosis for the fetus - it will not be able to survive anywhere except the uterine cavity. An ectopic pregnancy requires surgery, and the sooner this is done, the better the woman's chances of becoming pregnant in the future.

If pathology is detected early, doctors can preserve the fallopian tubes, and the fertilized egg will be removed laparoscopically. If you apply late, unfortunately, most often the pipe cannot be saved. In case of cervical pregnancy, it is often necessary to remove the entire uterus, but cases of implantation of the fertilized egg in the cervix are relatively rare.

Miscarriage

The threat of early miscarriage can arise for a variety of reasons, and these reasons will not always be obvious. The fetus may be rejected by the mother’s own immunity; it may not be viable due to gross genetic pathologies or developmental abnormalities. The threat of miscarriage often occurs in women who have chronic diseases and reproductive health problems of infectious and non-infectious origin.

Pregnancy in the early stages is very fragile. Its normal course can be disrupted by the expectant mother’s poor nutrition, her psychological experiences, stress and shock, hard physical work and sports activities, bad habits (smoking and alcohol), and night shift work. Miscarriages can be habitual and repeated. At the same time, there is a high probability that the next one will occur exactly at the same time as the previous one.

The threat of miscarriage is often accompanied by bloody discharge. Their intensity, color, consistency depend on the true cause of the threatening condition. When discharge similar to menstruation appears, a woman must be examined by a gynecologist and have an ultrasound.

With a threatened miscarriage, the fertilized egg is usually not deformed, but the uterus is in increased tone. When a miscarriage begins, the discharge is more abundant, the woman complains of increased anxiety, that her stomach hurts, and her lower back is pulled. The pain may be cramping. Ultrasound reveals a deformed fertilized egg of irregular shape. When a miscarriage has occurred, the bleeding is severe, the pain is cramping, the discharge contains large blood clots and fragments of the endometrium and fertilized egg. An ultrasound may not detect the fertilized egg, or its remains may be detected. The fetal heartbeat is not recorded.

Chorionic presentation, detachment

If the fertilized egg is not fixed in the bottom of the uterus, but at its very bottom, then bleeding may occur due to small detachments of the chorion. The presentation can be complete, when the entire cervical area of the cervix is covered, or it can be partial. This pathology can be diagnosed only by ultrasound.

The reasons why pathology occurs most often have a maternal factor, that is, they are directly related to a burdened history - the presence of curettage and abortions in the past, the presence of a tumor in the uterus, polyps, which prevented the blastocyst from gaining a foothold where fetal development would be safer.

The uterus increases in size, new blood vessels appear in the chorion, which should turn into the placenta by the beginning of the second trimester of pregnancy. Detachments occur during presentation due to injuries to blood vessels.

Frozen pregnancy

A child in the womb can stop developing and die at any time. There can be many reasons - from chromosomal abnormalities that made the further existence of the baby impossible, to external adverse effects of toxins, radiation, medications, and infectious diseases.

Until a certain time, a woman may not realize what happened until she goes for an ultrasound or she begins to have discharge that resembles menstruation. A dead fetus is usually rejected by the uterus 2-3 weeks after death. During this time, a woman can notice that her signs of toxicosis have disappeared and her chest has stopped hurting. If there was no toxicosis, the sensations will not change.

Discharge at the rejection stage usually begins like menstruation - with a spot that gradually “diverges” and becomes more abundant. The color changes from brownish to bright scarlet, cramping pain appears, and blood clots appear in the discharge. Further progress follows the scenario of miscarriage.

How to distinguish from bleeding?

Menstrual blood is darker, resembling venous blood, whereas in most pregnancy pathologies the discharge is either brownish in color or scarlet, the color of arterial blood. The pregnant woman should be alerted to the accompanying symptoms and changes in her own condition. Any discharge, even if it is not bloody, accompanied by pain, a feeling of heaviness in the abdomen, nagging lumbar pain, a false desire to empty the intestines, is dangerous.

If the fact of pregnancy has already been proven by tests and examinations, spotting should be treated exclusively as pathological. If even a slight “smear” appears, you need to consult a doctor, and if there is heavy sudden bleeding, call an ambulance and, while waiting for the team, take a horizontal position.

Statistics show that in 85% of cases, if a woman seeks medical help in a timely manner, the pregnancy can be saved. The only exceptions are cases of frozen, ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage and hydatidiform mole.

If the fact of pregnancy is not yet obvious and bleeding began before the missed period or a few days after the missed period, the best way to establish the truth is a pregnancy test. You can do it from the first day of your missed period. Before this, a blood test for hCG will come to the woman’s aid. If the diagnosis shows the presence of pregnancy, you should also consult a doctor with complaints of spotting.

It should be remembered that bloody menstrual-like discharge during pregnancy is not like regular periods - they are less abundant. You can also find several dozen differences in a woman’s own feelings.

Interruption of the menstrual cycle after conception is the norm, a natural process, the violation of which can lead to various consequences. Why do you sometimes get periods during pregnancy?

Menstruation during pregnancy is not uncommon, but a reason to consult a gynecologist. After all, this may be a sign of a serious hormonal or other disorder that will prevent you from bearing a child.

Menstruation appears during pregnancy in the early stages, most often during the first month. This is facilitated by various failures in the maturation of eggs (for example, in both ovaries simultaneously), multiple pregnancies with the prospect of rejection of one of the embryos, hormonal disorders, and the presence of diseases such as fibroids and endometriosis.

The reasons for the release of bloody mucus in the early stages may be implantation of the fertilized egg into the wall of the uterus, sex, or damage to the vaginal mucosa during a gynecological examination.

Cycle duration

Can menstruation occur after conception and when does it stop? Strictly speaking, menstruation and pregnancy are incompatible; the cycle should stop immediately after implantation of the fertilized egg into the uterine wall. And if this does not happen, it means that the fertilized egg, formed at the end of the previous cycle, simply has not yet had time to reach its destination. Usually it takes from 7 to 15 days for attachment, during which period menstruation may occur.

How to distinguish a cycle from bleeding?

How to distinguish spotting from menstruation, and why can menstruation occur during pregnancy? With regular sexual activity, without the use of contraceptives, fertilization of an egg in a healthy woman is almost guaranteed.

Signs of pregnancy during menstruation in the early stages may include:

the onset of the cycle is significantly earlier or later than the due date;
the discharge is not abundant, even scanty, without the usual clots, indicating detachment of the endometrial layer of the uterus;
color can vary from bloody pink mixed with mucus to red-brown;
unusually short running cycle.

All these signs of pregnancy after menstruation are evidence that the discharge is not menstruation at all.

As for the bloody mucous discharge that sometimes accompanies the early stages of conception - their cause is most often mechanical damage to the walls of the vagina during sex or after gynecological examinations, such discharge is not dangerous. Heavy bleeding of brightly colored blood should be alarming, which, being a sign of rupture of large vessels, requires immediate medical attention.

In the first trimester

Menstruation at the beginning of pregnancy can last up to 11 - 12 weeks, most often this is caused by hormonal disorders: taking birth control pills, hormone imbalance caused by various endocrinopathies, viral and infectious diseases, stress.

Other reasons for menstruation in early pregnancy may include:

implantation of the fertilized egg into the endometrial layer of the uterus, which causes minor vascular damage. As a result, scanty discharge appears that does not threaten the development of the embryo;
fertilization occurred at the end of the cycle, and the egg did not have the opportunity to attach to the wall of the uterus, such “periods through the fetus” are real, and they can only happen in the first month of pregnancy, while the body has not yet begun to rebuild;

Can there be pregnancy with real menstruation, and in what other cases? A very rare occurrence of almost simultaneous maturation of eggs in different ovaries. In this case, when the first is fertilized, the second is rejected;
the attachment of fertilized eggs, how many there will be, does not matter. One of them is rejected, causing bleeding;
ectopic, in which the discharge is easy to distinguish from normal ones - they look like brown clots and are accompanied by sharp pain;
the attachment and growth of an unfertilized egg, before spontaneous rejection, provokes regular bloody-mucous discharge.

Menstruation in the first month of pregnancy may be no different from real menstruation and sometimes continues until the end of the trimester, but it is very scanty.

What periods during pregnancy in the first trimester can be considered dangerous? Heavy bleeding with pain or frequent regular traces of blood indicate a serious pathology, for example, a threat of miscarriage. In general, pregnancy and menstruation are incompatible; any bleeding in this position is a reason to consult a doctor.

In the second trimester

You can still put up with spotting in the first trimester, since most of it does not pose a threat, but do you have periods during pregnancy in the second trimester? The appearance of blood at this moment is a direct threat of miscarriage. Its reasons may be:

presenting position, when the walls of the uterus cannot hold the incorrectly lying placenta in a fixed position. Ruptures occur, resulting in bleeding;
partial or complete rejection of the placenta before birth;
threat of abortion and frozen fetus;
bleeding from the vessels of the fetal umbilical cord;
rupture of uterine tissue. Such bleeding occurs due to the presence of a postoperative scar, chorionepithelioma, thinning of the uterine walls due to numerous births and abortions.

Anyone who has had their period during pregnancy knows that any bleeding in the second trimester is a reason to immediately go to the hospital. With timely access to a medical facility, miscarriage and fetal death can be prevented in 95% of cases.

In the third trimester

Can menstruation occur during pregnancy in the third trimester, and what causes bleeding? Discharge during this period is a threat of interruption; their cause can be any acute infectious or viral disease, hormonal imbalance, severe nervous shock, trauma, bruises, placental rejection and bleeding from the vessels of the fetal umbilical cord.

During pregnancy, menstruation can be triggered by other pathologies:

an enlarging fetus can cause the development of a serious disease - varicose veins of the uterus, and in the later stages, provoke rupture and bleeding from damaged vessels;
cervical erosions that are not treated in time may manifest themselves as minor but regular bleeding;
extremely rare cases - bleeding during pregnancy can occur due to intrauterine polyps or cervical cancer.

Menstruation and pregnancy in the third trimester are incompatible and may be a reason to maintain or terminate for medical reasons. If at this moment your period begins, especially heavy periods, this can be very dangerous for the life of the mother and child.

What is the danger?

Menstruation during early pregnancy is not always dangerous, only in the later stages of gestation. In the second and third trimester, with very rare exceptions, they indicate pathological changes in the body and pose a danger to the baby and the life of the mother. For example, with varicose veins there is a chance to provoke rupture of fairly large vessels of the uterus and it is extremely difficult to stop such bleeding.

To be precise, all bleeding that occurs after conception cannot be called menstruation: they have a completely different mechanism of occurrence. Although real periods may occur in the first month of pregnancy, due to fertilization at the end of the previous cycle.

During pregnancy, there are periods triggered by mechanical damage to the vaginal walls; they can also be considered harmless, provided that microcracks are not infected.

More reasons

Pathologies that can trigger the appearance of menstruation during pregnancy:

abnormalities in the development of the uterus (for example, bicornuate), in which it is very difficult to become pregnant and bear a fetus;
acute infectious diseases such as syphilis, tuberculosis;
various hormonal disorders and endocrinopathies;
bleeding disorders;

the presence of varicose veins of the uterus;
congenital pathology of fetal development;
hypovitaminosis;
taking certain medications that can cause uterine contractions;
ectopic and multiple pregnancy;
placenta previa;
chorionepithelioma;
severe nervous shock, shock, stress.

The cause may be household injuries due to falls and bruises.

Symptoms

Is pregnancy possible during menstruation, or is it impossible? At this moment, extremely unfavorable conditions for the survival of sperm are created in the woman’s genital tract, so conception becomes impossible.

But is it possible to be pregnant during menstruation, and how can you tell whether you have a period or discharge? During menstruation, the breasts usually swell quite painfully and the lower abdomen pulls. If these symptoms are absent, then the following can be considered a sign of pregnancy after menstruation:

scanty, brownish discharge;
“menstruation” is always painless;
came much earlier or later than expected;
ended quickly;
occurs only during the daytime.

Features of physiology

Can menstruation occur during pregnancy or is this a pathology? Why do I have my periods and what causes the bleeding? Regularly, an egg ready for fertilization matures in the female body; during its maturation, the uterus prepares for the attachment of a fertilized egg, growing a special layer of cells. If fertilization does not occur, the egg and the layer of endometrial epithelium are released with menstruation.

When fertilization has occurred, the body begins to undergo hormonal adjustments so that the fertilized egg is fixed in the uterine wall, and no factors provoke its rejection. Thus, to the question of whether it is possible to be pregnant if you are menstruating, the answer is yes, but only in the very early stages, because menstruation after conception is more of a pathology than the norm.

How do you know if the cycle has not stopped?

Can pregnancy occur after menstruation? How can I find out? Of course, by purchasing a test. But sometimes this is not a guarantee. You can confirm the presence of an embryo with 100% certainty if you take a test for human chorionic hormone (hCG), which begins to grow literally from the first week. And with normal fetal development, it increases 1.5 times every 2 days.

Even experienced women who take care of their health can “miss” pregnancy by coming to the doctor’s appointment with the baby’s first movements. And the reason for this is “menstruation” during early pregnancy - discharge that is similar to the usual critical days, but has completely different reasons. How not to get into an awkward position and not “miss” an important event?

Early registration is important. A woman, knowing that she is “expecting a miracle,” protects herself more, tries to eat properly and nutritiously, and not take medications. All this keeps the baby healthy and gives him a chance to be born on time and without pathologies. In the presence of gross defects, already at the first screening ultrasound, many defects can be suspected, such as Down syndrome, pathological inversion of internal organs (umbilical ring hernia) and a decision can be made to prolong the pregnancy.

When does this happen

The discrepancy between the results of the examination, ultrasound and the date of the last menstruation always prompts the doctor to think that in the early stages the woman had discharge, which she considered to be just another “these days”. This happens especially often in girls with irregular and light menstruation. Pregnancy is not always planned, and not everyone jumps at the test when there is a delay of a day or two. The main reasons for such “periods” are as follows.

Abnormal ovulation. According to classical concepts, the release of the egg from the ovary occurs in the middle of the cycle and is accompanied by copious mucous discharge. In practice, this does not always happen. Often early ovulation occurs - on the third to fifth day of the cycle, late - on 21-25 or even double (at the beginning and at the end), all this leads to confusion for both the woman and the doctor, including with the duration of pregnancy. For example, when conceiving on the third day of the cycle, there may still be two or three days of bleeding. The woman is calm and believes that she is not pregnant. In fact, the fertilized egg is already actively developing. A similar picture occurs during conception on the eve of menstruation. The fertilized egg does not yet have time to “swim” into the uterine cavity, and the endometrium may be partially rejected. A woman mistakes spotting for scanty periods.
Anomalies in the structure of the genital organs. A woman does not always know that her uterus has developmental features. For example, bicornus (a defect in which the fusion of two rudiments of the genital organs does not occur). As a result, not the whole uterus is formed, but two horns in the area of the bottom of the organ. The amniotic sac is implanted in one place, and the other horn undergoes the usual cyclic changes. It turns out that the woman is “pregnant”, and the fetal sac is successfully developing in one half of the uterus, while the other is “menstruating” at this time.
Bleeding due to implantation.“Menstruation” in the first month of pregnancy may be a consequence of the appearance of blood during the implantation of chorion. The amniotic sac strives to get inside the uterine cavity in order to calmly receive nutrients and develop further. During implantation, special enzymes are released that “dissolve” the vessels, allowing chorionic villi to penetrate the endometrium. This may be accompanied by slight bleeding and sometimes even small clots.
Ectopic pregnancy. Painful and scanty menstruation during pregnancy should always alert you to the abnormal location of the amniotic sac. Ectopic pregnancy occurs even in completely healthy women. Until the sixth to seventh day of gestation, the amniotic sac can normally be outside the uterine cavity (“wander”). Having secured itself in the fallopian tube, on the ovary, or even on intestinal loops (extremely rarely, but it happens), the embryo begins to develop. But the uterine cavity remains empty and the endometrium is gradually rejected, which manifests itself in varying degrees of severity and color of bloody discharge.
Threat of miscarriage. Most often, “periods” during pregnancy occur due to threatening spontaneous miscarriage. In this case, the difference in the number of discharges may be minimal. The condition is accompanied by nagging pain, nausea and other symptoms. In addition to the threat to a normal pregnancy, signs of an undeveloped pregnancy can occur in a similar way.
Abnormal chorionic implantation. Low placentation is a risk factor for the development of bleeding, which can threaten a woman’s life. Most often, this condition causes heavy periods during pregnancy. This is due to the fact that chorionic villi begin to penetrate into those places of the uterus that are not intended for this, for example, in the cervix.
Haemorrhoids. Hormonal levels already at the beginning of pregnancy can provoke an exacerbation of this pathology with the appearance of bloody discharge of varying intensity from the nodes. Sometimes they are so abundant that they can be mistaken for the beginning of menstruation.

During pregnancy, the cervix is very vulnerable, especially if it has erosion or ectopia. Even normal sexual intercourse or taking smears can cause a slight discharge of blood during pregnancy.

How to distinguish periods from spotting during pregnancy

If you have even slight doubts about the likelihood of conception, it is important to know how to distinguish “periods” during pregnancy from normal ones.

Determination of hormones in urine and blood

It is important to do a routine urine pregnancy test, purchased at a pharmacy. This is the most accessible and safe method that can be easily performed at home. But a negative test is not an indicator of absence of pregnancy. In the early stages it is not always informative. For a more reliable determination, it is recommended to take a blood test for the level of human chorionic gonadotropin, which shows the correct result already from the 10th day after fertilization. If it is negative, there was no conception; if it is positive, there was.

If a woman monitors her basal temperature, she can also reliably judge whether menstruation is possible or whether it is discharge during pregnancy. A temperature above 37°C in the rectum is direct evidence of fertilization.

How you feel

Pregnancy for many women is accompanied by other symptoms. The main ones are:

nausea, vomiting in the morning;
increased sensitivity to odors;
engorgement of the mammary glands;
increased sensitivity of the nipples and areola area of the breast;
mood changes - swings or tearfulness;
the appearance of weakness, increased fatigue.

If the cause of the abnormal discharge is pregnancy, these symptoms will also persist.

By the nature of the discharge

In most cases, discharge, which can be mistaken for “menstruation” during pregnancy, is of an unusual nature, which is why it raises doubts and suspicions in the woman. But reviews confirm the fact that when menstruation is usually scanty, women often do not notice the difference. However, you should pay attention to the following points:

if the discharge is insignificant;
if they last a day or two;
if they started earlier, for example, a week;
if they are unusually large and clotted;
if they appeared after a delay.

If in doubt: algorithm of actions

If an “interesting situation” cannot be ruled out, and there is bleeding, you should go to the doctor. In no case should you think about folk remedies or take pills in order to intensify your periods and cause termination of pregnancy as a continuation of the miscarriage that has begun.
It is also best not to try to stop the bleeding with herbs or medications. This will not help stop the discharge, but can negatively affect the health of both the woman and the fetus. The correct algorithm of actions is as follows.

Remember the date of your last menstruation. This will help you understand whether it is bleeding or pregnancy is possible.
Take a urine pregnancy test. Even a weak second line is a positive result.
Remember possible provocateurs. There may have been sexual contact, stress or physical activity that can cause discharge.
Perform an ultrasound. It is necessary to do this only if the discharge is spotting and nothing else is bothering you, and after that you should consult a doctor with the result of the examination, which will facilitate the diagnosis.
Go to the hospital. If the discharge is heavy or there is abdominal pain, you should seek medical help as soon as possible. If you are in normal general health, you should make an appointment as early as possible (within two to three days).

The question of whether menstruation can occur during pregnancy can be answered unequivocally: gestation and the normal menstrual cycle are two contradictory concepts. Any bleeding during pregnancy is a pathology that requires medical supervision and treatment. Therefore, if you have any doubts about your own condition, you should consult a doctor.

4.5

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

With the onset of fertility, the female body undergoes a monthly renewal cycle to remain ready for the birth and development of a new life. But each organism is unique and the reaction to its functional manifestations is ambiguous. Some people look forward to the start of menstruation and react to the delay with anxiety, while others, on the contrary, rejoice at the delay. But none of the options is absolutely important, since the onset of menstruation does not mean the absence of pregnancy, and a delay does not guarantee its presence.

This means questions like: can menstruation occur during early pregnancy, how to determine pregnancy if menstruation occurs, what is the difference between menstruation during pregnancy and many others, remain relevant and topical, perhaps, for every woman.

So, can you get your period during pregnancy?

The opinion of obstetrician-gynecologists on this issue is unanimous - in the usual understanding, menstruation during pregnancy is impossible. This is due to the characteristics and very essence of the menstruation process, designed to maintain the female body in an optimal state for pregnancy and childbirth.

Menstruation is a cyclical process of shedding the inner layer of the uterus (endometrium). It is precisely the layer into which the fertilized egg is implanted to cause pregnancy that is rejected. This is a signal to the body that the pregnancy expected this month has not occurred and a restart of the preparation process is required. Therefore, it is logical that the process of menstruation will remove the endometrium from the body along with the fertilized egg, which will lead to a miscarriage.

However, there are “buts” here...

You can often hear about women's logic, and so, it is reflected not only in the mental sphere, but also in the physiological. There are a number of circumstances and

situations in which various spotting, so often mistaken by a woman for menstruation, is possible during pregnancy. Therefore, we need to figure it out

when discharge is still menstruation, and in what cases is there bleeding, and why does it happen that menstruation has passed, but signs of pregnancy remain.

Menstruation during pregnancy

Quite common are stories in which an “interesting situation” becomes obvious to a woman after quite a long time, sometimes in the third or fourth month. If we are talking about a woman with anatomical features of the structure of the reproductive system (for example, a bicornuate uterus), then everything is clear. With this anomaly, pregnancy often occurs in one cavity, while the other continues to function as usual for some time; the process of cessation of menstruation in it may stop after several cycles.

In other cases, it is all due to the ambiguity of understanding among specialists and expectant mothers about the fact of pregnancy. According to most women, pregnancy occurs a couple of days after intercourse without the use of contraception. But this is a misconception. The process of attachment of the fertilized egg itself lasts from 6 to 15 days, but before that fertilization must occur. Therefore, if fertilization occurred closer to the end of the cycle during late ovulation, the fertilized egg simply did not have time to penetrate the endometrium. Thus, to questions like: at the beginning of pregnancy, can menstruation occur or can menstruation occur after conception, in the ordinary understanding, one can give an affirmative answer. Under normal conditions this is possible if:

the fertilized egg did not have time to implant into the uterine wall after conception;
Fertilization of one of the mature eggs occurred, and the other died.

Another option in which menstruation during pregnancy is possible is the use of special medications or some traditional medicine. In connection with all of the above, it is obvious that the onset of menstruation during an “interesting position” deprives this position of “interest.” In other words, it terminates the pregnancy. Therefore, there are often cases when a woman gets rid of an unwanted pregnancy in this way. It is important to remember that in this case, as in any other health-related situation, consultation and supervision by a specialist is necessary. Attempts to independently resolve the issue of pregnancy in this way can be dangerous and even fatal.

Duration of menstruation during pregnancy

It is quite logical that given the existing likelihood of menstruation and pregnancy, every woman will be interested in how many months her period can last during pregnancy.

The plural is absolutely inappropriate here. If a woman does not have an anomaly in the development of the genital organs, then menstruation is possible only at the very beginning in early pregnancy. In other cases, if discomfort occurs and any discharge appears, no matter whether it is abundant or scanty, bright or faint, the woman should immediately contact an obstetrician-gynecologist.

If not periods, then what?

Can pregnancy occur during menstruation and what symptoms accompany it? If experts unanimously say that menstruation during pregnancy is impossible, then how to explain spotting and what can it be associated with?

The following are considered safe cases of bleeding:

Attachment of the fertilized egg, as the uterine wall is damaged;
After a gynecological examination or sexual intercourse, due to blood flow to the pelvic organs;
The passage of the mucus plug in the last stages of pregnancy signals the imminent onset of labor.

Such “safe” secretions have characteristic features:

short duration and spotty nature,
low intensity and scarcity;
more often it is not blood, but brownish or pinkish mucus with bloody inclusions and streaks;
relationship of events: immediately after sex or a gynecological examination.

In case of more abundant or pronounced discharge, as well as discomfort or pain, you should immediately seek advice from a specialist.

Bloody discharge of any nature and intensity poses a threat to pregnancy and should not accompany it. Most often, their presence signals a danger to the expectant mother and the pregnancy process.

Dangerous emissions, their causes and consequences

The most dangerous is the first trimester of pregnancy. This is a period of high probability of miscarriage due to many factors. One of them is the possibility of menstruation and, as a consequence, the unknown fact of pregnancy for a pregnant woman. A significant contribution to the likelihood of bleeding during this period is made by hormonal disorders (low progesterone levels, high androgen levels) in a woman’s body, caused by both individual physiology and the use of oral contraceptives. Another source of menstrually-like discharge is a “frozen” pregnancy, the fact of which not only requires urgent hospitalization, but also a “cleansing”. Also, the cause of menstruation in the early stages can be placental rejection, which also means a fatal outcome of pregnancy.

Going through the first trimester of pregnancy does not at all exclude the possibility of spotting. Despite the fact that with previous therapy, the hormonal issue usually resolves by this time, there remains a high risk of placental problems (placental abruption or placenta previa). Vaginal infections, which often result in pathogenetic changes in the fetus, can be a high risk factor and a source of spotting. As a result, pregnancy is practically impossible to save.

The third trimester, as a source of menstrual flow, also has a high probability of problems with the placenta, just like the previous period.

Menstruation during ectopic pregnancy

Despite the fact that, as the name suggests, this type of pregnancy develops outside the uterus, with it, as with any other form of pregnancy, menstruation should stop due to hormonal changes.

Most often, in the case of an ectopic pregnancy, the fertilized egg is attached to the fallopian tube, which subsequently leads to tragic consequences. As the fetus grows, the tube becomes injured, leading to spontaneous abortion or massive internal bleeding due to tube rupture. The result is a threat to a woman’s life and the truncation of her further reproductive capacity.

Ectopic pregnancy in the early stages is most often accompanied by the appearance of scanty brown and bloody vaginal discharge, which is often mistaken for the onset of menstruation. Moreover, if the appearance of discharge coincides with the onset of menstruation, the woman may not even suspect that she is possibly pregnant.

Other self-diagnosis signs of ectopic pregnancy include:

significantly reduced menstrual volume;
lethargy, passivity, low blood pressure, dizziness and loss of consciousness;
pain in the pelvic area (most often in projection on one of the fallopian tubes, pain is reflected in the rectum and lower back).

At the slightest suspicion of such a deviation, you should immediately undergo a full medical examination. After all, the sooner the problem is detected, the less traumatic and painful the treatment will be.

Summing up

After all of the above, the question of whether you can have periods during early pregnancy can be answered like this: they can, but they shouldn’t. The presence of any discharge similar to menstruation during pregnancy is an alarming sign that requires the woman to take the most serious attitude and immediate response.

Any deviation from normal well-being and physiological schedule without apparent explicable reasons can be dangerous and lead to a sad ending.

It is important to remember that the human body is a mystery and here it is very important to promptly seek advice and help from a knowledgeable specialist qualified in his field, and not engage in self-medication and self-diagnosis at your own peril and risk.