Period or implantation bleeding – how to determine EXACTLY

Implant bleeding usually occurs a week before the expected period. Bloody, scanty discharge after ovulation, most likely, indicates a possible conception. But such discharge just before the expected menstruation suggests otherwise.

What it is?

Implantation bleeding is minor bleedingwhich occurs when a fertilized egg is implanted into the wall of the uterus. This phenomenon does not happen with all women. And in most cases it can go completely unnoticed.

In fact, this is just a small amount of discharge. pink or brown… Their duration ranges from several hours to several days (in rare cases). It is for this reason that it usually remains unnoticed or is mistaken for the onset of menstruation.

However, it is worth paying attention to pronounced spotting, as it can be caused by other reasons. These may include early miscarriage or dysfunctional uterine bleeding.

How bleeding occurs during implantation

It is considered one of the earliest signs of pregnancy. It occurs even before a woman detects a delay in menstruation. It should be noted that implantation bleeding does not affect the course of pregnancy as a whole. About 3% of women experience this phenomenon and mistake it for menstruation, and soon find out that they are already pregnant.

Fertilization occurs in an already matured egg, that is, during or after ovulation. Ovulation occurs in the middle of the cycle.

For example, if the cycle is 30 days, then ovulation will occur on days 13-16, and it will take about 10 more days for a mature egg to migrate through the tubes to the uterus. Accordingly, the implantation of the egg into the wall of the uterus occurs approximately on the 23-28th day of the cycle.

It turns out that it happens just shortly before the onset of the expected menstruation.

By itself, implantation bleeding is a completely normal natural phenomenon for the female body, because with the attachment of the egg to the wall of the uterus, global hormonal changes begin. The main thing is to distinguish it from other possible vaginal bleeding in time.

Signs

• Pay attention to the nature of the discharge… Usually, implantation secretions are not abundant and their color is lighter or darker than normal menstruation. Bloody discharge is associated with partial destruction of the vascular wall of the uterus during implantation.
• You need to listen to sensations in the lower abdomen… Usually, implantation is associated with mild “pulling” pain in the lower abdomen. This is due to a spasm of the muscles of the uterus during the implantation of the egg.
• If you lead basal temperature accountingthen check your schedule. When pregnancy occurs, the temperature rises to 37.1 – 37.3. However, it is worth noting that on the 7th day after ovulation, a decrease in temperature may occur, which indicates pregnancy.
• If you lead menstruation calendar, pay attention to the date of the last period. With a stable cycle of 28-30 days, ovulation occurs on days 14-16. If the egg is successfully fertilized, implantation occurs within 10 days after ovulation. Therefore, the estimated implantation date can be easily calculated.
• Pay attention to whether you have had unprotected sex in the couple of days before and after ovulation. These days are very favorable for conception.

How to distinguish implantation from menstrual?

The nature of the discharge

Typically, menstruation begins with an abundant flow, which then becomes more abundant. However, in very rare cases, it occurs shortly before or during menstruation. Then you need to pay attention to the abundance and color of menstruation.

If you have bleeding, you can take a pregnancy test to be sure. It can be done as early as 8-10 days after ovulation. It is likely that the result will be positive.

What else can be confused with?

Bloody, scanty discharge in the middle of the menstrual cycle can also indicate the following diseases:

• Sexually transmitted infections (chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis).
• Bacterial vaginosis and endometriosis may be accompanied by bloody discharge.
• If the discharge is accompanied by cutting pains in the lower abdomen, vomiting, nausea and dizziness, then you should suspect ectopic pregnancyas well as miscarriage.
• Also, discharge can talk about hormonal dysfunction, inflammation of the uterus or appendages, damage during intercourse…

In all of the above cases, you should immediately seek medical attention.

Video Dr. Elena Berezovskaya tells

Feedback from women on this issue

Maria:

Girls, tell me, who knows about implantation bleeding? My period should start in 10 days, but today I found a drop of blood in transparent mucus on my panties, and my stomach ached all day like before menstruation. I felt good ovulation this month. And my husband and I tried to make everything work out. Just don’t talk about tests and blood tests, this has never happened before. Sexual intercourse was on days 11,14,15 of the cycle. Today is the 20th day.

Elena:

Similar discharge sometimes occurs during ovulation.

Irina:

Last month I had the same thing, and now I have a huge delay and a bunch of negative tests …

Ella:

I had this on the 10th day after intercourse. This happens when the ovum is attached to the wall of the uterus.

Veronica:

It happens often enough. The main thing is not to rush the time – you still won’t recognize it before! Ovulation bleeding can manifest itself in the same way as implantation bleeding.

Marina:

You need to measure basal temperature in the morning, preferably at the same time, without getting out of bed, if the temperature is above 36.8-37.0 and your period does not come. And all this will last for at least a week, which means that the bleeding was implantation and you can be congratulated on your pregnancy.

Olga:

I also got drops of pinkish-brown discharge after exactly 6 days, I hope I’m pregnant. And I also have some kind of warmth in the lower abdomen, maybe this has happened to someone?

Svetlana:

Recently, two brownish spots also appeared, and then a little pinkish blood. The chest is swollen, sometimes there is a pulling pain in the lower abdomen, up to menstruation for another 3-4 days …

Mila:

It so happened that on the 6th day after intercourse, pinkish discharge appeared in the evening. I was very scared of this, 3 months ago I had a miscarriage. The next day it was a little anointed with brownish, and then it was already clean. Nipples started to hurt. Did the test after 14 days, the result is negative. Now I’m suffering, not knowing I’m pregnant, or maybe it’s something else. And I can’t determine the delay for sure, since the intercourse was a couple of days before the expected menstruation.

Faith:

On the fifth day of the delay, I made a test, which turned out to be positive … I was very happy and immediately ran to the doctor to confirm whether the pregnancy had come or not … was sent to the hospital. As a result, there were 3 options for the appearance of blood: either it started menstruation, or a miscarriage that began, or implantation of the ovum. We did an ultrasound scan and tests. My pregnancy was confirmed. There was no more blood. It turned out that it really was an implantation, but if I had not gone to the doctor for an examination and she would not have found blood, then I would not have guessed at all about the manifestation of implantation bleeding. As I understand it, if this is an implantation, then there should be very little blood.

Arina:

I have had. Only it looked more like small streaks of blood, maybe like spotting. This happened on the 7th day after ovulation. I then measured the basal temperature. So, during implantation, an implantation drop in basal temperature may still occur. This means that it drops by 0.2-0.4 degrees, and then rises again. What happened to me.

Margarita:

And my implantation happened seven days after ovulation and, accordingly, sexual intercourse. In the morning I found blood, but not brown, but light red discharge, they quickly passed and now all the time pulls the stomach and back. My chest hurt, but it was almost gone. So I hope it was implantation bleeding.

Anastasia:

I had bleeding a week before my period in the evening, as if my period had started. I was scared terribly simple! This has never happened before! I didn’t know what to think! But by morning there was nothing. I made an appointment with a gynecologist, but he was appointed only a week later. My husband consulted with someone and he was told that maybe I was pregnant, and we ruined everything with intercourse and had a miscarriage … I was upset in earnest. My husband then calmed me down as best he could! He promised that we would try again. And a week later, menstruation did not come, but the pregnancy test turned out to be positive! So I came to the gynecologist to register.

This informational article is not intended to be medical or diagnostic advice.
At the first sign of disease, consult a doctor.
Do not self-medicate!