Many women get confused about period during pregnancy. The truth is that there is no way for a woman to be pregnant and to have her period in the same time. This is because during pregnancy the hCG hormone stops the menstrual cycle. However women can notice bleeding that is similar to her period.
Bleeding, periods and pregnancy
Although women can’t actually have their period during pregnancy, they could experience some spotting or bleeding that they believe to be their period. About 20%-25% of women see some kind of spotting during their pregnancy. This bleeding is usually lighter than a normal period.
If women don’t know that they are pregnant, they could think that they have a real period. When it comes to period when being pregnant, the majority of the women experience this kind of spotting around the time when they are supposed to have their menstrual period.
Implantation spotting or bleeding
You may think that you have a period while being pregnant if you experience spotting when the fertilized egg gets implanted into the uterus. When this happens a part of the lining could shed to make room for the egg, leading to spotting or bleeding.
Usually this kind of ‘pregnancy period’ appears a week or a few days before the regular period is due. The bleeding is usually pink, red or brown and it looks like a light period. This is why a lot of women confuse it with their normal period.
Birth control
It is common for women to think they have a pregnancy menstrual period after they change their birth control method. If you stop taking the pill and you get pregnant you could see some spotting because of the changes of the hormonal levels. During this period it is very difficult for women to know whether they are really pregnant or not.
Ectopic pregnancy
One of the symptoms of this problem is having a menstrual period while being pregnant. An ectopic pregnancy means that the fertilized egg gets implanted somewhere outside the uterus. Some other symptoms include rectal pressure, abdominal pain on one side, dizziness, nausea and shoulder pain.
Miscarriage
You could also see a menstrual period when being pregnant if you have a miscarriage. This happens in about 20%-30% of all cases. During pregnancy, bleeding or spotting could become a sign of a miscarriage. If you see spotting that doesn’t necessarily mean that you won’t have a normal pregnancy, but you should see your doctor about it.
In many cases the miscarriage starts with a light menstrual period during pregnancy and later the bleeding becomes heavier. If you notice heavy bleeding you should see your doctor about it as soon as possible to make sure that your baby isn’t in danger.
Now you can see that pregnancy and periods can’t happen in the same time because of the pregnancy hormones. However it is possible to notice something that looks very much like a regular period but in fact is something else.
