Can menstruation continue throughout pregnancy? Why can you get your period during pregnancy?

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 phenomenon. 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.

Enter the first day of your last menstrual period

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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 contacting 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 slight 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 often. 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 implanted not 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 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.

Modern medicine has many ways to help a woman and her child when there is a threat of miscarriage and even when a miscarriage has begun. But, alas, the doctors cannot do anything about what has happened. The only solution is to curettage the uterine cavity in order to avoid retention of part of the membranes in it and the subsequent occurrence of an inflammatory process and sepsis.

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 only be diagnosed 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.

If the blood does not come out, but accumulates between the wall of the uterus and the chorion, retrochorial hematoma is diagnosed. With it, there may be no discharge and this is the most unfavorable sign.

If blood comes out, there is a chance that the hematoma will resolve and the pregnancy will develop further. Discharge, if it appears, is most often brown. If scarlet blood starts to appear, this is a sign of a fresh detachment, and the likelihood of losing a child due to total detachment is higher.

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 also be alert to 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.

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.

Every girl believes that critical days are days when conception is impossible, but is this really so? Can the nature of the female body reconfigure and behave radically differently? This phenomenon is ambiguously regarded and, from a medical point of view, therefore, beautiful ladies are certainly worth paying attention to this phenomenon.

Is it possible to get pregnant during your period? Signs of pregnancy may be false; to more accurately determine pregnancy, it is better to take a hCG test

Why do you get periods during pregnancy?

It is important to understand! Menstruation is the cleansing of the uterus from an unfertilized mature egg.

Based on the definition of a “special” process in the female body, we can say that if an egg is fertilized, a hormone is produced - progesterone, which does not allow the uterus to contract, and also takes part in the appearance of the endometrium, that is, the growth of the inner walls of the uterus.

In this case, there should be no menstruation, and spotting is not a history of menstruation.

However, some women have problems with progesterone production during pregnancy. Under such circumstances, on the days when menstruation should occur, blood is released with pieces of the endometrium. This can cause fetal rejection. The pregnant woman is then prescribed medications that replace progesterone to prevent miscarriage.

The cause of bleeding may be a pathology of fetal development, as well as the fact that the fetus is poorly attached, resulting in a pregnancy failure.

A pregnant woman gets her period if there is a large amount of male hormones in her body, which can lead to a miscarriage. With proper preliminary diagnosis and treatment, this can be prevented.

And also one of the reasons may be multiple pregnancy, this is when, during the normal development of a single embryo, others are rejected.

Do you get your period during an ectopic pregnancy?

Ectopic pregnancy is actually a pathology or, in other words, a pregnancy in which the attachment of a fertilized egg occurs not in the uterus, but in most situations - in the fallopian tube, sometimes in the ovaries, abdominal cavity, or cervix.

In order to diagnose and prevent rather bad consequences, first of all, as soon as you find out about your pregnancy, you need to go to the doctor and be under the supervision of specialists, especially if there are prerequisites for this (chronic diseases of any nature).

Carefully! Such a pregnancy is life-threatening and requires termination in a hospital setting.

Just with this diagnosis - ectopic pregnancy, menstruation can last for several months, as before, but be brown-red and scanty.

However, it would be useful to analyze your general well-being if you have an active sex life.

Dangerous days for pregnancy after menstruation, how to calculate

The fertilization cycle in women is set up in such a way that there are periods when the probability of pregnancy is very high and for those who do not want to become parents yet, it is worth knowing some of the features.

There are many ways to protect yourself from unwanted pregnancy:

  • condoms(Durex Pleasure, Contex Romantic Love, VIZIT Hi-Tech Comfort);
  • tablets (“Jas-plus”, “Logest”);
  • candles(“Erotex”, “Pharmatex”);
  • contraceptive sponges(Allendale Pharmaceuticals);
  • intrauterine devices(“Multiload KU-375”, Goldlily Exclusive, “Mirena”).

However, all of these methods involve medication to one degree or another. But there are those that do not require a trip to a specialist, one of them is a calendar one. In medical practice it is called the Ogino-Clauss method.

Of course, the reliability of this method is from 30 to 60% and it is based on calculating “dangerous” days in the range of the entire menstrual cycle. And, most importantly, it can only be used by those women whose “critical” cycle is regular and without any failures.

It is important to know! The sperm lives in the fallopian tubes for 3–4 days; it can fertilize the egg after ovulation within two days.

Based on this, it is believed that with a 28-day cycle, ovulation occurs on days 13–14, and with a 30-day cycle – on days 15–16. Therefore, with a 28-day cycle, the most likely days to get pregnant are considered to be from days 11 to 16. Accordingly, for a 30-day cycle – from days 13 to 18.


A more accurate scheme for preventing unwanted pregnancy is the method of measuring basal temperature, and to be more precise, the temperature in the rectum. It is measured in the morning without getting out of bed. And they keep statistics of values, write them down, for example, in a special personal “diary” for greater convenience. This needs to be done for about three months, preferably longer for complete statistics.

At the beginning of the cycle, the temperature in the rectum is normally 36.6–36.7 °C. When ovulation occurs, the temperature drops to 36.2–36.4 °C. Then, until the start of critical days, it constantly remains above 37.0 °C.

Is it possible to get pregnant before your period starts?

Each woman has her own body characteristics, as a result of which it is possible to become pregnant even before the onset of menstruation.

Here are the reasons why this is possible:


Is pregnancy possible during menstruation?

Pregnancy under normal conditions occurs when ovulation and sexual intercourse coincide. If there are factors influencing the “critical” cycle (climate change, stress, etc.), ovulation may not occur on time. Sometimes it happens that menstruation is very long, and the cycle itself is short, then ovulation occurs during menstruation.

Interesting fact! The sperm of some sexual partners can stay in the uterine tubes for up to 6 days, so it only seems that pregnancy occurred during menstruation, it’s just that the sperm entered the genital tract before this process in the body.

Is pregnancy possible immediately after menstruation?

There are the following reasons why this is possible:

  • if the cycle is less than 21 days, since ovulation can occur in the coming days from the last day of menstruation;
  • if menstruation lasts more than 7 days, in this case, the new egg will mature in the last days of menstruation;
  • with an irregular cycle;
  • when bleeding due to cervical disease, which is often mistaken for menstruation;
  • during ovulation several eggs at once - spontaneous ovulation.

Carefully! The probability of pregnancy on the last day of the cycle is 30–40%, as you can see this is a considerable proportion of it.

How to distinguish periods from pregnancy

In principle, it is possible to distinguish these two processes in the body. Namely, during pregnancy there may be spotting, which roughly resembles menstruation, but it is very scanty.

In addition, pregnancy is characterized by certain symptoms that appear even if there is menstruation.

Symptoms of pregnancy in the early stages before menstruation


These signs include:

  • discharge, which are called implantation, can appear from 6 to 12 days from the moment of conception, non-intense, color – yellow-brown;
  • temperature increase in the rectum more than 37.0 °C;
  • increased fatigue, absent-mindedness, changes in mood;
  • swelling of the mammary glands, darkening of the nipples;
  • pulling sensations lower abdomen;
  • sharp changes temperature;
  • toxicosis.

Signs of pregnancy during menstruation

During pregnancy, bleeding is not considered a period as such. However, the presence of menstruation can be misleading for a woman, so it is necessary to know the symptoms of pregnancy if there is bleeding.


Everyone’s feelings are, of course, individual, but in general they are typical:

  • the amount of menstrual blood decreases, the color becomes lighter;
  • the breasts become enlarged and colostrum begins to be released;
  • frequent urge to urinate;
  • taste preferences change;
  • the mood changes from cheerful to tearful in a split second;
  • in the morning I am bothered by nausea and increased weakness.

Signs of pregnancy after menstruation

The first sign of pregnancy is the cessation of menstruation. It is almost always absent during conception, since pregnancy occurs after menstruation and there is no delay until the next one. Due to the fact that this phenomenon is typical for women with irregular cycles, they may not pay attention to the absence of menstrual periods.

Representatives of the fairer sex in such cases think only when there is no menstruation for 2-3 months, in addition, the stomach increases, pigmentation appears, etc.

If a woman’s body does not work like a clock, then it is necessary to use pregnancy tests after menstruation, which determine the “germinal” hormone - the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin. You should also be regularly examined by a gynecologist.

Pregnancy test a week before period: will it show pregnancy?

To answer this frequently asked question, you should know that the test works in a certain way. The hormone human chorionic gonadotropin is formed in the urine of a pregnant woman.(hCG), to which the test with the indicator reacts. But conception does not occur immediately after intercourse.

For sperm to reach their destination, a certain amount of time must pass. It takes about a week for the egg to be fertilized and move into the uterine cavity. And hCG is produced only after the implantation of the fertilized egg into the wall of the uterus. Therefore, there is no point in taking a test a week before your period!

The ideal time to check for an “interesting position” is to delay critical days by about a week.

And it is also important to know that tests are also different, Currently, three generations of indicators have been released:

  • first two– strip and tablet tests, which are sensitive to a concentration of 10–25 mME/ml of the hormone in the urine, so again, no earlier than a week after the expected menstruation, the answer to the question will be given;
  • third type- the latest developments are inkjet and digital (electronic) tests, which are complex, but have high sensitivity and, as manufacturers claim, they can determine the result on the first day of the delay, but before this time it will not be possible to know anything for sure.

Gestational age, how to calculate by date of menstruation

Knowing the date of the first day of the last menstruation, it is easy to determine the date of ovulation, which occurs on the 17th–18th day from the first day of the last menstruation. Therefore, it is not difficult to guess the moment of conception, but this method is suitable for a regular menstrual cycle of 28 days.

Gynecologists (specialists), for example, also calculate the period using the same indicator, but in addition to it, they use the results of the first screening (ultrasound) to more accurately determine the period of fertilization.

Determine the gestational age using the last menstruation: calculator

Often the exact date of conception and expectant parents are interested in the timing of pregnancy in order to accurately determine the date of birth. There are many methods for this, ranging from ultrasound (only effective in the second trimester) to tables long ago formed by specialists.

Modern technologies do not stand still; using a special online calculator you can easily calculate the birth date of your child. The calculator performs the action automatically; you only need to enter the start date of the last menstruation or the date of conception, if known, and the duration of the cycle.

As a result, we can say that the likelihood of conception is quite high at any stage of the menstrual cycle Therefore, to prevent unwanted pregnancy, it is not enough to use the calendar method; it is necessary to protect yourself comprehensively. And if there are any deviations in sensations or well-being, immediately consult a doctor.

Is it possible to get pregnant during your period? Signs of pregnancy in this video:

Signs of pregnancy. Is it possible to get pregnant during menstruation, watch this video:

In any “community” of pregnant women, the flow of stories about insidious periods during pregnancy does not dry out. Some women find out about pregnancy 2-3 months after its onset, and not at all because of their “denseness,” but because all this time they continue to menstruate - a situation that seems to exclude pregnancy and even suspicion of it. I myself know a certain lady, a neighbor down the street, who gave birth to six children (now adults), of which only two she really wanted and knew that she was pregnant. The rest were born unexpectedly, despite the fact that the lady was visiting a gynecologist. But every time she was discovered to be pregnant at a period when even ardent atheists consider abortion to be murder, and she was menstruating all this time. Yes, this woman was very plump, with a large belly, it was difficult to feel anything there, there were probably serious hormonal imbalances, and our district gynecologist was not highly professional and sat in an empty office all year round. And yet - why? How does this happen?

Menstruation during pregnancy in the first month

Having periods during the first month of pregnancy is generally normal. In the middle of the cycle, fertilization occurred, but the fertilized egg might not have reached the right place (this takes 7-15 days) and the hormonal levels did not have time to change - the body reacted as usual - regular periods began and ended. This shouldn't happen next month. It happens that the estrogen level is lower than necessary. Pregnancy hormones are already working, pregnancy is developing, and estrogen suddenly “fell” - well, you never know why! - and this is always bloody discharge, and it occurs exactly when it should have started if there were no pregnancy. Since stable hormonal levels are quite rare in our time, some women menstruate for 3-4 months without the threat of miscarriage. There are also cases in the literature of the simultaneous maturation of two eggs (from different ovaries, usually this happens in turn), when one of them is fertilized and the second is rejected, causing menstruation, but this situation is quite rare and complex.

Bloody discharge or still periods during pregnancy?

What is important to know? Firstly, any bleeding when pregnancy has been established is not the norm! This is an indicator of a greater or lesser imbalance of sex hormones, and therefore a reason to consult a doctor. Secondly, under the guise of the arrival of menstruation, a completely different, more formidable pathology can be disguised - an incipient miscarriage. Therefore, you still can’t bypass the doctor. The difference between the first situation and the second is that menstruation during pregnancy is always insignificant, sometimes appears only when the woman moves, disappears at night and is never accompanied by pain. Even small. Prolonged, nagging pain, heaviness in the lower abdomen, bright, sudden bleeding, even on the usual days of menstruation, can be a reason not only to go to the clinic - sometimes even to call the ambulance!

Is continuation of menstruation during pregnancy dangerous for the unborn child?

You need to be seriously examined, check the level of all necessary hormones and what else the doctor will prescribe. If, due to ongoing menstruation, you find out about pregnancy later than the first month, do as you planned. If the child is desired, continue to be pregnant and do not be afraid that due to bleeding he will be born weak, sick, with defects, etc. Fortunately, hormones do not affect the formation of the fetus, its organs and systems. The dirty environment, the medications you take, and many other things affect it - but not the balance of hormones - let's at least rejoice at this!

Menstruation, and even heavy periods that begin during pregnancy, undoubtedly plunges many women into serious shock. Which is not at all surprising. After all, changes during this period can be a signal of a miscarriage or other equally dangerous complications.

In fact, spotting in early pregnancy may not always be a sign of bad news. It all depends on their nature, intensity, and the presence of accompanying symptoms. Let's find out in more detail whether menstruation is possible when a girl is expecting a child, how dangerous it is and when you should immediately consult a doctor.

Can I get my period during pregnancy?

To give a clear answer to this question, it is necessary, first of all, to remember all the features of female physiology. Every month, the ovaries produce eggs that are necessary for fertilization. If conception does not occur for one reason or another, this egg is destroyed. As a result, the functional membrane of the endometrium is rejected, and bloody discharge appears, i.e. – menstruation.

With a positive turn of events, when conception successfully occurs, the body devotes all its efforts to preparing for embryo implantation. The hormonal background is completely rebuilt. The functional layer of the endometrium is not rejected and, accordingly, regulation does not occur. How, then, to compare heavy periods and pregnancy? Where did the blood come from?

Often the cause of bleeding is progesterone deficiency. Gynecologists define this phenomenon as “false menstruation.” It can sometimes even last for several months, despite the fact that the fertilized egg continues to develop quietly in the uterine cavity.

In this case, they are not even a threat to the development of the embryo. But it is very important to consult a doctor in time to understand whether spotting could be caused by organic causes that pose a serious danger to the mother and fetus.

Causes

Fortunately, periods during pregnancy are not always dangerous. For example, when their cause is the period of implantation of the fertilized egg, there is practically no reason for concern. During this process, small blood vessels are often damaged, resulting in spotting vaginal discharge. may also appear in cases where:

  • The blastocyst did not have time to implant into the endometrium of the uterus before the onset of menstruation. This process typically takes one to two weeks, so delays, while rare, are possible. Hormonal changes do not have time to occur, and regulations proceed as usual.
  • An egg matures simultaneously in each of the ovaries. If one egg is fertilized and the second is rejected, your period may begin.
  • Various hormonal imbalances occur. If there is a deficiency of progesterone or an excess of androgens, regulation may well occur, since the body cannot recognize pregnancy in this case.

Read also 🗓 What to do if your period doesn’t come after IVF

A woman who notices that she has heavy periods during pregnancy, at any stage, should immediately call an ambulance or go to the hospital. Timely contact with specialists is the only chance to save the situation, no matter how difficult it may be. Indeed, in addition to the above reasons, menstruation can be a sign of much more dangerous diseases and abnormalities.

In the early stages

Menstruation during early pregnancy can be both scanty and heavy. First of all, their nature depends on the state of the woman’s hormonal system. They may appear in the first month, and the entire subsequent period should not bother the expectant mother. Otherwise, it is necessary to find out why menstruation continues.

Often, periods in early pregnancy can be caused by:

  • Beginning spontaneous miscarriage. The intensity of the regulation can be different (both abundant and spotting). The color of the discharge is predominantly scarlet. There may be cramping pain in the lower abdomen. The most disappointing prognosis for menstruation in the first month. In this case, pregnancy can rarely be saved.
  • Ectopic pregnancy. In this case, the regulae are usually dark brown in color, scanty, complicated by severe pain in the left or right parts of the iliac region.
  • Diseases or abnormalities in the structure of the uterus. We are talking about a one-horned, two-horned, baby or saddle-shaped uterus. With this diagnosis, the woman will not be able to bear the fetus, since the embryos are attached in places where the blood supply is very poor or completely absent.
  • Frozen or undeveloped pregnancy. Most often, the embryo stops developing or dies altogether in the first ten days of pregnancy. The cause may be increased uterine tone or complex hereditary pathologies.
  • Erosion or infectious diseases of the cervix. The latter are usually caused by chlamydia.
  • Placental abruption. With this pathology, the “baby place” moves away from the walls of the uterus, and the blood that is released in this case exits through the genital ducts.
  • Placental presentation. If the placenta is too close to the uterine os, the growing fetus provokes bleeding that is mistaken for menstruation.
  • Benign neoplasms of the myometrium and endometrium, endometriosis. With fibroids, polyps in the uterus, cysts, and fibroids, bleeding occurs quite often. Mistaking them for periods, expectant mothers may unknowingly ignore the first signs of pregnancy, which can cause very serious problems.

Heavy or scanty bleeding can also occur in a woman due to stress, overexertion, colds and a number of other reasons. To avoid serious consequences, it is necessary to keep a menstruation calendar, monitor the general condition of the body, and listen to even the slightest signals.

Read also 🗓 The first periods after cesarean are very heavy

In the later stages

If a woman has bleeding in the last months of pregnancy, this can pose a great danger to both the baby and the expectant mother. Menstruation at such a period is classified as prenatal pathological bleeding. The factors that cause them can be completely different.

The most common reasons for bleeding in the second and third trimester may be the following:

  • Placental presentation, which occurs in approximately 0.5% of expectant mothers. The pathology involves blocking the entrance to the cervix and most often occurs in patients who have previously had a cesarean section or abortion.
  • Rejection of the placenta. This diagnosis is heard by approximately 1% of late pregnant women. The risk group is women who suffer from hypertension.

There are often cases when a woman who is 6-9 months pregnant, noticing blood on the pad, mistakenly believes that her period has arrived. Ignoring the signal given by the body is very dangerous. The girl should immediately call the doctor, waiting for him only in a supine position.

Dangers and complications of menstruation during pregnancy

From the first day of pregnancy, a woman begins to bear responsibility not only for herself, but also for that still completely helpless little organism. Therefore, the expectant mother is obliged to monitor her health very scrupulously and respond to the slightest changes in her condition. Any, even the most meager and painlessly critical days, in the early stages can be:

  • the cause of miscarriage, which in most cases cannot be treated;
  • a signal about the cessation of fetal development;
  • an indicator of incipient septic or hemorrhagic shock and other dangerous complications of an infectious nature.

From all of the above, it is not difficult to conclude how dangerous spotting is at different stages of pregnancy. Moreover, it is not the periods themselves that pose the threat, but the reasons that cause them. But, as medical practice shows, there are happy exceptions to this statement, when the regulations are not evidence of a serious pathology.

How to distinguish periods from bleeding

It is quite easy to get confused during pregnancy, especially in its early stages. Therefore, if a woman has even the slightest doubt about the discharge that has appeared, she should immediately contact a specialist.

Alarm signals indicating a threat of miscarriage, and not at all normal periods:

  • The bleeding occurred suddenly, without any prerequisites.
  • The discharge is scanty, spotting, with brown impurities.
  • The color and consistency of the secreted secretion is similar to water interspersed with blood.
  • Menstruation did not start as usual (for example, before the periods were accompanied by pain, but now, on the contrary, they proceed calmly).

Having discovered their periods in the early stages of pregnancy, some women believe that this is completely normal. Moreover, a pregnant woman can hear from friends and relatives that they also encountered this phenomenon and were able to carry and give birth to a healthy baby without any problems.

Is it really? What do periods indicate during early pregnancy?

Pregnancy and menstruation – is it real?

From a physiological point of view, pregnancy and menstruation are two completely incompatible concepts. Why?

In the first half of the menstrual cycle, a layer of endometrium grows on the walls of the uterus. If fertilization does not occur during the ovulation period, the resulting endometrium peels off at the end of the cycle and comes out along with the blood. Thus, every month women have menstruation.

When pregnancy occurs, the level of the hormone progesterone increases, which helps to strengthen the endometrium and further serve as additional protection for the unborn baby. Therefore, while the child is pregnant, menstruation stops.

Causes of bleeding in the early stages

In the early stages of pregnancy, there may actually be bleeding from the vagina. And this is a symptom of bleeding, not menstruation. This phenomenon actually occurs quite often, but this does not mean its safety.

The causes of bleeding in a pregnant woman may be:

  • ectopic pregnancy;
  • risk of miscarriage;
  • death of the embryo.

Symptoms of ectopic pregnancy also include pain, which is localized in the place where the fertilized egg was implanted. Painful sensations intensify with body movements and physical activity. Bleeding in this case, most often, is not profuse and dark in color. If it bleeds very heavily and for a long time, this may indicate the most unfavorable outcome - spontaneous detachment of the fertilized egg.

When there is a threat of miscarriage in the early stages of pregnancy, a woman may experience scanty, dark-colored bleeding. At the same time, nagging pains in the lower abdomen often occur, similar to those that occur before menstruation.

The death of the embryo may not be felt at all for a long time. But it happens that symptoms appear that help to notice the problem in time. There may be a very slight dark discharge, more reminiscent of a daub, periodically acute pain in the abdomen appears and the chest softens.

All causes of bleeding in pregnant women are very dangerous. Since every body is different, symptoms may vary from woman to woman. Any deterioration of the condition during pregnancy, especially accompanied by bleeding, requires a mandatory visit to a gynecologist.

When is menstruation normal during pregnancy?

Although any bleeding during pregnancy, in fact, cannot be the norm, there are still cases when you should not sound the alarm. Sometimes periods in very early stages of pregnancy may not pose any threat to the expectant mother and her developing baby.

This is possible in the following cases:

  • hormonal disorders;
  • implantation of the fertilized egg;
  • pregnancy occurs right before menstruation,
  • fertilization of one of the two eggs.

If a woman does not have enough progesterone during pregnancy or has an excess of male hormones, androgens, this often causes brown discharge. Such hormonal disorders are not dangerous for a long time. This problem can be solved by taking special hormonal medications (prescriptions should only be made by a gynecologist!).

The process of implantation of the fertilized egg in the wall of the uterus can sometimes take up to two weeks. In the case of such a long-term implantation of the egg, the hormonal background does not have time to change and the body acts according to the usual pattern - menstruation begins.

Experts do not rule out the possibility of getting pregnant even during menstruation. This is especially true a few days before menstruation, when the ovulation period has long ended. In fact, ovulation has not ended - this phenomenon is called “late ovulation”, and in this case it occurs before menstruation.

This phenomenon occurs much less frequently than the usual conception during ovulation in the middle of the cycle, but it is still possible. If pregnancy occurs right before your period, there will be no delay. Your period will come as usual.


During pregnancy, menstruation can also occur due to the fact that of the eggs that mature simultaneously in different ovaries, only one is fertilized. It is preserved, and the unfertilized egg is released along with menstruation.

It is important to remember that menstruation in early pregnancy is possible only once. If in the second month a woman bleeds again (the amount, color, consistency does not matter) - this is abnormal. This type of discharge may be a symptom of serious problems with your pregnancy.

What are the dangers of menstruation during pregnancy?

In fact, it has already been said above that menstruation during pregnancy should not be ignored under any circumstances, since this is a serious deviation from the norm. For whatever reason, such bleeding occurs, a threat to the health and life of the unborn baby exists in any case.

What else is the threat of bleeding in the early stages of pregnancy? Women may not even be aware of their new position. They will take any blood for their next period, while continuing to lead their usual lifestyle.

Common factors in a woman's modern life may include:

  • overwork;
  • unhealthy food;
  • alcohol;
  • smoking.

Continuing to live in her usual rhythm, a pregnant woman at an early stage can, without knowing it, cause harm to her baby.

Also, having periods during pregnancy is dangerous because they can develop into heavy bleeding. Without the supervision of a doctor, this is fraught with large blood loss.

So, all women should be attentive to their health. Don’t be lazy and waste time visiting a gynecologist. Early detection of pregnancy and following the doctor’s instructions will help maintain the health of the mother and the future baby.