Can menstruation start during pregnancy? How often do periods occur during pregnancy. What are the symptoms of menstruation during pregnancy

In order to understand that something is wrong in the body of a pregnant woman, you need to know her physiology. Every month, an egg matures in the female body. She is in a normal state of health of a woman is ready for fertilization. If this does not happen, the cell collapses and comes out with the remnants of the endometrium of the uterus. The discharge is bloody and is called menstruation.

If the egg is fertilized by a sperm, pregnancy occurs. The woman's body is completely rebuilt. A special place is being prepared in the uterus for the future embryo, and all the forces of the body are aimed at ensuring that the uterus does not reject the embryo. For this reason, the hormone progesterone begins to be produced.

It performs two main functions:

  • Stimulates the growth of the endometrium (inner walls of the uterus) so that the embryo easily implants and securely attaches to the surface.
  • It does not allow the walls of the uterus to contract and reject the embryo.
During this period, the eggs stop maturing in the ovaries. And in the uterus, the processes of growth and rejection of the inner membrane stop, which are responsible for the onset of menstruation every month. Bloody discharge during pregnancy is not actually menstruation.

Causes of menstruation during pregnancy

Doctors call menstruation only uterine bleeding in the first month of pregnancy. Later, this is a clear pathology that threatens the life of the fetus and even the mother. Among its possible causes are various diseases, hormonal imbalance. Also, this process can signal that a detachment of the fetal egg is taking place.

Why during pregnancy menstruation occurs in the first 30 days


The appearance of blood from the genitals during pregnancy, regardless of the period, requires a consultation with a doctor, as well as a complete examination. During the first month after fertilization of the egg, the arrival of menstruation is the least dangerous.

The reasons for this phenomenon:

  1. implantation bleeding. When the egg, fertilized by the sperm, is immersed in the endometrium, there is minimal damage to the vessels lining the bottom of the uterus. In this case, scant bleeding may occur. This is not menstruation, and such a phenomenon does not threaten the fetus. It happens in 20-30% of women.
  2. The fertilized egg did not have time to attach. This happens if conception occurred at the end or middle of the cycle. The path of a fertilized egg to the uterine endometrium takes, as a rule, 1-2 weeks. Thus, despite the fact that conception has happened, the hormonal background may not have time to rebuild. For this reason, menstruation begins.
  3. A sharp drop in hormones. The estrogen background can fall for various reasons: endocrine disorders, inflammatory processes, viral infections, stress. In this case, menstruation occurs at the expected time of the onset of menstruation. Sometimes this anomaly lasts 3-4 months. This increases the risk of miscarriage.
  4. The release of two eggs from the ovary. Sometimes a malfunction occurs in the body, which consists in the fact that eggs mature in two ovaries. They take turns entering the uterine cavity. If one of them meets a sperm cell, then pregnancy occurs - a fertilized egg is formed. The second is rejected by the uterus, and menstruation occurs.
  5. Rejection of multiple pregnancy. This is a rather rare pathology in which two embryos are initially formed. One of them develops as expected, and the second, for some reason, is not accepted by the body. When it is rejected, bleeding occurs.

Why can you have late periods during pregnancy?


In late pregnancy (2-9 months), menstruation cannot occur. Any bleeding is a uterine pathology that leads to a serious threat of miscarriage. Even if spotting occurs on the 4th, 8th and 12th week from the moment of fertilization, then this is not a simple menstruation, but a detachment of the endometrium. It requires urgent medical advice and bed rest.

The reasons may be as follows:

  • Violation of the ratio of sex hormones. Rejection of the fetal egg can be caused by a progesterone deficiency or an excess of androgens. This is accompanied by a spotting discharge of a meager nature. They are not painful and occur, as a rule, with movements and during the daytime. To save the fetus, you need to take special drugs.
  • Abortion. During a spontaneous abortion or miscarriage, a woman experiences cramping or pulling pains in the lower abdomen. As a rule, miscarriage or spontaneous abortion occurs for up to 12 weeks. In such cases, you can not hesitate and you need to urgently contact an ambulance. It is important to remember that heavy periods with severe pain during pregnancy cannot be! The ability to save the fetus depends only on the speed of the reaction of the woman and the doctors.
  • Frozen pregnancy. When pregnancy stops developing for a number of reasons (genetic, hormonal disorders, stress, viruses), a woman develops bloody spotting. As a rule, this happens at 3-4 weeks, 8-11 or 16-18.
  • . This is a serious violation that can have dire consequences. In this case, the egg fertilized by the sperm is not implanted in the uterus, as expected, but in the fallopian tube. As the embryo grows, it becomes crowded, and the tube may burst. Then there is profuse internal bleeding, which is dangerous for the life of a woman. In modern conditions, it is almost always possible to save the victim, but her reproductive functions can be truncated, since it is impossible to restore the fallopian tube.
  • Anomalies in the structure of the uterus. Bleeding during pregnancy can cause the saddle shape of the uterus, endometriosis, fibroids. Usually, the embryo with such pathologies is poorly or incorrectly attached to the walls of the organ. In such cases, the bearing of a child should take place under the strict supervision of a gynecologist.
  • Cervical infection, placental abruption. These disorders can cause inflammation and bleeding. The doctor can stop these processes by prescribing special treatment.
  • Mechanical damage to the cervix or vagina. This is a fairly common cause of bleeding. This happens after a doctor's examination and taking smears from the cervix. There is also the release of a few drops of blood with ectopia of the cervix and careless sexual intercourse. This is due to the fact that the genitals during pregnancy are abundantly supplied with blood, and the mucous membranes become more sensitive to mechanical stimuli. Such bleeding is not dangerous, but also requires specialist advice.
  • bubble skid. This is a rather dangerous violation of the normal course of pregnancy. At the same time, there is no embryo in the uterus or there are only some of its parts. It can eventually degenerate into chorionepithelioma, malignant tumors. Bloody discharge in such cases is accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Most often, hydatidiform mole occurs in women over 35 years of age.

Varieties of menstruation during pregnancy

"Colored pregnancy" or "fetal ablution" - this is how menstruation after conception is called in medical circles. Such bleeding at different times has its own distinctive features, it can be scarce, profuse, painful, long, short, and so on.

Scanty periods during early pregnancy


In the early stages of pregnancy, menstruation can often be mistaken for a normal, planned one. It does not have significant differences from the usual menstruation: nipples become rough, mood changes quickly, taste preferences change, there is a headache, a feeling of drowsiness, an increase in appetite.

If at the same time you suspect pregnancy, then you can safely use the test. The isolation of blood will not affect the result in any way, since the test is sensitive to human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Its level rises both in the blood and in the urine.

Small, spotting discharge during early pregnancy can provoke an imbalance of hormones. Such blood smears are observed, as a rule, during movements and during the daytime. At night, during sleep, they end. Painful sensations do not cause.

It can also “smear” during an ectopic pregnancy. However, unlike the previous cause, this pathology is accompanied by severe pain. This is due to rupture of the fallopian tube and internal bleeding.

Do not worry too much if the discharge is brownish or dark red. As a rule, such a “washing of the fetus” takes place within a short time on its own. However, consultation with a doctor is mandatory.

Heavy periods during pregnancy


The expectant mother should know that a few drops of spotting on her underwear is not a reason to panic. But heavy menstruation is, of course, a serious pathology.

In a miscarriage, the fetal egg detaches from the endometrium. This opens scarlet uterine bleeding, often with impurities of lumps and tissues. A woman complains of severe aching and pulling pain in the lower abdomen and lower back. Sometimes an abortion can be complete when the entire fetal egg comes out without residue.

In some cases, there is an incomplete miscarriage, when part of the embryo remains in the uterus. If the cavity is not cleaned in a timely manner, this can again provoke bleeding. Urgent medical intervention in the initial stages of a miscarriage often gives a chance to save the child.

An ectopic pregnancy can also be accompanied by heavy bleeding. The pain is cramping. This serious pathology is difficult to recognize in the early stages. It is accompanied by all the same signs as a normal uterine pregnancy: toxicosis, weakness, engorgement of the mammary glands, increased fatigue, and an increase in basal temperature.

With placental presentation of the fetus, the latter is located in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe internal pharynx. Bleeding in this case occurs at 2-3 months of pregnancy and is usually very heavy. It is possible to save a child, but with careful observance of bed rest and taking special medications.

With severe scarlet bleeding, which is accompanied by pains of a different nature, you should immediately call an ambulance.


Can there be menstruation during pregnancy - look at the video:


Menstruation during pregnancy is a reason to urgently consult a doctor. Especially if the discharge is accompanied by pain and plentiful. The sooner you undergo an examination and examination, the greater the chance that you will save the life of the baby and your women's health.

Many women are interested in the question: "is it possible to get pregnant during menstruation?". Most of them, for some reason, are sure that they are not. However, this is quite real, but under what circumstances? Does it also depend on time? Is there a chance of conception? And finally, is it really worth having sex during your period? In order to get answers to all these questions, you need to properly understand all the physiological processes that occur at this moment in the female body.

What is the chance of pregnancy during menstruation?

Theoretically, the likelihood of pregnancy during menstruation is minimal, but still exists. And no one will give you a guarantee that, according to the law of meanness, it will not work for you. Therefore, it is very important to find out for yourself under what circumstances this probability increases significantly.

In what situations is pregnancy possible during menstruation?

To begin with, it is worthwhile to understand that conception occurs only in the event of a meeting of a sperm and an egg, which has already left the ovary into the fallopian tube as a result of the rupture of a mature follicle, that is, after ovulation.
Consider all situations in which pregnancy becomes possible even with menstruation.

When can you get pregnant during menstruation?

Doctors say that you can at any time. Before, after, and during menstruation.
But, this is almost impossible in the first days of menstruation, since at this moment the action of all sex hormones sharply decreases, which leads to rejection of the endometrium (the inner lining of the uterus).
Thanks to abundant secretions, spermatozoa have almost no opportunity to penetrate the genital tubes, but even if this happens, and the egg is fertilized, it simply cannot attach to anything, since the endometrium is completely renewed.
Another reason is the abundant release of menstrual fluid, which is unfavorable for the preservation of the properties of the spermatozoon.
The greatest probability of conception falls just on the last days of menstruation, when an unfertilized egg is released. It is especially great, of course, for those women who have either an irregular cycle, or just long periods.

Long period problem

What can be considered long periods, what are the norms and when should I worry? This, too, needs to be properly addressed, since such problems need to be identified as early as possible. So, normally, menstruation can last from 4-7 days, and the cycle from 21-25 days. However, there is also a small percentage of women whose periods regularly last a little longer than indicated above, but their cycle size necessarily exceeds the standard. As for girls who are currently only at the stage of puberty, for them menstruation can last from 2-10 days, and the cycle itself becomes regular only for 1-2 years. However, the reason for suspicion of the presence of problems will only be if the duration of menstruation has increased dramatically, and the menses themselves are accompanied by some painful symptoms and even a change in the nature of bleeding.

Can I have sex during my period?

If we consider this issue from a medical point of view, definitely - no. Since in the body of every woman, there is reflux during menstruation. That is, the blood enters not only outside, but also into the abdominal cavity through the genital tubes. And this contributes to the ingress of various microorganisms, which can lead to numerous diseases and even to the development of such a pathology as endometriosis.

Endometriosis is a common gynecological disease in which the walls of the endometrium grow beyond this layer. It can even lead to infertility problems.

So, it’s probably worth thinking about what you are risking and for what? Of course, if you use contraceptives, then all these risks are reduced to zero, the danger also disappears if you are firmly confident in the absolute health of your sexual partner.

So, having read this information, we hope that the stereotype about the impossibility of getting pregnant during menstruation has collapsed. Indeed, the chance is actually not much less than in the middle of the cycle. Since we cannot reliably know what is happening at the moment in your body. Therefore, if the risk of pregnancy is not desirable for you, but due to increased sensitivity during menstruation, you want sex, use contraceptives. This will help not only to remove the opportunity to become parents, but also to maintain your health.

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

Among expectant mothers, disputes about this do not subside. Some women claim to have menstruated before giving birth. This is a misconception: menstruation and pregnancy are incompatible.

To answer the question, let's refresh our knowledge of the physiology of a woman. Once a month, an egg matures in the ovary, which is necessary for fertilization. If conception does not occur, it is destroyed, the functional layer of the endometrium is rejected, and spotting occurs. If conception has occurred, the body prepares for the implantation of the embryo by rearranging the hormonal background. In the uterus, the functional layer is not rejected, and menstruation stops during pregnancy.

Where does the blood come from then? With progesterone deficiency (progesterone is a hormone), on the days when menstruation begins according to the schedule, bleeding appears. Doctors call this phenomenon “false menstruation”. Sometimes spotting goes on for 3-4 months, although the fetal egg develops in the uterus.

The cyclicity of bleeding misleads a woman. She does not even suspect that she is expecting a baby, and finds out about the pregnancy too late. This is dangerous for mother and child, because a woman, not knowing that she is expecting a child, continues to lead her usual lifestyle: she does hard work, eats unhealthy food, drinks alcohol, and takes medications that are not recommended during pregnancy. It is difficult to determine the due date, sometimes a woman finds out that she will have a baby at 4-5 months, when it is impossible to terminate the pregnancy.

Even intense false menstruation does not affect the development of the fetus and embryo: the baby will not be born sick or underdeveloped. But if the cause of bleeding lies not in hormonal disorders, but in organic causes, it is difficult to convey the child.

If bleeding occurs because a fertilized egg has implanted outside the endometrium of the uterine cavity (ectopic pregnancy), the embryo is removed to save the woman. Sometimes the oviduct and ovary are removed.

Menstruation during early pregnancy

There are a lot of reasons for such allocations:

  • At conception, the egg that remains from the previous cycle is sometimes fertilized, that is, the new one has already stood out, and the old one has not yet died. This occurs with short (21-24 days) menstrual cycles. As a result, in the first month after fertilization against the background of pregnancy, a full menstruation occurs. It takes 7-14 days from conception to implantation. If premenstrual processes have begun in the endometrium, critical days begin and pass, as in other months.
  • Sometimes two eggs are released during a cycle. If one is fertilized and implanted in the endometrium, and the other is not, menstruation occurs during pregnancy. Since critical days in the early stages are frequent, in obstetrics it is customary to count the developmental period of the child not from the intended conception, but from the date of the last menstruation.
  • Sometimes women take for critical days implantation bleeding that occurs at the time of attachment of the embryo to the endometrium of the uterus. It occurs on or before the next menstrual period. With implantation bleeding, a small amount of blood is released, bleeding lasts one to two days.
  • False periods in the first months come in women who took birth control pills before pregnancy. Until the body adapts to the natural hormonal background, the discharge of blood at the time corresponding to the critical days will not stop.

Bleeding during pregnancy can be dangerous.

Since the body in the early stages of pregnancy does not have time to adapt to the changed hormonal background, there is a progesterone deficiency and an excess of androgens, accompanied by spotting. This is dangerous for the embryo, which is still small and not sufficiently strengthened in the uterus.

Menstrual-like bleeding from the second month of pregnancy is a common sign of threatened miscarriage caused by rejection of the fetus due to immune disorders in the mother. The woman's body perceives the embryo as a foreign body, kills and expels.

A formidable complication, accompanied by a periodic release of blood from the genital tract, is cystic drift. With this disease, the villi of the chorion of the fetal egg are reborn into vesicles that merge into "bunches". Cystic formations also appear in the ovaries (luteal cysts). A woman from the second month of pregnancy begins periodic bleeding, reminiscent of discharge on critical days. Skid bubbles come out with the blood. This happens until the formation, consisting of small cysts, comes out. The disease is dangerous for the development of a severe complication - chorionepithelioma - a malignant tumor that early metastasizes to the brain, liver, kidneys, and lungs.

Abundant periods during pregnancy

In the first month of pregnancy, menstruation may be heavy or scanty. It depends on the hormonal background of the woman. In the future, the release of blood stops. If this does not happen, you should consult a doctor and find out the cause of menstrual bleeding.

Blood during pregnancy is caused by:

  • beginning or threatened miscarriage, including those arising from progesterone deficiency. Sometimes hormonal imbalance during pregnancy is manifested by profuse false periods;
  • hormonal deficiency, in which heavy menstrual-like bleeding occurs;
  • missed pregnancy, when the embryo develops with a delay or died. This condition occurs with congenital anomalies in the development of the embryo, severe hereditary pathologies, or increased uterine tone. More often, the embryo "freezes" at the 3-4th, 7-8th, 16-18th weeks.
  • placental abruption, in which the "baby place" is separated from the walls of the uterus. The released blood flows out through the genital tract or remains under the placenta, provoking new bleeding;
  • in multiple pregnancies, one fetus may not develop or die. This is also accompanied by bleeding;
  • placenta previa, when it is located close to the uterine pharynx. As the fetus grows, bleeding occurs, which the expectant mother takes for heavy periods;
  • pathologies of the uterus, in which the course of pregnancy is difficult: one-horned, two-horned, saddle or children;
  • endometriosis and benign tumors of the endometrium and myometrium, including: myoma, fibroids, cysts, polyps. In these diseases, menstrual-like bleeding during pregnancy is not uncommon;
  • spotting occurs during overstrain, stress and at elevated temperature, leading to hormonal failure, increased uterine tone, miscarriage or “fading” of embryo development.

With menstruation, it is easy to confuse heavy bleeding that occurs during an ectopic pregnancy. A miscarriage proceeds according to the principle of a tubal abortion. A large amount of dark blood with fragments of the deducial membrane will stand out from the genital tract.

It is urgent to see a doctor if heavy bleeding during pregnancy is accompanied by:

  • strong pulling or cutting pains in the lower, right or left abdomen;
  • nausea, salivation, vomiting;
  • fainting, severe headache, weakness, dizziness, blanching of the skin and increased heart rate;
  • an increase in body temperature.

Heavy bleeding is a cause for serious concern. Without the use of emergency measures, the fetus is threatened with intrauterine death, and the woman - with serious blood loss. Ectopic and missed pregnancy require urgent surgical treatment.

How to distinguish menstruation during pregnancy from normal

The duration and intensity of bleeding changes, the woman understands that changes are taking place in the body. False menstruation is caused by other causes not related to the mechanism of normal menstruation:

  • The menstrual cycle changes - shortens or lengthens, sometimes bleeding occurs twice a month.
  • Allocations become scarce, there is a "daub" or light pink leucorrhoea. Sometimes there is bright scarlet or dark red blood with clots or mucous scraps of the deducial membrane.
  • The number of critical days also changes. False periods end 1-2 days earlier, but sometimes, on the contrary, a woman bleeds for a week.
  • There are no symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. After critical days, the mammary glands remain enlarged, and the swelling does not go away.
  • In some cases, false periods are difficult to distinguish from physiological ones. In doubtful cases, the use of a pregnancy test or blood donation for hCG - human chorionic gonadotropin will help.

Pregnancy is correctly diagnosed by a doctor on ultrasound. The condition of the placenta and fetal membranes, the place of attachment of the embryo and the approximate date of birth are determined.

Menstruation, no matter what month they start, is a good reason to visit a gynecologist, even if nothing hurts and pregnancy is easy. Relying on "maybe", you can skip an ectopic and frozen pregnancy, miscarriage, cystic drift, placenta previa and detachment. Do not self-diagnose. Only a doctor can determine the cause of menstrual bleeding. The gynecologist will conduct an examination and, if necessary, prescribe surgical or conservative treatment.

No. Menstruation can only go in non-pregnant women.

In pregnant women, the level of prolactin also rises in the blood, and because of these hormones, the body switches to another “mode” of work. In this new "mode" in the ovaries, eggs cease to mature and hormones are produced differently than before.

As a result of all these changes, she also begins to work in a new way: now she has the task of protecting the unborn child. In the uterus, the processes of growth and rejection of the endometrium, which are responsible for the onset of menstruation in each month, stop. The menstrual cycle stops and does not occur.

I'm pregnant, but I got my period - what does that mean?

As mentioned above, pregnant women cannot have their periods. But instead of them, spotting from the vagina, resembling menstruation, may appear. Such discharge can go as profusely as menstruation and last as many days, which can mislead you. About one in four pregnant women may experience spotting early in pregnancy.

How to distinguish normal menstruation from spotting during pregnancy?

The difficulty lies in the fact that spotting can come on the same days when menstruation is due, can be the same as during menstruation, and even last as many days as menstruation. Therefore, if you had unprotected intercourse, or errors in admission, then the arrival of menstruation on the scheduled days is not a guarantee that you are not pregnant. You need it anyway.

This time, the periods were not the same as usual. Does this mean I'm pregnant?

If you are sexually active, and especially if you are not using protection, then any change in the nature of your period may indicate that you are pregnant. The chance of pregnancy is quite high if:

  • Menstruation came 2-7 days earlier than scheduled
  • Periods were not as heavy as usual (fewer pads were used)
  • Menstruation had an unusual color (pink, light brown, brown, black)
  • Period lasted less days than usual

Important: coitus interruptus, when the partner does not put on a condom, but removes the genital organ from the vagina before ejaculation, is not a reliable means of protection against pregnancy and is equated with unprotected sex. That is, you can get pregnant as a result of PPA.

The pregnancy test shows two lines, but I got my period. What does it mean?

If the test shows two stripes or confirmed pregnancy, then there is a pregnancy and the appearance of spotting does not cancel the results of tests or analyzes.

Every fourth woman in early pregnancy has spotting from the vagina. In about half of these women, spotting does not threaten the pregnancy and does not indicate that something is going wrong. But in the other half, spotting is a sign of or and miscarriage. That is why you need to carefully consider these secretions and consult a gynecologist to make sure that everything is in order.

When is spotting during pregnancy not dangerous?

Bloody discharge in early pregnancy is not as rare as it might seem at first glance. A lot of women turn to the gynecologist about this. Sometimes these secretions do not threaten pregnancy and are associated with changes in the body during pregnancy:

  • implantation bleeding
  • Bloody discharge associated with sexual intercourse
  • Bloody discharge associated with a gynecological examination

What is implantation bleeding?

Implantation bleeding occurs in about 20-30% of pregnant women. Implantation is the process of attaching an embryo to the wall of the uterus.

In the process of implantation, the blood vessels of the uterus can be damaged, which leads to the appearance of spotting discharge from the vagina of varying degrees of intensity. Sometimes it's just a few pink spots on the panties, sometimes it's a dark spotting discharge that lasts for several days.

When does implantation bleeding occur?

Implantation bleeding may occur 7-14 days after conception. Most often, spotting appears a few days before the expected menstruation, but it can also appear on the days when menstruation is due, and even after a delay of menstruation by several days.

I have scant spotting and now I feel like my period is due.

If you are planning a pregnancy and suspect that spotting may be implantation bleeding, then do not worry if you have symptoms of the onset of menstruation (drawing pains in the lower abdomen, breast swelling). The early signs of pregnancy are very similar to the early signs of a period, so you still have a chance of being pregnant. To find out for sure if there is a pregnancy, take it. This analysis can be taken as early as 11 days after unprotected intercourse. But a pregnancy test will not help here - it is too early to do it.

I am pregnant and after sex I got my period (bloody, brown discharge). This is dangerous?

Symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy:

  • bleeding from the vagina
  • sharp pain in the lower abdomen or side
  • fainting, headache, pale skin, and rapid pulse are signs of internal bleeding
  • nausea, vomiting

What is a miscarriage?

A miscarriage is a spontaneous termination of pregnancy, or spontaneous abortion. Approximately 15-20% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage for up to 12 weeks. Symptoms of a miscarriage:

  • bleeding from the vagina
  • cramping pain in the lower abdomen (usually stronger than during menstruation)
  • vaginal discharge in the form of lumps or pieces of tissue

Most miscarriages cannot be prevented. A miscarriage is the body's reaction to an abnormal pregnancy, or to a halt in fetal development. (). A miscarriage does not mean that you are not healthy or that you will not be able to have children in the future. The most common cause of miscarriage is fetal pathology. That is, the body gets rid of the fetus, which sooner or later will die, or has already died.

What should be done in such a situation?

Seek immediate medical attention or call an ambulance.

What is a blister?

A hydatidiform drift is a dangerous complication of pregnancy in which there is no embryo in the uterus, or only separate tissues of the embryo are present. A cystic drift can degenerate into a malignant tumor, chorionepithelioma, which is life-threatening for a woman.

Symptoms of hydatidiform mole:

  • bloody
  • nausea and vomiting
  • very high hCG levels that do not correspond to the gestational age
  • Absence of a fetal heartbeat on ultrasound

What should be done in such a situation?

Seek immediate medical attention.

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

Menstruation during pregnancy is not uncommon, but an occasion to consult a gynecologist. After all, this may be a sign of a serious hormonal or other disorder that will prevent the child from being born.

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

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

Cycle duration

Can menstruation go after conception and when do they stop? Strictly speaking, menstruation and pregnancy are incompatible, the cycle must stop immediately after the implantation of a fertilized egg in the uterine wall. And if this does not happen, it means that the fetal egg, having formed at the end of the previous cycle, simply did not have time to reach its destination yet. It usually takes 7 to 15 days to attach, 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 a regular sexual life, without the use of contraceptives, the fertilization of an egg in a healthy woman is almost guaranteed.

Signs of pregnancy during menstruation in the early stages can be:

  • the onset of the cycle much earlier or later than the term;
  • the discharge is not plentiful, even scarce, without the usual clots, indicating the exfoliation of the endometrial layer of the uterus;
  • the color can vary from blood pink with an admixture of 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 bloody mucous discharge, which sometimes accompanies early 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. The profuse 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 contraceptives, hormone imbalance caused by various endocrinopathies, viral and infectious diseases, stress.

Other causes of menstruation in early pregnancy can be:

  • implantation of the fetal egg in the endometrial layer of the uterus, which causes minor damage to the vessels. As a result, scanty secretions appear that do not threaten the development of the embryo;
  • fertilization occurred at the end of the cycle, and the egg did not get the opportunity to attach to the wall of the uterus, such “menses 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 a pregnancy with real menstruation, and in what other cases? With a very rare phenomenon of almost simultaneous maturation of eggs in different ovaries. In this case, when the first is fertilized, the second is rejected;
  • attachment of fetal 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 the usual - they look like brown clots and are accompanied by sharp pain;
  • 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 continue until the end of the trimester, but they are very meager.

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

In the second trimester

You can still put up with spotting in the first trimester, since most of them do not pose a threat, but are there 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. Breaks occur, and as a result - bleeding;
  • partial or complete rejection of the placenta before childbirth;
  • threat of interruption and frozen fetus;
  • bleeding from the vessels of the umbilical cord of the fetus;
  • rupture of uterine tissue. Such bleeding occurs due to the presence of a postoperative scar, chorionepithelioma, thinning of the walls of the uterus due to numerous births and abortions.

Anyone who has had a 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 institution, in 95% of cases it is possible to prevent miscarriage and fetal death.

In the third trimester

Can there be periods during pregnancy in the third trimester, and what causes bleeding? Allocations during this period are a threat of interruption, they can be caused by any acute infectious or viral disease, hormonal imbalance, severe nervous shock, trauma, bruises, placental rejection and bleeding from the vessels of the umbilical cord of the fetus.

During pregnancy, menstruation can be triggered by other pathologies:

  • an increasing fetus can cause the development of a serious disease - varicose veins of the uterus, and in the later stages and provoke rupture and bleeding from damaged vessels;
  • untreated cervical erosion in time may appear with minor, but regular spotting;
  • 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 save or terminate for medical reasons. If at this moment menstruation began, especially plentiful, it 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 a rupture of fairly large vessels of the uterus and it is extremely difficult to stop such bleeding.

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

During pregnancy, there are periods provoked by mechanical damage to the walls of the vagina, they can also be classified as non-dangerous, provided that no infection is introduced into the microcracks.

More reasons

Pathologies that can provoke the appearance of menstruation during pregnancy:

  • anomalies 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;
  • blood clotting disorders;

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

The cause may be household injuries from falls and bruises.

Symptoms

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

But is it possible to be pregnant during menstruation, and how to understand whether you have a cycle or discharge? During menstruation, the chest usually swells quite painfully, pulls the lower abdomen. If these symptoms are absent, then a sign of pregnancy through menstruation can be considered:

  • scanty, brownish discharge;
  • "menstruation" is always painless;
  • came much earlier or later than the deadline;
  • ended quickly;
  • only happens during the daytime.

Features of physiology

Can menstruation go during pregnancy or is it a pathology? Why do periods go, what causes bleeding? Regularly, an egg ready for fertilization matures in the female body, by the time of its maturation, the uterus prepares for the attachment of the fetal egg, building up a special layer of cells. If fertilization does not happen, the egg and the layer of endometrial epithelium are brought out with menstruation.

When fertilization has occurred, the body begins to hormonally rebuild so that the fetal 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 menstruation is coming, the answer is yes, but only at very early dates, because menstruation after conception is more a pathology than a norm.

How do you know if the cycle hasn't stopped?

Can pregnancy occur after menstruation how to find out? Of course, by buying a test. But sometimes that's not a guarantee either. With 100% certainty, you can confirm the presence of an embryo if you take an analysis for the chorionic hormone (hCG), which begins to grow literally from the first week. And with the normal development of the fetus, it increases by 1.5 times every 2 days.