Periods & Pregnancy

corrine · Silver Member Joined: 27 Dec 2000 Posts: 282

Recently I have heard that some women have period through all of their pregnancy. I thought that this is impossible because a woman knows she is pregnant when she is late. At least, it is one of the signs. I would like to know how does this happen?

watland · Newbie Joined: 04 May 2005 Posts: 19

It is true that many women can experience bleeding during their pregnancy. This has become like an urban legend. Now, we have to realize that this bleeding is not in fact period. Some women have episodes of bleeding or spotting and eventhough they are similar to period they are actually something different. Women can't have period during their pregnancy for many reasons. Periods are caused by menstrual cycle and during this cycle body relases hormones. Increase in these hormones causes ovaries to release an egg that travels from ovaries through fallopian tubes. A protective layer of blood and tissue thickens along the walls of the uterus and if this egg is not fertilized hormone levels will drop. This is signaling to your body that it is time to shed the lining that built up in the uterus. This is what actually causes the period. One of the most common causes of bleeding during pregnancy that looks like period is called decidual bleeding. Sometimes, body’s hormones during pregnancy can get out of whack, causing the loss of parts of the lining of the uterus. This is very common in the early stages of pregnancy, before the lining has completely attached to the placenta. Decidual bleeding is generally not thought to be a health threat to a woman or her baby. I hope that I have given you enough informations.

kkgg · Newbie Joined: 19 Jun 2006 Posts: 25

how heavy is decidual bleeding?

crzyfl · Veteran Joined: 07 Apr 2006 Posts: 1168

Any implantation bleeding or bleeding in early pregnancy will be light and usually brown in colour

Smashbox · Guest

It is possible. I have checked out several sites and many women have experienced it. Now, their definitions of a light period or heavy bleeding or normal cycle are subjective. What is normal for one may not be for another... Now, my mother-in-law swears that she had her period for 2 months while pregnant with my husband. It was not until she 3 months with flu-like symptoms that she found out...

I am very interested in this topic! My husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for almost a year now and in the last few months I have had some wierd things happen... Especially this month. I typically have PERFECT cycles - 28 days and a period that lasts 4-5 days. For the last two the cycles moved to 29 days with heavy bleeding. This month back to 28 and the bleeding lasted 1 and a half days and seemed to me that it was lighter. Now, I also am having extreme mood swings!

As I have looked into it and talked to the Doctors office there are a number of things that could be happening. 1. A high estrogen and /or low progesterone level, which would explain not being pregnant yet (I hate that the typical OBGYN wants you to wait a year!). 2. Just BAD PMS and an off cycle (doctor suggested Serofin - 2 weeks out from my next cycle). or 3. I could be pregnant - that would explain mood swings and lighter cycle (but, I refuse to test afraid to get my hopes up).

yari-love · Newbie Joined: 01 Apr 2007 Posts: 1

my period just left but before leaving when I went to the bathroom when I clean my self I had on the paper alot of brown discharge and after this my breast have been iching alot and swolen, tender also various dizzy spells and my belly button sometimes iches around it why is this can you tell me I spoke to a doctor and he says that I maybe pregnant can this be true he said to wait a week or two tod do the test. he said something about premenstration

Guest · Guest

Implantation bleeding is light. Decidual bleeding minics/like a period.
Once again different for each women. Cramps, discomforts this is
possible. NOT nesessarily light. Even some clots. While shedding PART
of the linning. Around the time your period is due/ usually couple of days late. Positive test may not show depending on the test, as early as 3-5 weeks after conception. Depending on the levels of hcg. Which rise every 2-3 days. Many say negative test are more often with decidual bleeding. Pregnancy symptoms are more likely after implantation, some may not experience OR even notice. Then you could go on to experience decidual bleeding + pregnancy symptoms. The only real answer anyone could give you is take the test or urin hpt/ gyn blood testing can detect very early in pregnancy. Common symptoms,fatigue/breast changes (first
pregnancy's more so) than if had previous pregnancies. Nausia anytime
of the day. Light headedness. Threre are soooo many other explinations for what may be going on.

.....brown discharge after your period is normal, very common.
This would be old blood. This could also happen just before you
start your period.

Periods & Pregnancy

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