Can You Get A Full Period And Still Be Pregnant

Can You Get Your Period While Pregnant

Can you get pregnant while on your period? – Pandia Health

A period will not be the cause of any bleeding during pregnancy.

When a woman is pregnant, she does not continue to ovulate and will not have a period. Menstruation only occurs when a person is not pregnant.

Although it is possible for women to experience some bleeding during pregnancy, this will not be due to their menstrual cycle.

Some women also do not have any periods while breast-feeding. However, they may still begin to ovulate again soon after giving birth. Therefore, doctors may recommend some form of birth control while a woman is breast-feeding if she does not wish to get pregnant.

The menstrual cycle occurs to facilitate pregnancy. The cycle begins on the first day of a persons period and ends on the first day of the following period.

Ovulation, when the ovary releases an egg, occurs midway through the cycle.

An egg is only viable for about 1224 hours after a woman ovulates. If sperm cells are present and able to fertilize the egg, the egg will implant itself in the uterus, resulting in pregnancy.

If there is no fertilization, menstruation will occur, and the body will shed the uterine lining so that it can begin making a new one for the next cycle.

How Common Is Period

This epidemiological study looked at the pregnancies of 4,539 women and found that 27% of women without miscarriage reported experiencing some form of bleeding during pregnancy. The most common time for bleeding to occur was 5 8 weeks of gestation .

Of those women:

  • About 15% experienced bleeding at the same time as their next expected period.
  • Only 2% experienced a heavy flow that lasted 3 or more days and could be mistaken for a regular period.
  • No women experienced bleeding episodes that followed their regular monthly cycle, including typical period length and heaviness.

Implantation Bleeding Could Be Mistaken For A Light Period

Many women also mistake implantation bleeding for a period while pregnant. Following the same example above, if you often have a light period, and had spotting on day 23, you might mistake that spotting as your period a day or two early.

Bleeding varies from woman to woman, but a heavy flow is almost never implantation bleeding. You can read a full article or try our quiz on telling the difference between implantation and your period here.

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Why You May Experience Bleeding While Pregnant

There are many reasons why you may experience bleeding while pregnant, with causes ranging from minor to urgent. Bleeding very early on may occur when the pregnancy implants in the uterus, says Kate White, MD, MPH, OB/GYN, author of Your Guide to Miscarriage and Pregnancy Loss. Known as implantation bleeding, this can often seem very similar to a period, especially due to the timing. This bleeding may be lighter than a period but often occurs around the same time that you would menstruate, approximately 10 to 14 days after conception, says Dr. Roskin.

Related: These Are the 25 Best Foods to Eat When Youre Trying to Get Pregnant

Why You Can’t Have A Period While Pregnant

How to Know if You

A true period is blood loss that occurs at the end of a menstrual cycle as a result of your egg not being fertilized by sperm. When an egg goes unfertilized, hormonesthe ones that control the release of the egg into your fallopian tubes and cause your womb lining to thickendrop in levels at the end of the month. Your womb lining then disintegrates and is shed in what we commonly refer to as a period.

If you’re pregnant, an egg has already been fertilized and is growing as an embryo within the walls of your uterus. Since your womb lining is not being discarded at the end of each month, you no longer have a period. This is why one of the early signs of pregnancy is a missed period.

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Why Can’t You Technically Have A Period When You’re Pregnant

Throughout the month, your body prepares for pregnancy. It does this by building up the endometrium, or uterine lining. If you become pregnant, this lining serves to help nourish the fertilized egg at the very early stages of pregnancy. If you don’t become pregnant, your body sheds the endometrium, via your period. Therefore, it’s impossible to be pregnant and have a period, because you don’t shed your endometrium while pregnant.

Exercise Or Lack Of Body Fat

You may be an athlete who is neither over- nor underweight . However, its not your weight that really impacts your reproductive cycleits the amount of fat.

Athletes may have a high percentage of muscle and a low percentage of body fat. This can cause their menstrual cycles to be irregular or even stop completely. Excessive exercise can also cause your periods to become irregular or stop.

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An Introduction To Pregnancy And The Menstrual Cycle

You might be wondering what happens to your menstrual cycle when you fall pregnant. For most women their periods stop, but for some, they continue to bleed throughout the pregnancy. I discuss why this can happen and whats going on with your hormones during this time.

Some women can have irregular or missed periods and then wonder if they are pregnant. Although missing a period is often an indication that you are indeed pregnant, this isnt always the case and it can mean something else is going on.

I talk about some of the symptoms of pregnancy compared to those of normal menstrual periods, I describe what goes on with your menstrual cycle during pregnancy and how you can influence your chances of falling pregnant.

In Some Cases Bleeding During Pregnancy Can Be A Sign Of A Serious Issue So If You’re Not Sure What’s Causing It Definitely Check In With Your Doctor

Did You Know You Can Be Pregnant And Still Get Your Period?

As SELF reported previously, if your bleeding is particularly heavy, comes with abdominal pain, or lasts for more than a few days, that’s a sign something more serious may be going on. You might be experiencing an ectopic pregnancy or a miscarriage.

According to the Mayo Clinic, you should tell your doctor at your next regular appointment if you have any light spotting that goes away within a day. But if you have bleeding that lasts for more than a day, you should contact them within 24 hours. And if you pass any tissue from your vagina, experience moderate to heavy bleeding, or have bleeding along with abdominal pain, chills, or cramping, you should get in touch with them immediately. But, again, many cases of bleeding during early pregnancy aren’t serious.

And, on the other hand, if you’re not sure if you’re pregnant and notice youre having a period that comes at a weird time, isn’t as heavy as usual, doesnt last as long as usual, and comes with any other pregnancy symptoms, its worth taking a test, just in case.

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Vaginal Bleeding During Pregnancy

Although you cant have an actual period while pregnant, you can experience vaginal bleedingwhich is often mistaken for a period. Bleeding in pregnancy may be dark brown discharge, spotting light pink, or heavy and bright red similar to or more than a period, says Dr. Steve Rad, MD, FACOG, of the Los Angeles Fetal & Maternal Care Center. It may or may not be accompanied by pain, but painless bleeding can still be equally dangerous!

Feeling Sick During Pregnancy

You may feel sick or be sick. This is commonly known as morning sickness, but it can happen at any time of the day or night.

Morning sickness symptoms usually start when youre around 4-6 weeks pregnant

If you’re being sick all the time and cannot keep anything down, see a GP.

You may have hyperemesis gravidarum, a serious condition in pregnancy that causes severe vomiting and needs treatment.

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My Pregnancy Test Is Positive But Im Bleeding Whats Going On

If youve just done a pregnancy test and its a BFP , but youre experiencing a light bit of bleeding, its likely to be totally normal, so try not to fret.

Light spotting after a positive pregnancy test can be implantation bleeding.

If youre experiencing something that looks like heavy period-like bleeding during early pregnancy, contact your doctor as soon as you can.

What Causes You To Have A Period During Pregnancy

Can You Be Pregnant and Still Have a Period?

While a period during pregnancy is not a period at all, bleeding may occur.

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Early pregnancy bleeding in particular can lead to a whole lot of confusion about whether youre actually pregnant after all.

So why does having a period while pregnant occur? Lets take a look at some of the possible reasons.

Some causes for bleeding like a period during early pregnancy are:

Read Also: 90 Day Probationary Period Form

Can A Girl Get Pregnant Right After Her Period Ends

Can a girl get pregnant when she’s just gotten over her period? Katherine*

Yes! Having unprotected sex at any time is risky and can result in pregnancy. Sometimes the time when a girl is most likely to become pregnant can happen within a few days of when your period ends. Also, sperm can fertilize an egg for 72 hours after ejaculation.

Having unprotected sex at any time is very risky a girl can even get pregnant if she has sex during her period. Along with the chance of becoming pregnant, there is also the risk of getting a sexually transmitted disease , such as chlamydia, genital warts, or HIV.

The only surefire way to prevent pregnancy and STDs is abstinence . If you do have sex, use a condom every time to protect against unplanned pregnancy and STDs. And talk to your doctor about additional forms of contraception.

*Names have been changed to protect user privacy.

Pregnancy With A Period: Is It Possible

While some people may experience intermittent vaginal bleeding while they are pregnant, it isnt possible to have a period. Menstruation only takes place in the absence of pregnancy.

Each month, ovulation occurs when your ovary releases an egg to be fertilized by the sperm. The uterine lining thickens in anticipation of a fertilized egg being implanted, which then results in pregnancy. If an egg isnt fertilized and implanted, both the egg and the uterine lining are shed through the vagina as menstrual blood.

So, can you have a period while youre pregnant? The short answer is no. Since you dont ovulate or release an egg during pregnancy, you will not get your monthly period.

Recommended Reading: 90 Day Probationary Period Template

What If You Have A 28

The average menstrual cycle is 28 days, with the first day of menstruation as cycle day 1.

Most periods last two to seven days. Pregnancy is uncommon during this time, because your peak fertility window is still about a week or so away.

Around days 6 to 14 of your cycle, your body will start releasing follicle-stimulating hormone .

This helps develop an egg inside your ovary. Your body will also begin rebuilding the endometrial lining in your uterus.

Pregnancy is slightly more likely during this time. Sperm can live up to five days inside the body, so it could still be present when the egg matures.

Once the egg is mature, your body will release lutenizing hormone , triggering the eggs release from your ovary .

Ovulation usually occurs around cycle day 14. Pregnancy is likely on ovulation day.

That said, ovulation doesnt always happen like clockwork. It can occur anywhere from four days before to four days after the midpoint of your menstrual cycle.

The bottom Line

If you ovulate later in your cycle or start your period sooner than usual, you could become pregnant if you have sex in the days leading up to your period.

Lots of people dont have 28-day cycles. Some have cycles as short as 21 days and others as long as 35 days.

In fact, in one study , only about 30 percent of participants had their fertile window fall within days 10 to 17 of their cycle. Only 10 percent had ovulation fall exactly 14 days before their next period.

You can do this a number of ways, including:

Feel Better Using Rael Products

Can you be pregnant and still get your period? – Dr. Suhasini Inamdar

Trying to get pregnant, or trying to not become pregnant doesnt have to be a mystery. Knowing what your body is capable of doing and how pregnancy happens can help you feel confident about your period, when you have it, and what your flow means.

Using products to help keep you comfortable during your period can make your monthly routine smoother and worry-free. Keeping a ready supply of period care products on hand makes an emergency situation just another day.

Rael creates period care products that are incredibly effective and always holistic, so you can feel good about what your body does for you, and what you can do for your body.

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Can You Really Get Your Period While Pregnant

The short answer is no. Your period, by definition, only occurs after you ovulate, and you cannot ovulate when you are pregnant.

During the first half of your cycle, your uterine lining thickens in preparation for a possible pregnancy. After ovulation, your progesterone levels increase, maintaining your uterine lining.

If you dont get pregnant, progesterone levels drop after about two weeks, and your lining begins to shedthis is your period.

If the egg hasbeen fertilized, and if it successfully implants in your uterine lining, then it will start secreting the hormone hCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin. This hormone signals to your body to keep your uterine lining intact. You may still experience some form of bleeding or spotting, but, by definition, it is not your period.

Can Bleeding Indicate A Miscarriage

Not all bleeding in pregnancy is harmless, and it can be the first sign of a miscarriage. As many as 1 in 5 pregnancies are thought to end in miscarriage. The cause of miscarriage is not always known, but researchers have shown that in some cases there is a problem with the developing pregnancy, which means it is unable to develop normally. For most women, miscarriage is a very sad and upsetting experience.

Experiences of miscarriage vary. In some cases there may be only very slight spotting, in other cases bleeding may stop and start or heavier bleeding with clots and cramping period type pains can occur. Sometimes there may be no bleeding at all.

For further information relating to miscarriage, please ask your nurse for further details.

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