Many women who are anxiously trying to conceive may get discouraged and believe they may not be pregnant if they experience light spotting close to the date of their expected period. This light bleeding, however, may not be related to a woman’s period, but rather, implantation of a fertilized egg into the lining of the uterus.
What is implantation bleeding?
Implantation bleeding occurs after ovulation, usually within a week of the time a woman would have expected her next menstrual period. As a fertilized egg burrows into the lining of the uterus, it can cause a very small amount of blood or endometrial tissue to dislodge from the uterine wall and be subsequently expelled from the uterus through the cervical opening and vaginal canal; following the same path as menstrual blood.
What are the differences between menstrual blood and implantation bleeding?
Implantation bleeding is a very small amount of blood. It usually takes a few days for the blood resulting from implantation to reach the end of the vaginal canal and due to this, it is usually very deep red, brown, or even black in color. Implantation bleeding is usually very slight, a drop or two. Implantation bleeding should not be pink or bright red or have clumps or strands visible within it. Additionally, implantation bleeding should not increase in flow or heaviness, spotting relating to a period will.
Does implantation bleeding occur with every pregnancy?
Not every woman will experience implantation bleeding. Implantation bleeding occurs in roughly a third of all pregnant women. Implantation bleeding does not indicate that a pregnancy is healthy nor unhealthy and is fairly common among newly pregnant women.
How is implantation bleeding determined?
Implantation bleeding cannot be confirmed or diagnosed like many physical ailments, conditions and symptoms. The only way to differentiate implantation bleeding from spotting related to a menstrual period is to wait, and to take a pregnancy test. If the bleeding does not continue, a pregnancy test will be able to tell a woman if she is pregnant and if what she experienced was implantation bleeding. A pregnancy test is usually accurate by the date a woman should have had her next menstrual period, however, in some women, it may take longer for the hormone levels to be detectable on a pregnancy test.
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