Can a woman have her period while pregnant

It is not possible to have a true menstrual period during pregnancy. Your hormone levels during pregnancy will change to prevent you from menstruating, and it is not possible for your body to shed its entire uterine lining while maintaining a pregnancy.

It is, however, possible to have menstrual-like bleeding for a variety of reasons during pregnancy.

Decidual and Implantation Bleeding

Women who report having periods during an otherwise normal pregnancy are usually experiencing a phenomenon that is sometimes called ​decidual bleeding, in which a small part of the uterine lining might shed for the first few months of early pregnancy at the time that the woman would otherwise have had her period.

Decidual bleeding is not a true menstrual period, but it can look similar enough to cause women experiencing it to not realize that they are pregnant until fairly far along in the pregnancy.

Another possible explanation for having bleeding that looks like a period in very early pregnancy is implantation bleeding, which is spotting that may occur around the time of the first "missed" menstrual period. Implantation bleeding would occur only during the first month of pregnancy, however.

Note, however, that bleeding during pregnancy should always be reported to a doctor in order to rule out miscarriage or other complications. Decidual bleeding does occur in some women but is fairly rare. Implantation bleeding usually lasts only a day or two. So seeing a doctor is your best bet for ruling out miscarriage and figuring out the reason for your bleeding during pregnancy.

Note that "decidual bleeding" is not a common medical term; your doctor may simply refer to this bleeding as "first-trimester bleeding."

Causes of First-Trimester Bleeding

Bleeding during the first trimester is understandably dismaying. Fortunately, many women who bleed early on during pregnancy go on to deliver healthy babies. Nevertheless, it's scary to see blood while you're pregnant.

Here are some common causes of first-trimester bleeding:

• Cervical infection, growths in the cervix or inflamed cervix
• Ectopic pregnancy
• Implantation bleeding, which typically happens about 2 weeks after conception
• Miscarriage
• Molar pregnancy

Causes of Second or Third-Trimester Bleeding

Here are some possible causes of bleeding experienced later during pregnancy:

• Cervicitis
• Incompetent cervix, or premature opening of the cervix
• Miscarriage
• Placental abruption
• Preterm bleeding
• Uterine rupture

A little bit of bleeding can also occur at the very end of pregnancy and serve as a sign that you are about to deliver. This blood is often mixed with mucus and called bloody show.

When to Contact Your Doctor

Once again, many women who experience some bleeding during pregnancy go on to have uneventful births and normal babies. However, bleeding during pregnancy should be treated as a pressing concern.

You must immediately contact your OB-GYN as soon as you notice any bleeding during pregnancy. Furthermore, you must tell your physician whether bleeding during pregnancy is accompanied by any other worrisome symptoms, such as cramping, fever, contractions, or chills.

Please remember that your physician is there to help you in a compassionate and comprehensive manner and must know about all the issues that you're experiencing. Sometimes bleeding during pregnancy can be life-threatening for the mother and the baby.

By Krissi Danielsson
Krissi Danielsson, MD is a doctor of family medicine and an advocate for those who have experienced miscarriage. 

Thanks for your feedback!

Is it period while you’re pregnant, First of all,

• It is normal for around a third of pregnant women to experience spotting or light bleeding. This is not a period.
• When you become pregnant, you hormones will prevent ovulation and therefore you will not have periods.

Is it a myth that pregnant women don’t have periods?

In short, no!

You cannot get period while you’re pregnant.

Both your period and pregnancy cause fluctuations in hormones. Because both events can bring on their own unique set of challenges, it’s easy to wonder if you can expect to get your period—or something like it—while you’re pregnant.

About 25-30 percent of women will have light bleeding in pregnancy. These can be from various reasons including implantation bleeding, cervical issues, placenta abnormalities, ectopic pregnancies, and miscarriages. In general, you will not get your period while you are pregnant. There is a small percentage of women who could have longer-than-usual periods and may continue to bleed, but will also be ovulating at the same time. If this occurs, you could technically be pregnant while on your period. However, you would not typically know at this stage because it would be extremely early (as in 1-3 days) into your pregnancy.

With this exception, you will not get your period while you are pregnant. This is due to the fact that your body has a menstrual cycle when you have not conceived and when you do become pregnant, the hormone shift prevents ovulation and therefore any further periods.

What causes bleeding during pregnancy?

Many women experience bleeding when they are pregnant and can mistake this for a period. It is important to be aware of all the reasons you could experience vaginal bleeding while pregnant. Then notify your physician if you think your bleeding is cause for concern. Possible causes of bleeding include:

• Implantation Bleeding. This occurs when the fertilized egg implants in the uterus.
• Ectopic Pregnancy. This is a life-threatening event where a fertilized egg implants in another location instead of the uterus. The degree of bleeding can vary but is often accompanied by pain on the right or left side of your lower abdomen, dizziness, and lightheadedness.
• Miscarriage. A miscarriage or threatened miscarriage is a pregnancy that ends on its own without carrying to term. A miscarriage causes bleeding, which possibly has large blood clots in the blood. A woman will also experience uterine cramping.

Other times, you may experience some mild spotting with brown or light pink blood throughout your pregnancy. This bleeding is typically very light. This could be due to cervical irritation or infection. Talk with your physician immediately if the bleeding starts to worsen.

If you are pregnancy or think you might be pregnant and experience bleeding with pain, it is recommended to consult a healthcare professional immediately.

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Sources:

• American Pregnancy Association
• Am I Pregnant?
  Health
• MYTH: You Can’t Get Your Period During Your Pregnancy. KidsHealth https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/period-pregnancy.html
• Can You Still Have Your Period If You’re Pregnant?
  Parents
• Can You Be Pregnant and Still Get Your Period?

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