Can I be pregnant and still have my period?
Pregnant women may have light,
irregular bleeding during pregnancy, but it shouldn't feel like
"normal" periods. Some women may confuse this with menstruation, as
it often happens just at the time they were expecting a normal period.
Irregular bleeding or spotting
that can occur during pregnancy is often dark brown or light pink in color.
Bleeding should not be enough to fill pads or tampons for several days. If you
have enough blood to fill sanitary pads and tampons, this is a good sign that
you are probably not pregnant.
What happens if I have a positive pregnancy test and start bleeding?
About 25-30% of pregnant women
experience spotting or bleeding during early pregnancy. This can be the result
of many different factors, including implantation bleeding, infection, cervical
irritation, ectopic pregnancy, or miscarriage.
Many women who experience this
light bleeding have normal pregnancies and healthy children. About half of
women with little bleeding will have more heavy bleeding, which will eventually
lead to a miscarriage.
Unfortunately, it is
impossible to predict whether vaginal bleeding will develop into a miscarriage.
If you have light bleeding that continues to increase, accompanied by painful
spasms, back pain, or shooting pains, you should contact your doctor
immediately.
If you experience very light
bleeding that then goes away, be sure to let your doctor know so that he or she
is fully informed about everything you go through during your pregnancy.
What if I have pregnancy symptoms followed by heavy periods?
If you have symptoms that
could indicate pregnancy and make you think you are pregnant but then bleed
heavily, you may want to see your doctor as soon as possible. It can be caused
by a hormonal imbalance, an infection, or a possible miscarriage.
What should I do if I notice cramps during pregnancy?
Pregnant women may experience
mild cramps early in pregnancy. Cramps often feel like mild menstrual cramps in
the lower abdomen or on one side or the other. This is often the result of all
the changes that take place in the uterus as the implanted egg begins to grow
and develop. Also during ovulation, a cyst, called a corpus luteum cyst, can
develop on the ovary.
This cyst forms where the egg
leaves the ovary before entering the uterus. It then produces progesterone
until the placenta is formed enough to start producing its own progesterone.
The cyst can cause some discomfort to women in early pregnancy.
Is it possible to accurately determine the exact date of conception?
Many women wonder about the
possible date of conception and, unfortunately, it is not always easy to find
out. It is assumed that if a woman has a fairly regular menstrual cycle, she
will ovulate at a certain time of the month.
Ovulation is the point at
which conception can occur as an egg becomes available. The problem is that
most women don't ovulate on a specific day of each month, and many women have a
different day of ovulation from month to month.
If we also take into account
that spermatozoa can live in the body for 3-5 days after intercourse, this can
make it very difficult to determine conception.
Most doctors use the first day
of the last menstrual period and ultrasound measurements to estimate the baby's
gestational age and determine when the baby was conceived. But these are just
tools used to estimate dates - it is very difficult for anyone to say what the
exact date of conception is.
What most people don't realize
is that an ultrasound can be canceled for up to 5-7 days in early pregnancy and
up to a few weeks if the first ultrasound is done later, in the second
trimester or later.
Due dates are not an accurate
tool for determining conception as they are also only approximate dates (only
5% of women give birth at their due date). If you are researching an estimated
date of conception for paternity reasons and intercourse with two different
partners took place within 10 days of each other, we strongly recommend that
you perform a paternity test; this test can be done during pregnancy and after
the baby is born. It's the only way to know for sure who the father is.
If I have a negative pregnancy test after a missed period, does that mean I'm not pregnant?
A negative result may mean
that you are not pregnant, have taken the test too early, or have taken the
test incorrectly. Pregnancy tests vary in their sensitivity (when they can
detect the hCG hormone), and you may not have given your body enough time to
produce enough of the hCG hormones that the test will detect.
Also, if you leave the test
for too long (after the instructions on the box), the test will be invalid.
It's best to follow the instructions and wait until your period has passed
before taking the test. Some women will definitely come for a test on the day
of their missed period, while others may not test positive until 3-4 weeks
after their missed period.
We encourage women to get tested after a missed period; if the result is negative, you should wait a week and repeat the test if normal menstruation has not begun.