Is It Possible to Have Periods During Pregnancy?
It can be very worrisome to have periods during pregnancy. It can make you wonder what is really happening with your body and if you and your baby are still safe. But the truth is that it is not uncommon to have some resemblances to your menstrual cycle even when you are pregnant. That makes women wonder even more if everything is okay or not.
During the first trimester it is not unusual to discover that you are bleeding some. Actually, about one tenth of pregnant women will experience some bleeding. However, it can still be very shocking because you are not really expecting it while you are carrying your child. It is important to know what conditions should alert you to call your doctor.
When the baby has been growing just a few short weeks, usually right about the time you would normally expect your period, many women have some spotting, or light bleeding. It usually means that your hormone levels are changing and have not had time to reach the level where they prevent the womb from releasing blood. Most of the time, if you are still in the first trimester, and your doctor has confirmed that you are indeed pregnant, then usually it is just a little residual bleeding and everything is probably fine. But if you are worried because you are having periods during pregnancy, or if you have other symptoms which are listed below, you should call your doctor to rule out any other possibilities.
There are a few symptoms that merit an immediate call to your physician:
• If you are bleeding more than just a few small drops of blood that is bright red
• When the bleeding is heavy and bright red cal the doctor immediately and rest. The problem can be that the placenta is pulling away from the lining of the womb – try to lie down and rest and do not move around if you can.
• If you begin to experience moderate to severe pain in the abdomen, or in the lower back area, and are bleeding call the physician.
• If you pass brown blood you should call the doctor as this is a sign of a possible tubal pregnancy.
Even when there is some bleeding, you are not having periods during pregnancy. A menstrual cycle occurs because an egg is not fertilized and the lining of the womb breaks down. The bleeding symptoms can be mistaken for menstrual cycle, but are normally only residual bleeding. You may also have a polyp in the cervix which is not serious. Bleeding can also be caused by sexual intercourse. And sometimes, it can be because you have a vaginal infection. And if you get pregnant while you are taking birth control pills it can cause what appears to be menstrual bleeding.
If you begin having what appear to be periods during pregnancy, call your doctor. It is probably not a serious condition, but it is always best to check with the doctor to make sure there is nothing serious going on.