When a woman notices blood on her underwear, it is usually the sign that her menstrual period has begun. However, sometimes it may not be menstrual blood, but implantation bleeding.
Have you ever heard of implantation bleeding? Have you ever experienced it? How long does implantation bleeding last and how heavy is implantation bleeding? Can implantation bleeding be red?
In this article you will get the answers to these and similar questions. We will tell you what is implantation bleeding and how long it usually lasts. You will also find out something more about the implantation bleeding symptoms and how to know if you have implantation or menstrual bleeding.
What Is Implantation Bleeding?
Implantation bleeding is one of the first signs of pregnancy. Actually, it reveals the pregnancy even before you notice that your menstrual period is late. Implantation bleeding is actually the process in which a woman’s fertilized egg reaches to the uterus. At that moment small amount of blood may appear as implantation discharge.
If you want to understand implantation bleeding, you will have to understand what is happening during your cycle. In this period the uterus creates a lining that is made of blood and tissue and the fertilized egg is supposed to attach to it. But, if the egg is not fertilized, then it will be expelled from the body during the menstrual period. Also, the lining of the uterus will be expelled along with the fertilized egg.
It is also important to know when you can get pregnant. It is possible only during a period of ovulation and right after this period. If you have a normal menstrual cycle that lasts 30 days, the ovulation will happen between 13. and 16. day of your menstrual cycle. These days are the days of your biggest fertility. But, when the fertilized egg is created, it will not come to the uterus immediately. It will take some time ‘till it comes to the uterus of a woman.
Actually, the fertilized egg or embryo usually needs about 6-12 days to come to a woman’s uterus, so now it is clear why implantation bleeding usually happens 6-12 days after the formation of the embryo. It is usually a couple of days before the expected menstrual period, so many women think that this bleeding is the beginning of their menstruation.
Can Implantation Bleeding Be Heavy?
We can say that the term “bleeding” in this case is relative. A woman will probably notice only a few blood spots when she goes to the bathroom. These spots may be light pink or dark brown, but sometimes the bleeding color may also be yellowish and the spots may contain only a little of blood. All these colors are typical for old blood that takes time to be expelled from a woman’s body, as we have already explained above.
Along with the implantation spotting a woman may experience slight cramps in her lower abdomen. These cramps may be almost the same as menstrual cramps.
But, you should know that not all women experience implantation bleeding when they are pregnant. Of course, implantation occurs in every pregnancy, but the studies have shown that the implantation bleeding occurs only in 33% of pregnant women. There are women who don’t have any implantation bleeding while being pregnant. These women will only miss their menstrual period.
However, there are also women who don’t even notice these few drops of implantation bleeding. It especially occurs if a woman has irregular menstruations and if she doesn’t suspect that she is pregnant. Sometimes a woman may have only one spot on her underwear or on the toilet paper.
Implantation bleeding is a common symptom of early pregnancy, so in most cases there is no need to worry. You can relax and enjoy your pregnancy. Implantation bleeding actually helps you determine your early pregnancy.
But, if implementation bleeding lasts too long, it is not normal and it will be necessary to consult your doctor. Also, if you have nausea, dizziness and severe pain in your stomach, you should seek medical attention. Now you will see how long implantation bleeding lasts.
How Long Does Implantation Bleeding Last?
It is very important to know how long implantation bleeding lasts because if it lasts too long it may be the sign of some more serious problem.
The answer to the question how long does implantation bleeding lasts depends on a woman. You should know that each pregnancy is different, so the implantation bleeding time may also be different. As we have already said, if you have implantation bleeding you will see only a few drops of blood when you go to the bathroom.
Implantation bleeding lasts normally only a couple of hours. In most cases the implantation bleeding doesn’t last the whole day. However, the implantation blood may appear only once or maybe twice. Sometimes it can last 2 days and that’s why many women think that it is the beginning of their menstrual period. But, if you see the blood spotting for more than 2 days, then you may be worried.
How much blood you will see on the toilet paper depends on how much blood has been released in the egg fertilization. Also, it depends on how much time your body will need to expel the blood. Most women get rid of all the implantation blood only for a couple of hours. But, there are also some cases where implantation bleeding may last even 2 days.
If you think that you may be pregnant and if implantation bleeding lasts for more than 2 days, it would be best to seek medical help. If you have spotting that lasts for a couple of days, it can mean that you will have your menstrual period soon.
But, if you have painful cramps and if your implantation bleeding is increased, then you may have a problem. It may be a miscarriage or the so called estopic pregnancy.
How To Know If It Is Implantation Bleeding?
As we have already said, if you notice a few drops of blood when you go to the bathroom, it does not necessarily mean that you are pregnant. It may be only menstrual blood. Women with heavy menstrual bleeding will suspect that something weird is happening if they notice spotting right before their regular menstruation. But, there are also women who start their periods only with spots. So, how can you be sure if it is implantation bleeding or period?
If you want to know whether you have implantation bleeding or it is just the first day of your period, it is important to know your own body and to track your normal menstrual cycles. As we have already said, implantation bleeding usually appears a week before your expected period.
If you don’t feel like getting a period and if you had sex without protection, then you may have implantation bleeding.
If you are not sure whether you have implantation bleeding or it is just the beginning of your menstrual period, we recommend you to do a pregnancy test. It would be best to take the first urine in the morning. But, you should know that pregnancy test will not give you the real results if you do it too early.
It is considered that a pregnancy test should be done at least 10 days or two weeks after the day of the fertilization of the egg. If you do it earlier, it may be negative, even though you are pregnant. In this case you should repeat the test after a couple of days or to do hCG blood test.
But, there are also cases when a woman may have spotting and she may miss her period, but she is not pregnant. What does it mean? What are possible causes of spotting and missed menstrual period? When does spotting occur?
Well, one of the most common reasons may be a hormonal imbalance in a woman’s body. Also, weight loss can cause a woman to miss her period and to have spotting. Another cause may be birth control pills or thyroid issues, which can lead to a hormone imbalance in the body. Some studies have also shown that stress may affect a woman’s menstrual period and cause it to be irregular.
If you notice any spotting and if it is not yet the time to have a menstruation, then it may be the sign of a pregnancy. We recommend you to visit your doctor to make sure that you are pregnant. Regardless of whether you want to be pregnant or not, it is always best to know it earlier.
Summary
You have seen in this article that implantation bleeding is one of the first symptoms of pregnancy. It lasts only a couple of hours but in some rare cases implantation bleeding may last even 2 days. If the bleeding lasts for more than 2 days, you will need to seek medical help.
Implantation bleeding doesn’t occur in every woman who is pregnant. If you have implantation bleeding, you will notice only a few drops of blood when you go to the bathroom. These drops will not be red, but pinkish or brownish. Implantation bleeding is usually followed by the cramps in stomach.
As we have already said, implantation bleeding usually occurs 6-12 days after the fertilization of the egg or approximately a week before the expected period. If you are lucky enough to experience implantation bleeding, then you will be able to determine your pregnancy in its early stage.
We hope this article has been useful for you. We are sure that now it will be much easier for you to determine whether you are pregnant or not. Also, we hope you will not ignore the spotting if it appears several days before the expected period. As you have seen, it may be the sign of your pregnancy. To make sure that you are pregnant it is best to consult your doctor as soon as you notice any bleeding before your menstrual period.
Although implantation bleeding is a sign of a healthy pregnancy, you should not be worried if you don’t experience this bleeding. As we have already said, not all pregnancies have implantation bleeding, so it is best to consult your doctor and to be sure that your pregnancy is healthy.
