Healthy Habits: 3 Signs that you are experiencing implantation bleeding and not the start of your period

Implantation bleeding occurs in the early stages of pregnancy, several days after conception and nearing the beginning of a menstrual cycle. It is an indication that the egg has been fertilized and has started attaching onto the uterine wall lining. The uterine wall might be irritated and as a result shed off. The blood can leak causing spotting onto the underwear. Although it’s not always easy to notice, a woman might notice some bleeding or spotting which is different from the bleeding that occurs during menstruation. The percentage of blood discharged is small with a pinkish or brownish color.  

Implantation bleeding might occur before you test and confirm that you are pregnant. It becomes difficult to know whether it is just the normal menstruation or an early sign of pregnancy. Here are the signs that will enable you to differentiate the two.

1. Examine the color

Implantation bleeding or spotting is a little discharge. The discharge is lighter in color compared to the normal menstrual blood. Implantation bleeding can be pinkish or brown while menstrual blood is red and looks bright. Implantation blood can be light red in rare cases from immediate shedding of the inner lining. The brownish or pinkish color is because the blood is not fresh since it may have been stuck in the uterus for a while after the egg implantation. In most cases, the brownish blood produces a smell.

Since implantation blood takes time before flowing down the uterine wall and out through the vagina, it’s only in rare cases that the blood comes out with a red color similar to that of period blood. Due to the aging process, some women experience a dark brown discharge. The shedding of the inner lining is what causes a period if there is no embryo. The uterus lining thickens to support a baby during pregnancy.  The embryo attaches to the inner lining and in the process, small blood vessels in the lining can break and shed off down the cervix.

2. Observe the flow

Blood flow is the major difference between a normal period and implantation bleeding or spotting. Implantation bleeding is light and stays light during the entire period that you will bleed. Most women experience a light menstruation, which gets heavier. Heavy bleeding can either be a miscarriage or menstruation and is not associated with implantation. Normal period results in blood clots, which differ from implantation bleeding, which does not contain any blood clots.

3. Consistency

Blood flow from implantation and a normal period have different durations. Menstruation continues during the entire period lasting for about three to seven days with a heavy flow. Different women experience different durations in their menstrual cycle. Bleeding from implantation is a light flow that can take from a few hours to two to three days. Menstrual flow is continuous while bleeding from implantation comes and goes from one to two days.

Around 30% of women experience implantation bleeding. In worst cases where you experience heavy flow and excessive pain, get in touch with a doctor. Do a follow-up test with a doctor for more information about implantation bleeding and the overall state of your pregnancy.