It is believed that menstruation and pregnancy are two incompatible conditions of the female body, and conception during menstruation is excluded. In reality, everything is much more complicated, and both situations are possible in life. Menstruation during pregnancy - what are they, their causes and consequences? We will discuss these and other issues in this article.
Conception during menstruation
Contrary to the conventional wisdom of most women, fertilization during menstruation is not ruled out. Another question is on which day of the cycle the conception occurred. As a rule, the first days of menstruation are accompanied by unpleasant painful sensations and poor health, which is a common reason for refusing sexual intercourse. However, at the end of the bleeding, a new egg can be ripened in the woman’s body, ready for fertilization. Therefore, the probability of pregnancy during menstruation, more precisely, on the last day of menstruation or immediately after, exists.
In addition to the physiological characteristics of the female body, the possibility of conception during "these" days depends directly on the life expectancy of male germ cells. Their viability under favorable conditions in some cases lasts up to seven to nine days after sexual intercourse. Thus, in the presence of a mature egg in the woman’s body, conception can occur with some delay, because it is quite difficult to independently calculate the ovulation period. In addition, many women have an irregular monthly cycle, which at times complicates the task of determining favorable days for fertilization.
Due to the physiological characteristics of the organism of the future mother and father, conception of a child can occur on almost any day of the cycle. At the same time, a woman may not suspect fertilization, counting on natural contraception. In fact, menstrual bleeding cannot be considered a reliable way to protect against an unplanned pregnancy.
When determining the gestational age, gynecologists count from the start date of the last menstruation, while conception could occur immediately after the end of the bleeding. Based on the fact of the discrepancy between the estimated and the exact period of conception, the woman believes that the menstruation came already after the fertilization of the egg, seeing in this phenomenon disturbing symptoms.
Monthly after conception
Bleeding during pregnancy is a rare but possible occurrence. The situation may be complicated by the fact that menstruation misinforms the expectant mother about her current situation up to 3-4 months. At the same time, tests may show a negative result. In exceptional cases, spotting is observed throughout the gestation period. The nature of such periods for each woman is different. Consider the possible causes of menstrual bleeding during pregnancy.
Bleeding associated with embryo implantation
After the fusion of the female reproductive cell with the male sperm, the fertilized egg moves into the uterine cavity, where the future embryo must be firmly fixed on its wall. It is the process of attachment of a fertilized egg that often causes scarce spotting. As a rule, the volume of such secretions is insignificant (only a few drops of blood), but many women take the secretions found on linen for the beginning of menstruation. This process is considered natural and should not cause anxiety in a pregnant woman.
Months after fertilization
If conception occurred on one of the last days of the monthly cycle, menstrual bleeding can begin at a woman’s usual time. This phenomenon is explained by the presence in the woman’s body of another mature egg, which, together with the fertilized one, leaves the follicle and moves towards the male reproductive cell. However, the merger did not happen and the second cell died. Due to its breakdown, the body launched a monthly menstruation process. Thus, in the female body two eggs simultaneously coexist, one of which is fertilized, and the other dies, causing menstruation during pregnancy in the first month. As a rule, such a phenomenon is observed only once and is no longer repeated.
Hormonal changes
A serious hormonal imbalance, accompanied by a decrease in estrogen production and a progesterone deficiency, can cause menstruation during pregnancy in the early stages. The embryo has already begun to develop, while the female body has not yet had time to adapt to a new state and continues its usual way of life. In this case, menstruation during pregnancy in the early stages with a similar deviation may appear the first time after conception until the hormonal background of the woman is fully restored. In cases where bleeding does not stop at a later date and proceeds simultaneously with the growth and development of the embryo, a woman needs medical treatment aimed at eliminating hormonal imbalances in the body.
Ectopic pregnancy
Improper attachment of a fertilized egg causes heavy painful bleeding, leading to the death of the embryo. After fusion with the male reproductive cell, the egg should be implanted, that is, fixed on the wall of the uterus. If, for certain reasons, a fertilized egg could not reach the uterus, it attaches to the wall of the fallopian tube. As a result of the growth of the ovum, the fallopian tube ruptures. This condition requires urgent medical attention and inevitably ends with the death of the embryo. An ectopic pregnancy is not uncommon (in about one in sixty women who become pregnant). Bleeding with such a pathology occurs suddenly and is accompanied by severe pain, sometimes with loss of consciousness.
Non-developing (frozen) pregnancy
The causes of embryo death in this pathology can be any deviations: from hormonal failure to infectious diseases and genetic disorders of the female body. Fetal rejection (spontaneous abortion) is preceded by pain and spotting, similar to menstruation during pregnancy, which forces the woman to seek advice from a gynecologist. According to the observations of experts, the risk of fading of fetal development falls to a greater extent for a period of four and eight weeks, as well as in the interval between the eleventh and eighteenth weeks.
Placental abruption
Detachment of the placenta before a period determined by nature is accompanied by vascular damage and bleeding that is noticeable enough for a pregnant woman. Such a process requires emergency medical intervention, which consists in the medical treatment of a woman, if the process can still be stopped, preserving the life of the embryo. In severe cases, the fetus dies. Such periods during pregnancy are one of the clear signs of placental abruption. However, in some cases, bleeding can be hidden (inside the body).
Other reasons
Infections in the cervical region diagnosed in a pregnant woman endometriosis can also be accompanied by characteristic spotting.
Did your period come during pregnancy? In some cases, the cause may be a deviation in the structure of the uterus, the so-called saddle-shaped or two-horned uterus.
In addition, if a woman has a multiple pregnancy, the death of one fetus causes spontaneous bleeding followed by a miscarriage, while a viable embryo continues to grow and develop.
The nature of the discharge
Depending on the intensity, duration, color and consistency of spotting, one can judge the presence or absence of the threat of termination of pregnancy.
During pregnancy, there are periods, but such manifestations can not be considered a normal condition. Any suspicious discharge during the period of gestation is the reason for careful observation and additional examination.
Often expectant mothers, especially in the early stages, are concerned about the question, can there be periods during pregnancy? Due to hormonal disorders, menstruation can indeed continue simultaneously with the development of the embryo. The nature of such secretions vaguely resembles the monthly bleeding that every woman is accustomed to, but the intensity and duration may vary. As a rule, menstruation during pregnancy is more scarce and stops faster than before conception. Such discharge does not represent a real threat to the life and health of the mother and child. Nevertheless, they require certain treatment and constant medical supervision.
Absolutely not fit into the previous concept of menstruation during pregnancy, abundant discharge of bright scarlet color, coupled with severe cramping pain. In such cases, we are not talking about the usual monthly discharge, but about the risk of miscarriage that carries a miscarriage. If bleeding begins suddenly, accompanied by abdominal pain and a significant deterioration in the well-being of a pregnant woman, it is urgent to seek medical help. This condition may indicate a threat of miscarriage.
Unpredictable bleeding after conception in almost a hundred percent of cases portends the likelihood of fetal death. The exception to this terrible rule is only the monthly, continuing throughout the gestation period until the birth of the baby.
Bleeding as a sign of the threat of fetal death
As a rule, menstruation during pregnancy, abdominal pain is the first sign that forces a woman to see a doctor. Moreover, not every of the reasons for the appearance of such secretions is manifested explicitly.
For example, the presence of a pathology such as premature detachment of the placenta in a certain number of pregnant women proceeds in a latent form and can only be diagnosed by an experienced specialist. A similar condition is usually accompanied by spotting, however, in some cases, bleeding may be internal. If pathology is not detected in time, the death of the mother may follow the death of the fetus.
That is why it is important to pay attention to any changes in your well-being, for example, pain, as with menstruation, during pregnancy. In this condition, you can not tolerate or try to remove unpleasant sensations with the help of medications. Contacting a specialist is required.
It is impossible to save an ectopic pregnancy. With such a pathology, it is important to recognize the threat to the life of the mother in time. Bleeding during an ectopic pregnancy is usually scarce, but the pathology has a number of other symptoms that indicate abnormalities in the female body. Most often, such a symptom is regular abdominal pain. Often, even a gynecologist’s consultation does not shed light on the nature of such symptoms until the woman’s condition becomes critical.
Frozen pregnancy, too, for a long time may not give itself away. Blinded by the happiness of upcoming motherhood, a woman often does not even notice such signs as: a sharp disappearance of symptoms of toxicosis, a decrease in basal temperature, and a lack of sensation of breast engorgement. And only the appearance of bloody discharge on linen makes a woman urgently see a doctor. Moreover, in the early stages of pregnancy, by nature, such discharge is very scarce and does not have a pronounced scarlet shade.
An assessment of the possible causes of bleeding during pregnancy allows us to make the only correct conclusion: menstruation and pregnancy are a sign of abnormality. Despite the fact that the development of pregnancy in rare cases is compatible with the process of menstrual bleeding, it is difficult to call this phenomenon normal. Even if the cause of menstruation is a violation of hormone production, this condition requires specific drug treatment.
Conclusion
Do menstruation go during pregnancy? The answer is obvious, in exceptional cases they have a place to be. If you are among pregnant women who have experienced menstruation during pregnancy, you should not rely on the experience of other women who have successfully endured and gave birth to a healthy baby in the presence of similar deviations. Each organism is individual in its physical development, any anxiety states in different women may indicate individual health problems. Therefore, with the appearance of menstruation after conception, do not hesitate to seek the advice of a gynecologist.