On some occasions we wait (or not) for the arrival of the period and we find a blood loss that has nothing to do with it: implantation bleeding. It is common to confuse one with the other, although there are distinctions between them that will allow you to differentiate it.
As you know, menstruation is the result of an unfertilized ovum and appears approximately every 28 days. It means that you are not pregnant, quite the opposite of implantation bleeding. In this case, it is a blood loss that occurs when, when the embryo is implanted in the uterus, some uterine vessels break.
Undoubtedly, each woman experiences pregnancy differently and implantation bleeding does not occur every time. However, it is something that happens to approximately 29% of women. It can lead to confusion so if you think it has happened to you, don’t worry! We are going to explain why it happens and what characteristics it has.
Implantation bleeding or menstruation: how to differentiate them
As we have told you, there are some differences between the period and implantation bleeding that can make you distinguish one from the other. Unlike menstruation, which is usually bright red and heavy, implantation bleeding is more of a light or dark brown color and is often much sparser. If you have abundant rules these two features will help you distinguish one from the other.
In addition, implantation bleeding appears around 6-10 days after implantation and the duration is much more limited, from a few hours to two days, while the period lasts an average of 5-6 days.
Not knowing if this is the beginning of the pregnancy or one more menstruation can cause you stress and nerves, but you should try to calm down and listen to your body. It’s fundamental. You also need to observe if there are other symptoms of pregnancy such as nausea, much more sleep than normal or increased breast tenderness. If you are not sure if you are, it is best that 10 days after ovulating, you take a pregnancy test to clear up any doubts.
And what happens if you are pregnant? Don’t worry! Implantation bleeding is completely normal although it only occurs in 1 in 4 women. This means that your body is preparing to hold a baby for the next few months. However, you must be careful because if this bleeding is accompanied by another series of symptoms such as severe abdominal pain, cramps, dizziness or vomiting, it could be a sign that something is not quite right. In this case, it is essential that you go to your gynecologist as soon as possible.
As you can see, you must take into account four fundamental details when differentiating between menstruation and implantation bleeding:
- The moment in which it appears: it is possible that your period comes before you, but are you usually very punctual? Has he been ahead of you more than once? With these answers we can begin to direct where the answer is going.
- How is the bleeding? The period usually appears lightly, then goes heavily on the central days and then gradually disappears again. Implantation bleeding will not follow this pattern.
- Appearance: implantation bleeding is usually a different color from the period, we do not see red blood, but it is much lighter, more discontinuous and scarce.
- How long does it last? Along with the other characteristics above, the duration of this bleeding is essential. From 1 to 3 days we would be facing implantation bleeding.
If after this it turns out that you are pregnant, it is good that you tell your doctor that you suffered implantation bleeding so that he is informed.
