Can menstruation begin after conception?

The symptoms of early pregnancy are well known to many women, but one question that comes up frequently is whether or not menstruation can continue after conception. It can be confusing to understand the menstrual cycle and its fluctuations, particularly during pregnancy. To add to the uncertainty, some women report bleeding during the first trimester of pregnancy, which can feel like a regular period.

Navigating this stage of pregnancy requires knowing what causes bleeding after conception and whether it’s actually a period. Light bleeding or spotting can sometimes be confused for menstruation, but it can also be a sign of other bodily processes.

A healthy start to pregnancy depends on being able to distinguish between symptoms that are typical of pregnancy and those that need medical attention. This article dispels myths about menstruation during pregnancy and investigates the causes of bleeding after conception.

The mechanism of menstruation

You should have a solid understanding of how regular menstruation works in order to comprehend the core of the problem more fully. The uterus grows new membranes in the first half of the menstrual cycle, which thickens the endometrium inside it. A ready and mature egg exits the follicle on the ovaries and enters the fallopian tube during ovulation. Pregnancy will happen if a sperm meets an egg. The egg will die within 24 hours and enter the uterus if there isn’t a meeting of this kind.

• Menstruation
• Ovulation
• High probability of conception

14 days prior to the beginning of your menstrual cycle, or on the 14th day of a 28-day cycle, is when ovulation takes place. Since there is often variance from the average value, the computation is imprecise.

In addition to using the calendar method, you can check cervical mucus, measure your basal temperature, use special tests or mini-microscopes, and test for progesterone, estrogens, LH, and FSH.

Folliculometry (ultrasound) can undoubtedly be used to determine the day of ovulation.

1. Losos, Jonathan B.; Raven, Peter H.; Johnson, George B.; Singer, Susan R. Biology. New York: McGraw-Hill. pp. 1207-1209.
2. Campbell N. A., Reece J. B., Urry L. A. e. a. Biology. 9th ed. — Benjamin Cummings, 2011. — p. 1263
3. Tkachenko B. I., Brin V. B., Zakharov Yu. M., Nedospasov V. O., Pyatin V. F. Human physiology. Compendium / Ed. B. I. Tkachenko. — M.: GEOTAR-Media, 2009. — 496 p.
4. https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Овуляция

Menstrual bleeding is the body’s way of eliminating the uterine membranes that have grown during the cycle in the absence of pregnancy. If there is a pregnancy, everything is altered.

Changes in the body after conception

The woman’s body immediately begins a number of procedures intended to support the pregnancy after the sperm fertilizes the egg. When the hormonal backdrop shifts, high levels of progesterone start to be produced. This sex hormone causes the endometrium of the female reproductive organ to thicken and loosen in preparation for the fertilized egg’s impending implantation in the uterus. In order to prevent the immune system from unintentionally rejecting an embryo that is only 50% related to the female body, the hormone suppresses it. The other half of the child’s genetic makeup comes from the father.

The uterine muscles become relaxed by progesterone. The fertilized egg, or blastocyst, descends into the uterus and adheres to one of the walls, firmly touching the endometrium, approximately one week after fertilization. It essentially grows into the uterine wall. Human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG, starts to be produced at this point. This hormone causes the next menstrual cycle to be delayed, along with elevated progesterone levels.

For 38 weeks, the baby grows and develops inside the mother’s womb. Progesterone starts to drop closer to childbirth, and by the end of the first trimester of pregnancy, the level of hCG has peaked and is starting to decline. Actually, the labor process itself is caused by its decrease to a certain concentration.

For ninety-five percent of women, it goes like this. However, because they are on their period, some pregnant women might not realize that their situation is "interesting" for a while. And everything will only fall into place when the uterus grows and other symptoms appear.

Causes of menstruation after conception

It is very challenging to accept menstruation as a natural occurrence after conception. There is a common misconception that the so-called "washing of the fetus" is indicated by delayed menstruation. Such a phenomenon does occasionally occur to doctors, and it can be very challenging to explain.

However, this typically only occurs once, during the first trimester of pregnancy. Any bloody discharge in the future will be viewed as a possible pregnancy termination risk.

If a woman has a bicornuate uterus, mild bleeding that resembles menstruation may happen about two weeks after conception, or on time for the next menstrual cycle if two eggs were released from the follicle during ovulation and only one was fertilized. The following month, there shouldn’t be any more of this discharge.

In the event that the woman’s period started the day after or a few days after the pregnancy test revealed two stripes, this could mean that the fertilized egg was rejected or that a second, "unnecessary," dead egg was released. Numerous factors could be at play, such as endometriosis and other gynecological disorders, exposure to toxins, and chromosomal abnormalities of the embryo that prevented it from developing normally or growing at all.

A woman’s menstrual cycle malfunction could be the reason for her unplanned menstrual cycle after conception. It’s possible that incomplete implantation will result in menstruation if ovulation happened later than expected. Though it occurs infrequently, a woman should be prepared for this possibility.

But most of the time, a woman gets other, similarly bloody discharge for her menstruation. After fertilization, a woman may encounter this kind of discharge in specific circumstances.

Implantation

A woman may have mild serous or bloody "daubing" on the seventh or eighth day following ovulation. A week prior to the delay, it was the first indication of pregnancy, not pathology. The integrity of the endometrium is compromised during the fertilized egg’s implantation process, which may cause a small amount of blood or a yellowish discharge. Initially, a woman might confuse this occurrence for the early onset of menstruation, believing that the cycle had "failed."

But this "menstruation" ends abruptly the next day or the day after that. The woman is persuaded that she "definitely had a failure" as a result. Test strips, however, reveal two distinct, brilliant stripes after seven to ten days.

Not all women experience implantation bleeding, nor does it happen to them all. Many times, the expectant mother’s well-being is totally unaware of this delicate and subtle process.

Hormonal disorders

Hormone deficiency after conception can cause a discharge that resembles menstruation but is far more sparse and transient. Early-stage hemorrhage may be caused by low hCG levels, progesterone deficiency, and other metabolic disorders.

Remarkably, the primary risk associated with hormonal failure is not abnormal secretions per se; rather, it is the possibility of spontaneous pregnancy termination.

Medical care is guaranteed to a woman. The goal of treatment will be to restore the deficiency; hormonal therapy can help maintain pregnancy and spare the expectant mother from horrifying, bloody discharge.

Vaginal injury or cervix

Mucous membrane changes start almost immediately after fertilization. Pregnancy hormones cause them to loosen up and become more prone to injury, especially to blood vessels. Thus, it’s possible that the bloody discharge that developed following sex was caused by a mechanical injury to the sensitive mucous membranes. Increased discharge combined with a mildly excruciating pain syndrome may indicate a cervical injury.

Such injuries do not in any way indicate that a woman will not become pregnant. However, you shouldn’t object to a medical examination and advice. Following a mechanical injury, discharge is not permanent. The bloody discharge turns serous after a few hours and then goes away.

A miscarriage has begun

Lower abdominal pulling and cramps will accompany the bloody discharge if the fertilized egg has already started to peel off, has already died, or is still alive but already doomed. There will be obvious clots in the discharge.

A woman in this circumstance requires immediate medical attention. Severe inflammation and potentially fatal sepsis may arise if the uterus is unable to eliminate the fertilized egg remnants on its own.

Hydatidiform mole

A breach in its division may result from the fertilization of a substandard egg. Consequently, there is no formation of embryonic structures; instead, a hydatidiform mole, or clusters of grape-shaped cysts, is seen in the uterus. Because an egg without chromosomes is unable to produce any genetic material, only the paternal cells divide.

A woman with a hydatidiform mole should have cysts removed from her uterus as soon as possible through curettage, as this condition can be dangerous. A hydatidiform mole can show signs of severe toxicosis, or better yet, intoxication, from the very beginning, as well as a regular, menstrual-like bloody discharge.

It’s critical to realize that menstruation normally does not follow conception. Hormonal fluctuations or implantation bleeding are two more possible causes of bleeding that could be misinterpreted for menstruation.

It’s usually a good idea to speak with a healthcare professional if you experience any unexpected bleeding during the early stages of pregnancy. This helps rule out any potential complications and guarantees that everything is proceeding as it should.

A better understanding of your body and the early warning signs of pregnancy can allay fears. To ensure peace of mind, always get medical advice if something feels off.

After conception, menstruation usually does not occur because the body interrupts its normal cycle to support the pregnancy. In the early stages, some women may experience light spotting or bleeding, which can be misdiagnosed as menstruation. This is typically lighter and shorter than a typical menstrual cycle, and it is frequently caused by implantation or other changes in the body.

Video on the topic

HOW TO DETERMINE PREGNANCY BEFORE A DELAY | 10 signs of pregnancy immediately after conception

BLOOD IN EARLY PREGNANCY | Can there be menstruation in early pregnancy

Is pregnancy possible during menstruation? | Doctor Karina Grek

Why do periods occur after conception?

Menstruation during pregnancy: truth or myth? Menstruation during pregnancy?

Bleeding after intercourse ► What are the causes of bleeding after sex?