periods and pregnancy

[rufinahellcat.livejournal.com]

I made a post not that long ago saying that I had missed my period, and we all pretty much blamed it on stress.

I decided to not take a test and just wait it out, and I started my period today.

My question is this-

I know you can get your period and still be pregnant, but how likely is it?

sorry if this has already been answered a million times before.

Comments

[macabre.livejournal.com]

Technically, it's just bleeding women get when being pregnant, not an actual period. I believe I've heard from very rare cases of women who have two uteri (uteruses?) which have periods.

But it's not terribly common, and the bleeding is not usually very heavy.

[melodic-lyrics.livejournal.com]

Agreed. Some women experience decidual bleeding during their pregnancy, but as you said, it's not a full-on period.

OP - if you are still concerned about being pregnant, take a test to ease your mind. :)

[archangelbeth]

I believe that I once found a website which suggests 1/3rd of women experience decidual bleeding (it's very pedantic to insist on the term, but you get much better information out of Google if you get pedantic at it) -- the harmless, period-mimicking vaginal bleeding that some women get.

And which I got, confusing me horribly. O:> Here I was, bleeding -- but having nausea, a fever, and a positive pregnancy test! Say what? How can I be pregnant if I'm bleeding? Yeah, my mom forgot to mention a few things. O:p

In my experience, it was a much lighter, spottier bleed than normal -- but I had had other light, spotty bleeds that year without any pregnancies. (We'd deliberately dispensed with all contraception that year.)

My mother, on the other hand, says she wasn't sure she was pregnant with me till I started kicking; decidual bleeding may well be genetic, to some extent, and the heaviness varies. I've read anecdotal accounts of even normal seeming bleeds for some women. Considering what the usual, official description of decidual bleeding is, most women will probably find it lighter than a usual period.

Decidual bleeding is supposed to confine itself to the first trimester, which mine mostly did; I've read anecdotal accounts of "it lasted the whole pregnancy." Again, since the official sites favor the "first trimester" option, that's likely the most common.

So, I go digging around on Google to see if I'm right in my memory. O:>

"Bleeding is especially common in the first trimester and about 30% of pregnant women experience bleeding during this time."
--http://www.coolbl.com/2008/07/07/how-to-understand-womens-periods-during-pregnancy/

Okay, 30% is a bit less than a third, but I was close. O:>

(As that page notes, it is difficult to impossible to tell whether vaginal bleeding during pregnancy is harmless-to-the-pregnancy decidual bleeding, or bleeding that heralds a miscarriage. It's best to get it checked by the doctor if it goes on more than a few spots for a day or so, to find out which it is.)

Anyway, if you have a lighter, spottier period than usual, and a reasonable suspicion of possible pregnancy, I'd take a test. (By the time you hit decidual bleeding, it's a "missed period" -- it would usually have enough hCG to register on a pee-test.) If you have a normally-heavy period, and the risk of pregnancy was low, I'd take it as a period and not worry about it. (Though if you are worried -- no harm in taking a pregnancy test! Dollar Tree is reputed to carry decent, inexpensive ones, if you're in the US.)

Luck!

[rufinahellcat.livejournal.com]

this bleeding is pretty heavy and came on like a normal period, not to mention the excruciating cramps that I wasn't having when I posted my question.

thank you so much for answering my question, though. I wasn't sure if it was going to start or just keep spotting. It started, so I'm not really worried anymore.

[archangelbeth]

I hope I was entertaining and helpful, and I'm glad that you've got a normal period now! (If it gets tooo heavy -- such as bleeding through a pad in an hour or less, or passing golf-ball sized clots -- then call a doctor ASAP. O;> )

I hope all goes well, and that the painkiller of your choice nails the cramps. (I hate my cramps!)