Imagine this scenario – you had been expecting your period for a few days, and perhaps experienced some abdominal cramping. Then, right in line with your expectations, you notice the start of your menstrual flow. Only your bleeding does not increase in volume and stops almost immediately after it started. Was this a period at all? Or could you be pregnant? An unusually short “period” could indeed be an indication of pregnancy. It should really be referred to as early pregnancy spotting, though you won’t know that right away.
If the situation described above applies to you, our first advice for you is to simply take a pregnancy test. Light spotting that is not a period can mean a few things. One possibility is that you are experiencing an implantation bleeding that is a little late. This is especially likely for women who have irregular or longer than usual menstrual cycles. Another possibility is that you are not experiencing an implantation bleeding, but simply first trimester spotting. This is rather frequent, and can have a number of causes.
In irritated cervix is a common cause of early trimester spotting. If you have recently had intercourse, this is a likely culprit. But an ectopic pregnancy, a molar pregnancy, or a miscarriage are also possible reasons for bleeding in early pregnancy. If you are pregnant and spotting, don’t insert a tampon into your vagina, don’t have intercourse, and do contact your healthcare provider at the first opportunity. If your bleeding is extremely light and you are already experiencing other pregnancy symptoms like morning sickness, tender breasts, and extreme fatigue, it could well be a belated implantation bleeding. Please, don’t start panicking before you even know whether you are pregnant.
Have any of you had early pregnancy spotting? Do you know what the cause was, and how did it make you feel? Please feel free to share your stories!