If you are expecting your first baby and notice some blood stains on your underclothes, you should have heard about implantation bleeding.
Implantation bleeding is a light blood discharge from the vagina that happens in some women 10–14 days after conceiving a baby. You may just think it is a light period, but it is an early sign of pregnancy.
Some women confuse it with spotting and menstruation– as the two look similar. After a sperm fertilizes your egg, the combination becomes an embryo which travels to the uterus where it implants itself into the lining.
How is implantation bleeding different from other types?
Signs and symptoms of implantation bleeding include blood that is brown or pinkish, lighter in flow and that does not last long as your period; fatigue, headache, food cravings, and peeing more than usual. Unlike most periods, the bleeding usually stops after one or two days.
Other causes of bleeding during pregnancy may be caused by sex during pregnancy, fibroids and polyps, cervical problems and ectopic pregnancy.
Implantation bleeding is a normal sign of pregnancy and therefore doesn’t require any medical attention. It is therefore good to note that it will stop on its own.
However, if you are worried about the bleeding, call your doctor, they may want to know how much blood you saw and what color it was.
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