Can a woman be pregnant and still have a period?

Pregnant women can have some light irregular bleeding during pregnancy, but it should not be like
a normal period. Some women can confuse this for their period because often it can come right
around the time she was expecting her normal period. The irregular bleeding or spotting that can
occur during pregnancy is often a dark brown color or a light pinkish. t should not be enough
bleeding to fill pads or tampons over a few days. f you are bleeding enough to fill pads and
tampons, then this would be a good indication that you are not pregnant.
What if I have a positive pregnancy test and then start bleeding?
!bout "#$%&' of pregnant women experience some type of spotting or bleeding in early pregnancy.
This can be a result of many different factors including implantation bleeding, infection, cervical
irritation, ectopic pregnancy or a threatened miscarriage. (any women who have this light bleeding
go on to have normal pregnancies and healthy babies. !bout half of the women who experience
some light bleeding will go on to have heavier bleeding that will ultimately result in miscarriage.
)nfortunately there is no way to predict whether or not vaginal bleeding will progress to
miscarriage. f you experience light bleeding that continues to get heavier, accompanied by painful
cramping, back pain or stabbing pains, then you would want to seek medical attention right away.
f you experience some very slight spotting that then goes away, you would want to make sure to
share this with your healthcare provider so that they are fully informed of everything you are
experiencing in your pregnancy.
What if I have symptoms of pregnancy but then have a heavy period?
f you are having some weird symptoms that made you think you may be pregnant, but then have
heavy bleeding, you may want to see a healthcare provider to find out what is going on. This could
be caused by a hormonal imbalance, an infection, or a possible miscarriage. *ut the only way to
know for sure is by seeking medical care.
What if I notice some cramping and I am pregnant?
Pregnant women can have some light cramping early in pregnancy. The cramping is often like light
menstrual cramps through the lower abdomen or on one side or the other. The cramping is often a
result of all the changes that are occurring in the uterus. The uterus is experiencing change as the
implanted egg begins to grow and develop.
Some light cramping may also be from the small cyst that can develop on the ovary at ovulation
called the corpus luteum cyst. ! small cyst forms in the spot on the ovary where the egg pops out
before making its +ourney to the uterus. This cyst then produces progesterone until the placenta has
formed enough to begin producing its own progesterone. This small cyst can cause some discomfort
for women in early pregnancy.
Can the exact date of conception be determined accurately?
(any women have ,uestions about the date of possible conception, and unfortunately figuring this
out is not always so easy. The assumption is that if a woman has pretty regular menstrual cycles,
then she will be ovulating during a certain time of the month. -vulation is the time when
conception can take place because that is when an egg is made available. The problem is that most
women do not ovulate on an exact date each month, and many women have a different ovulation
day from month to month. f you also take into account that sperm can live in the body %$# days
after intercourse has taken place, this can make figuring out conception very difficult. (ost doctors
use the first day of the last period ./(P0 and ultrasound measurements to gage the gestational age
of a baby and determine when the baby was conceived. *ut these are +ust tools used to estimate the
dates1it is very hard for anything to tell what the exact date of conception really is. (ost people do
not reali2e that ultrasounds can be off up to #$3 days in early pregnancy and up to a couple weeks
off if the first ultrasounds are done farther into the second trimester or beyond. 4ue dates are not an
accurate tool for determining conception since they also are only an estimation date .only #' of
women give birth on their due dates0.
f you are seeking the estimated date of conception for paternity reasons, and intercourse with two
different partners took place within 5& days of each other, we strongly encourage that paternity
testing be done6 this testing can be done during pregnancy and after the baby is born. t is the only
way to accurately know who the father is.
If I have a negative pregnancy test after I have missed my period, does that mean I am not
pregnant?
! negative result can mean that you are not pregnant, you took the test too early, or you took the
test wrong. Pregnancy tests vary in their sensitivity .how soon they can detect the hormone h780,
and you may not have given your body enough time to produce enough h78 hormones that will
show up on the test. !lso, if you let a test sit for too long .after the instructions on the box tell you0,
the test is invalid. t is best to follow the instructions and wait until you have missed a period before
taking the test. Some women show up accurately on a test the day they miss a period, while others
may not show up positive until %$9 weeks after a missed period. :e encourage women to test after
a missed period6 if the result is negative they should wait a week and test again if a normal period
has not started.