Menstruation During Pregnancy: Misconception Or Truth?

Menstruation during pregnancy? Is this a misconception or truth? I have often heard women ask questions about this possibility. In fact some have reported to have ‘heard’ a case reported by another woman, maybe a friend or relative.

This article seeks to consider the likelihood of this occurrence and the main premise or assumption that drives this thought amongst most women.

Misconception or Truth?

By principle, menstruation during pregnancy is simply out of place. It is actually an oxymoron indeed. It is prudent however to really ‘never say never’ but some affirmations are necessary to guide our daily lives and avoid confusion.

The uprising of this question of menses during pregnancy is not really because it is a complex issue to understand. It is simply because by mouth-to-mouth women talk, it has gained some popularity amongst women and almost appears as though it is true. In fact what drives this is word of mouth that …’ some relative here or a friend there has reported having had her period during pregnancy”.

Not All Vaginal Bleeding Is Menses

The major error in this misconception is that proponents of this idea call any brief uterine bleeding “menses”. Even in a woman who is not pregnant, menses is not synonymous to vaginal bleeding. Menstrual bleed is a well-defined physiologic process resulting from known hormonal interactions. Menses is just one type of  bleeding through the vagina, which is not a disease!

The different types of uterine  bleeding result from different mechanisms. Pregnancy hormones make menses not to be possible. In fact the very presence of pregnancy abolishes menses. Why? The typical hormonal pattern during the menstrual cycle that results in menses cannot occur during pregnancy. Bleeding not caused by this known hormonal interplay is not menses, though still vaginal bleeding of another cause.

It is important to recognize this because any “menstrual-like” bleeding during pregnancy warrants medical attention. Mislabeling it menstruation may result in adverse outcomes. However, there are minor vaginal bleeding episodes that may occur during pregnancy.

Beware Of Bleeding During Pregnancy

Bleeding during pregnancy may have multiple causes. As a matter of fact, bleeding during pregnancy should not be taken lightly because of its potential   adverse impact on both the mother and the embryo or fetus.

The severity and likely causes of bleeding during pregnancy vary with the age of the pregnancy. One very common cause of vaginal bleeding that most women often mistake for menses during pregnancy is the mild 13th day bleeding from the implanted embryo during early pregnancy. Since it coincides with the date of expected menses  for most women with cycles about 27 to 30 days, it is very easy to take this for menstruation.

There are also known causes of  bleeding through the vagina, even intermittent bleeding such as placenta previa ( diagnosed in third trimester) which may be preceded by intermittent short periods of vaginal bleeding during the second trimester.

Therefore, a basic statement to retain is that ‘not all vaginal bleeding episode  is menstruation’. The very presence of a pregnancy physiologically makes it impossible for the hormonal process necessary for menstruation.  Normal menstruation is a precise physiologic process driven by a known interplay of hormones.

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