Research-backed
Image: Shutterstock
Have you and your partner/spouse been trying to get into the family way for some time? Are you expecting it to happen any time soon? Or maybe, the case is that you’re experiencing pregnancy symptoms and at the same time, you find that you’re bleeding down there! “What is going on?” you wonder. And you’re probably right if you are confused.
The only method to get rid of this confusion is to take a pregnancy test. Can you take a pregnancy test while on your period? Yes, you most certainly can (1). The home kits test for a particular hormone in your urine which would only be present if you were pregnant. And this hormone is HCG or Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (2). Not only is it present in your urine, but you’ll find that it’s in your blood too. That’s why you don’t have to worry whether you’re bleeding or not.
Essentially, if you follow the instructions on the pregnancy kit, then you should get an accurate answer to the question that’s been plaguing your mind. If you get a negative result, better luck next time. But if the result is positive, it means that the bleeding isn’t of menstrual nature.
If you wish to know the cause of your bleeding, three of the most obvious reasons are listed below:
Menstrual Bleeding
Image: Shutterstock
Menstrual bleeding means that your reproductive system is entering into a new menstrual cycle. This means that there is no way you could possibly be pregnant. The pregnancy test that you took should probably reflect the same. Those pregnancy signals you thought you had? You probably never had them, or they were false signals. They were just probably a part of your PMS stage. The easiest way to find out is to simply wait for a few days. If the bleeding gets heavier with time and continues, then it’s probably just your usual menstrual cycle.
Implantation Bleeding
Image: Shutterstock
The first step after fertilization is for the fertilized egg to attach itself to the wall of the uterus. This could cause some discomfort with light bleeding and mild cramps. This is known as spotting. This kind of bleeding is also called implantation bleeding. Around 30% of pregnancies experience implantation bleeding; so if this happens to you, know that you are not alone. Women tend to ignore the bleeding as they think it’s menstrual but the fact remains that because the pregnancy test was positive, it isn’t menstrual blood. It’s shorter and lighter than menstrual bleeding and could last for up to four or five days. Everything is fine and you have nothing to be concerned about (3).
A Miscarriage
Image: Shutterstock
Unfortunately, bleeding can be a bad sign at times. In some cases, it could mean a loss of pregnancy. If you’ve been having the usual pregnancy symptoms like mood swings, nausea, fatigue, and then you suddenly start to experience an increasing amount of bleeding with a lot of abdominal pain, then you might have been pregnant up until now, but have suffered a miscarriage. The pregnancy result will show that you are pregnant but you no longer can be. Visit your healthcare provider immediately.
To sum up, only if you’re actually menstruating will the pregnancy test show that you aren’t pregnant. Otherwise, bleeding can be caused by an unfortunate miscarriage or implantation. Regardless of what is happening down there, you need to visit your doctor as soon as possible and get things checked. For one thing, the home pregnancy test only checks for the HCG hormone and is not definitive. The doctor can do a simple blood test that can confirm a pregnancy.
If you’re feeling pregnant, don’t hesitate to take a test. It’s better to know earlier than later. Early detection of pregnancy can be very useful. And remember, bleeding down there is not always a bad thing. Good luck!
