Last Updated on 24/11/2023 by Steve Wanjie
The question is:
Can you be pregnant and still menstruate?
The answer is a big NO. It is not possible to have a period while still pregnant.
What is a monthly Period?
Menstruation, otherwise known as monthly periods, is vaginal bleeding occurring during your monthly cycle.
What is pregnancy?
Pregnancy is a state of being pregnant. Pregnancy is the period between conception and delivery of a baby. It is the period a fetus develops inside your uterus (womb) for nine months.
What is the issue (or misconceptions) between pregnancy and menstruation?
It is confusion between your periods and other causes of vaginal bleeding during pregnancy.
7 causes of vaginal bleeding during pregnancy:
- Spotting
- Implantation bleeding
- Miscarriage
- ectopic pregnancy
- Sexual intercourse
- Cervical examination
- Placenta implants close to the cervical opening
– Spotting
Spotting while pregnant may look like having a period.
*The confusion between spotting and a period explanation.
What is spotting?
Vaginal bleeding while you are pregnant is known as spotting.
Therefore, spotting is light vaginal bleeding during early pregnancy mostly. Spotting appears as little drops of blood on your panty.
The difference:
Spotting is light vaginal bleeding in pregnancy, while menstruation is heavy bleeding without being pregnant.
– Implantation bleeding
What is implantation bleeding?
Implantation bleeding is light bleeding occuring between the 10th and 14th day after conception (egg fertilization.)
Implantation bleeding happens as the fertilized egg attaches to the thick blood rich lining in your uterus.
You might confuse implantation bleeding to delayed monthly period because you aren’t aware of your pregnancy yet.
Most women experience it, though some ladies don’t notice the bleeding.
– Miscarriage
What is miscarriage?
A miscarriage is a pregnancy loss. A miscarriage will cause vaginal bleeding. Unlike monthly periods, bleeding caused by miscarriage may go on for weeks.
Miscarriage may feel like menstruation. Some women confuse it with periods as a result.
– Ectopic pregnancy
What is ectopic pregnancy?
Ectopic pregnancy is pregnancy occuring outsite of your womb. It happens when a fertilized egg embed itself in one of your fallopian tubes (instead of your uterus.)
Why does ectopic pregnancy causing vaginal bleeding?
The fallopian tubes will burst (rupture) when the fertilized egg develop. The result is heavy vaginal bleeding that is life threatening to the would be mother.
– Sexual intercourse
Why does Sexual intercourse cause vaginal bleeding during pregnancy?
a) Your super sensitive cervix gets bruised during deep penetration
b) If your vagina is dry, it could lead to vginal wall tears during penetration resulting in bleeding.
– Cervical examination
Why does Cervical examination cause vaginal bleeding during pregnancy?
When pregnant, your cervix becomes highly sensitive to touch due to increased hormones.
While carrying out a cervical examination, a doctor will penetrate your vagina and touch the cervix with examination tools.
Evidence that you can’t be pregnant and still menstruate in Kenya?
a) You can’t have your monthly periods while pregnant evidence.
Each month, your uterus prepares to conceive a baby (or for pregnancy.)
How does your uterus get ready for a baby?
The uterus grows a lining rich in thick blood to receive and host (embed) a fertilized egg.
When you conceive:
Your uterus retains the thick blood-rich lining. The thick blood-rich lining becomes the home of your fetus (baby.) Thus, you will not menstruate that month because your uterus didn’t shed any blood.
When you don’t conceive:
Your uterus sheds (or expels) the thick blood-rich lining via the cervix and, eventually, the vagina to start a fresh monthly cycle.
b) When you are pregnant, your uterus stops preparing for conception.
Your uterus grows the thick blood-rich lining in preparation for a fertilized egg.
A uterus that is not preparing for conception has no blood to shed in the form of a monthly period.
When pregnant, your ovaries stop releasing eggs for fertilization because a baby is developing in your womb.
Thus, if the ovaries are not releasing eggs during your pregnancy, the uterus stops preparing for conception.
Therefore, you can’t have periods during pregnancy because your uterus stopped growing the thick blood-rich lining.
Fact to remember:
The thick blood-rich lining ( in your uterus) forms your monthly periods.
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REFERENCE:
Steve Wanjie is a digital marketing specialist, SEO Expert, expert article writer, blogger, sex educationist, and businessman. He is the founder of Dijito Marketing and Laikipo.com. He works and lives in Nairobi Kenya.
