To wonder about women who claim to have had their periods throughout pregnancy

[Nordicrain]

Something I read got me wondering...

It's clear you can't have a period in pregnancy biologically. And all online information say you might have some bleeding and spotting. But then, anecdontally, some women claim that they had regular bleeding that was just like their periods.

Did these women always have light/ irregular periods? Or is it possible? The contrast in what seems biologically possible and what women is experience has me a little confused!

I've known several women who continued to have periods while they were pregnant. That was not my experience, but that doesn't mean it wasn't theirs. I've never really felt the need to try to disprove their claims. 🤷‍♀️ Sometimes we just have to accept that other people's experiences can be different from our own.

Not sure what you mean re moon bumps.

Look I am not doubting women - I was just curious as to what the circusmtances were. Like i said, if irregular and light anyway, I can see why it would be described that way and that is consistent with information on it, but if women are having regular bleeds over several days why is information adament that that can't happen.

Urgh 🙄 not trying to disprove anything. Just curious really. And, as I said, wondering if it just perhaps is the literature and medical profession denying what women say they are experiencing.

I don't know, but my periods fired up again, back on a regular 5 days in 28day schedule, the moment he was born despite breastfeeding exclusively on demand and him gaining a gazillion pounds. 🤷 I had hoped for at least a ten week hiatus which is typically described as the accepted minimum. And this was true across all three of my children.

My mum had this with third child so didn't occur to her that she was pregnant she wasn't showing, wasn't sick, so just cracked on with two young children. She was nearly six months when she had an inkling.

I was 20 weeks when my BIL asked if I was pregnant because my hips looked wider. I scoffed but made an appointment with GP. This was my second child.

I was 20 weeks when my BIL asked if I was pregnant because my hips looked wider.

😁 That was brave.

I find these stories so interesting. Did you have regular bleeding?

I am prone to bloating and sometimes have twitches in my stomach (gas I assume) which feels exactly like early kicks. But I also have very regular periods which tells me I am not pregnant. It's just quite crazy to think that that could be wrong (I mean in my case it's not or I would be about 4 years pregnant by now!!). The whole thing is fascinating.

On this point I definitely agree.

I mean, obviously it's different for everyone, but I always took this to mean literal spots - 1cm ish max, or a pink wipe that went away after the first one.

When I went to hospital at 8 weeks pregnant I was asked all sorts of condescending questions and snipped at by the doctor because I "hadn't filled a pad yet" - even though I was bleeding and passed a 2cm clot.

Had I had cramps? Yes, light cramps.
But not so bad as you had to take medication? No.

Well how the fuck am I supposed to know exactly what specific degree of cramps and bleeding I am supposed to have before I bother you? The midwife told me to come (after telling me to call the EPAU who also weren't interested), so I came.

I had bleeding that aligned with my period for the first couple of months. Had I not known I was pg Iwould have assumed I wasn’t.

I don't think you're wrong to wonder OP. Period talk is typically taboo so you grow up only really knowing your own experiences and nothing else. I also can't comprehend how someone can think they're having a period through pregnancy, but that's because my period is heavy I guess, the sort of bleeding of if it happened during pregnancy I doubt all would be ok. But I guess some women must just have lighter periods and could easily mistake irregular within the realms of normal bleeding during pregnancy for their periods. If I had a medium - light flow for a period one month I'd wonder wtf was wrong with my body it's so foreign to me. Envious of those who don't have heavy periods though!

I’d forgotten about this part too! First time round there was a whole chapter in thr book about if your period came back after birth and you were exclusively breastfeeding you were deathly ill (I’m paraphrasing) but nope everytime there’s my flipping regular period despite producing like a Friesian cow. Again impossible but I’m guessing cause despite 5 billion possible case studies “they” understand the broad strokes so that’s enough.

Spotting was a lot more blood than I expected - only had it in first pg and my periods at time were horrific every month so I didn't mistake it.

Only person I know who had period like bleeding was a teen younger sibling was friends with - very irregular periods to start with and heavy denial till bump emerged- not without course parents threw her out immediately.

I had a two day period with my son.

Normal heaviness, painkillers, just short.

Only tested when I fell asleep at tea time and wondered why my period had been so short.

Had a full and normal period with my last pregnancy. Painkillers for a week, the lot. Had a funny feeling when I had no ovulation signs. Was six weeks pregnant so the period should never have happened. Was ectopic.

What information are you reading?

Have you tried Google Scholar?
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=period+like+bleeding+durring+pregnancy&oq=period+like+bleeding+durring+preg

Well not scholar articles :) but will have a look at them

I had bleeds (spotting) up until about 28 weeks. Shit the life out of me everytime, but they did happen around about the time my periods would have been due. It's strange !!

My periods are very light, just 2-3 days of spotting. So if I spotted during pregnancy at the time my period was due, I can see why I might think it was a period.

Took a look - they still talk about women reporting to have menstrual like bleeding in pregnancy. Apaprently this can happen in about 1 in 300-600 pregnancies. But I guess it still depends what "menstrual like" bleeding is for the individul woman.

Other than journals, this is the sort of thing I am talking about:

Well I’ve been pregnant and not known, right up until I was in labour, it was preterm so my little one didn’t make it.

Looking back in the several months before falling pregnant I had been having somewhat irregular but extremely heavy periods with cramping and clots, so went to the GP who referred me for bloods and scan to check. Scan shown an ovarian cyst and doctor diagnosed PCOS which comes with irregular periods as the norm and at 39 suggested I was perhaps peri menopausal. I will have fallen pregnant the month after that scan appointment. I remembered having some bleeding at Christmas and then light spotting some weeks after then in February I lost my boy. I would never had thought I could be pregnant and not know, especially since I had 3 children already and so well versed in pregnancy and symptoms etc.

It could very nearly have happened again as a couple of months after my loss I had some unusual bleeding. Luckily I had confided in a friend who urged me to get it checked out, I was very reluctant to go as the last thing I wanted was to go to hospital after losing my son there. I assumed the bleeding was down to complications from my loss but instead got the news that I was 7 weeks along with twins!! The bleeding continued, had a very big bleed at 8 weeks (so much I was convinced I had lost them) that continued for days, then another bleed at 15/16 weeks. Honestly if that friend hadn’t pushed me to go to the hospital to get checked I do wonder with all the bleeding how long it would have taken me to consider the fact I may be pregnant.

It does happen, in the pregnancy I lost I didn’t have a bump or really any obvious symptoms though looking back I realise I was eating more and was tired a lot. With the twins I really didn’t get much in the way if symptoms until around 10 weeks when the nausea struck big time and then after that I was ridiculously tired and my bump appeared at around 18 weeks.

I am now sterilised and I STILL worry about being miraculously pregnant and not knowing so I keep a pack of cheapie pregnancy tests in the cupboard.

I suspect its an area that hasn't been very researched! I know one person who didn't know she was pregnant until she was 8 months because she had periods. I've not asked for detail - it's very possible she was irregular still as she was fairly young when it happened (about 19 I think?)

Because the medical definition of a period rules out the possibility of pregnancy. Which is why those attempting to be accurate about it will say period-like bleeding.

I bled throughout the first trimester. I have regular periods but if you were not regular I’m certain what I had could be mistook for a period.

Yes I do realise that. But it's very subjective. If you have 2-3 days of spotting every 40-60 days then menstrual like bleeding could easily be the same as normal pregnancy spotting. So that I totally get. I don't really get the confusion with the more traditional period - so either the women who report it have light irregular periods OR the medical profession/ more main stream information isn't recognising it can happen.

You can bleed throughout and mistake it for a period. How you would know it isn't is beyond me.

My monthly period is 3 days spotting pretty much. Only change pads or tampons for cleanliness. When I was pregnant the first 2 months I spotted in the exact same way. I knew I was pregnant though as actively taking tests due to TTC.

I had pretty light periods and had a bleed in line with periods until I was 5 months pregnant - I know it's not a period but it wasn't any different to one. I didn't know I was pregnant until just after 5 months and didn't have another bleed.