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'm not trying to scrap it out. I think it's a bit from all columns, some women have periods which are so light that light bleeding in pregnancy is mistaken for a period, some women recognize the difference between the bleeding in a period and light bleeding in pregnancy but adopt familiar language like period to describe it, health advice in easily available, meant-for-the-public, places will accurately say that women don't have periods during pregnancy and not get into the small margins where women have period-like (probably not wanting to get on the sharp end of false reassurance) but medical literature does make space to talk about period-like bleeding but don't seem to get into the nitty-gritty of the quality and volume of the blood.

But an egg hasn't been released so even though you're bleeding it's not a period

My ‘normal’ periods are one day of changing a standard tampon three times and then maybe two days changing twice a day. Add to that being on the pill for 15 years before ttc and I was someone who bled two months at roughly the right time (the first two months I’d been off the pill) and assumed I wasn’t pregnant (no other symptoms…felt a bit queasy once in a minibus).

Well dd had regular bleeds for 6 months and she had negative pregnancy tests as well. She found out at 26 weeks when the GP felt her stomach at an appointment she had made to talk about feeling tired and generally unwell. She had been previously but because she had had regular bleeds and three negative tests (one at the GPs) neither she nor GP thought she was pregnant at that time.
She has light regular periods with no pain so she didn't have cause to consider that she might be pregnant because as far as she was concerned she was having regular periods and she had taken tests to prove she wasn't pregnant.
Looking back she can remember struggling with the smell of her co workers food a few times but co worker was new, food was pungent and so she hadn't thought it was something to consider a symptom.

I've often wondered this myself. Like you OP, I have very regular periods and am used to tracking them with Natural Cycles as contraception before ttc. So I don't think I could have not noticed it was a different type of bleeding if I became pregnant. I think all the examples in this thread are women who have irregular/light periods and/or are not tracking them. I can see how in these cases if you keep bleeding throughout pregnancy they could easily be mistaken as period blood.

But as others have pointed out, this is a matter of language: you can't have a period during pregnancy in its standard definition - shedding of the womb lining after progesterone rise signals an egg was not implanted there. But you can have period-like bleeding, as in bleeding intermittently from your vagina for a period of time.

It's a very interesting thing, thanks for asking OP.

A friend of mine has 4 children. The first she had no idea she was pregnant until after 6 months as her periods (or whatever you’d call regular monthly bleeding during pregnancy) never stopped. Her other three children she still had periods throughout, no change from normal, but recognised other pregnancy signs by about 3-4 months.
She always tested negative on tests as well, in case that means anything!

I also knew a woman who knew she was pregnant but due to an anterior placenta never felt baby kicks (she had to have weekly scans to monitor her baby’s health).
My cousin’s uterus faces inwards (?) so she never had a baby bump.

Between the three of them I can now understand that, whilst rare, it’s possible to be pregnant and not have a clue.

@ThorThumb My daughter, like your friend, had regular monthly bleeds and negative pregnancy tests as well. Indeed GP had previously agreed she wasn't pregnant when with the benefit of hindsight she undoubtedly was. I was quite envious tbh because I was floored by morning sickness throughout so was quite envious that she had got to 26 weeks without knowing.

I have suspected PCOS, blood test next week. My period once vanished for 3 months. Maybe these women are used to light and irregular periods, or missing months at a time?

I was aware I was pregnant, but I bled pretty much regularly around the same time as my period for months into my pregnancies. It's not that uncommon, they told me when I went in for scans that it wasn't.

But you still have to go for the scans each time as it could be miscarriage, obviously.

Interesting. And I imagine worrying.

Was it like a period, pads of blood over 3-5 days?

they tell you, you can’t get your period during ovulation either… but guess what… 🤷‍♀️ not everything they say is true.

my nan had her normal periods every month when she was expecting my aunt she was born healthy no probs shes now 54 it has happened a few times in our family my nan said she was the easiest baby she gave birth to she had 4.

Yep, although a bit lighter than usual. But lighter for me is probably normal for other people, I bleed heavily!

I've known two women who did.

They had both always had very irregular and light periods from the onset of menstruation. Maybe only two or three a year. They then had occasional light bleeding throughout pregnancy. Both preganancies produced healthy babies.

Well with first DS I had a 6 day bleed each month, in time with my usual period cycle, had the usual period type cramps. Pregnancy wasn't planned. I found out after several months when I was unwell.

DP didn't know she was pregnant until she went into labour. She was on the pill (which she obviously kept taking throughout the pregnancy), which made her have very light periods. Periodically she had what must have been normal pregnancy bleeding /spotting and she just chalked it up to being her period.

Believe me, we both wish that she'd noticed a change, we'd only been going out for 11 months when DD was born, it was a hell of an adjustment!

I did read an article after a female soldier gave birth in Afghanistan or Iraq essentially explaining how it is possible to have a baby without knowing you're pregnant. One of the reasons was if you don't think you can be pregnant you are less likely to connect the dots. Some women have very light or irregular periods. Travel and stress and other factors can affect your cycle. Movements can feel like your stomach working or indigestion.

I had period in my last pregnancy until I was 13 weeks. I'm not making it up OP. That is why I did not realise I was pregnant until 16-17 weeks. I never had periods in my first two pregnancies.

My Dsis's periods disappear if she's under any kind of stress - not just late or skip one month, but several. If she accidentally got pregnant during a time she was stressed, it would take her a while to think "hang on". Especially if it was then followed by a bleed or 2 like the ones I had with DS1 and DS2.

My mum bled monthly when she was having me the whole way through although they were much lighter. Didnt with my sister.

With eldest DS I bled until I was 6 months, which is why I didnt know I was pg until then (although it coincided with me getting an overnight fat tummy and feeling something in there which as a 17 yr old on the pill was something of a shock.

Never got it any subse

I didn’t have periods during pregnancy but had the hormonal cycle with pmt ie. greasy skin, spots. So I believe it’s possible to have periods

I had regular monthly bleeds for the first 6 months of my first pregnancy. Bang on time and the same duration and flow as a period. It didn't happen in subsequent pregnancies

I regularly miss a period and when I do have it, it lasts just 1-2 days. I could be pregnant and not notice.

I had bleeding when I would have had my periods all the way through pregnancy. Far lighter than my normal periods though.

I had an SCH. Bled at 7wks, 9wks and 11wks and also had imantation spotting. Had spotting with 2nd child too. The SCH bleeds were far more heavier than my periods, so if I didn't know I was pregnant i would have assumed they were periods.