All About... Implantation Bleeding!

Implantation bleeding… a phrase you may have heard of, or read about, maybe even experienced! But what is it?

An implantation bleed occurs when a fertilised egg attaches to the lining of your uterus. As the zygote (fertilised egg) burrows in and attaches to your blood supply, this can cause mild bleeding.

Symptoms

It can honestly vary from woman to woman. Generally, it occurs before your expected period although some women (myself being one of them) experience it when a period is due, and mistake it for a light period!

The typical signs are as follows…

Brown or pink stained discharge/spotting – rarely bright red.
Lighter than a period would usually be although again this can vary.
No clots present.
Cramping, but far less intense than a menstruation cramp.
Shorter duration than a period – again, this can vary. Some sources state 3 days at most, but mine lasted a week and I know other mums who’ve had long implantation bleeds.
Feeling like you’re about to start a period.

How common is it?

1 in 3 pregnant mamas experience implantation bleeding!

I think that I’m having implantation bleeding – when should I test?

It can take time for the HCG to build up to a detectable level once implantation happens. Depending on your own individual cycle and when you ovulated, you may get a positive with an FRER within a few days of the bleed starting, or you may need to wait a week for your BFP (Big Fat Positive)!

Either way, spending a fortune testing straight away with Clear Blue Digital isn’t advisable as these need 50 MiU of HCG to register as positive. HCG doubles every 36-48 hours, so you could be waiting a while for a positive on a digital test!