Generality
False menstruation is a low blood loss that can occur at the beginning of pregnancy, about ten days after conception.
The phenomenon is related to the rupture of some small blood vessel of the endometrium, during the nesting in the uterus of the fertilized egg. Compared to actual menstruation, these blood losses are generally darker in color and have a more limited duration. If the bleeding becomes abundant or unusual for other reasons, it is advisable to contact your gynecologist to understand the causes and decide, if necessary, how to intervene.
What are
False menstruation: what are they?
False menstruation is small vaginal blood loss that occurs in the early stage of pregnancy and, for this reason, can be confused with the appearance of the usual flow.
Unlike the actual menstruation, however, the false ones come with some blood droplets, so the losses are small . The false menstruation is also distinguished by the color - usually darker and tending to brown, but can also be pink or reddish - and the more limited duration .
These droplets of blood are found in some cases, after about one or two weeks after the fertilization of the egg (just when menstrual losses are expected), when the embryo begins its process of nesting in the endometrium, ie the inner lining uterus.
False menstruation: synonyms
False menstruation can also be referred to as:
- Losses from implantation (or spotting from embryo implantation);
- Losses from nesting;
- Catamenial losses (so called because of their tendency to last no more than a couple of days);
- Pregnancy with cycle.
Causes
The false menstruation is indicative of the embryo nesting in the uterine wall (endometrium). Their manifestation does not indicate anything of concern, as the loss of a few drops of blood is absolutely normal and physiological at the beginning of pregnancy.
Escaping blood could be caused by:
- Small ruptures of some blood vessels in the uterus ;
- Slight traumas of cervical tissues that are changing to accommodate the fetus.
How and when can a pregnancy begin?
Conception takes place after sexual intercourse, when the spermatozoa, rising up the uterus, reach the mature egg cell, released from the ovary during ovulation and available for fertilization. The fertilized egg is transported by the movement of the ciliate cells of the tube in the direction of the uterine cavity, where it lurks in the endometrium, ie the internal mucosa of the uterus, approximately 6-7 days after unprotected intercourse (therefore around on the 21st day of a regular 28-day menstrual cycle, if fertilization took place on the fourteenth day). At this point, the production of the chorionic gonadotropin also begins, whose "beta" subunit is important for the functioning of the pregnancy test.
The period in which it is possible for the egg to be fertilized starts 4-5 days before ovulation and ends 1-2 days later. This is possible in view of the fact that the mature egg cell, when it is expelled from the ovary, manages to survive for about 24 hours, while the spermatozoa can remain viable in the female genital apparatus for up to 72-96 hours. Therefore, unprotected sexual intercourse even 3 or 4 days before ovulation can lead to fertilization.
False Menses: what do they depend on?
False menstruation can occur in the first weeks of gestation, due to the implantation of the fertilized egg in the uterus, a physiological event that causes the rupture of some small blood vessels. The invasion of the endometrial cavity by the blastocyst, in fact, causes a lesion of the local tissues and blood vessels, which produces a small blood loss . The blood that does not penetrate into the gaps of the endometrium, pours into the uterine cavity, making false menstruation evident.
The origin of the false menstruation is, therefore, entirely physiological (benign), since it depends on the implantation of the egg in the uterus . This phase is very important: once nested, the embryo will create the right environment to reproduce and develop during the nine months of gestation .
At pregnancy that has just begun, a minor blood loss can also happen for other causes, such as the rupture of capillaries in the cervix (this organ is in fact richer in blood during the months of waiting) after sexual intercourse.
False Menses: Can they depend on pathological causes?
In general, blood losses during pregnancy should never be underestimated, as they could signal the presence of pathologies capable of compromising the evolution of the same gestation. It should be noted that, in the event of a threat of abortion or spontaneous termination of pregnancy, bleeding is rather abundant and preceded and / or accompanied by severe pain in the lower quadrants of the abdomen.
Repeated episodes of brown leaks, similar to false menstruation, can also be an indication of an ectopic pregnancy . Even in these cases, however, the cramping pains and the extent of the bleeding usually allow a correct diagnosis, right from the early stages.
False menstruation can be related to using the morning-after pill . Other times, these losses depend on the possible presence of uterine cysts or possible other disorders of the internal physiology of the female genital apparatus.
For some characteristics, then, false menstruation can be similar to intermenstrual spotting, that is to say slight losses that can occur even for reasons independent of pregnancy (eg transient hormonal imbalances, vaginal, cervical or uterine inflammations or infections).
Symptoms and Complications
False menses are very light vaginal bleeding, which can occur at the beginning of pregnancy. Like other early disturbances of conception, not all pregnant women manifest this symptom.
Characteristics of False Menses: how do they recognize themselves and what differentiates them from menstrual losses?
False menstruation is a minor blood loss.
Compared to menstrual flow, these present:
- More limited duration : false menstruation can be irregular (that is, they do not occur with a specific periodicity) or occur only for a limited number of days (approximately two or three);
- Red almost pinkish or brownish : the spilling of blood that characterizes false menstruation is scarce; during the actual menstruation, instead, the flow is abundant and of an intense red color. In plant losses, the color comes close to a red to brown. On some occasions, false menstruation can be limited to pinkish mucous secretions; rarely, instead, they appear bright red. Usually, the more the false menstruation is clear, the more recent the fertilized egg has been nested.
Sometimes, false menstruation is associated with abdominal cramp pain that is generally milder than with ordinary menstrual flow. The consistency of the losses is, however, similar; only in some cases, the blood of false menstruation will be decidedly more fluid, viscous and less dense due to the absence of clots and residues within it.
False Menses: when do they occur?
If present, false menstruation appears about four weeks after the last menstruation. For this reason, implant losses can be confused with actual menstrual flow. It should however be reiterated that the extent of blood loss and any cramps associated with false menstruation are not of an amount comparable to that of actual menstruation.
False Menstruation: how long do they last?
Another difference that makes it possible to understand whether blood loss does not depend on the menstrual cycle can be found in the duration.
False menstruation occurs for a period ranging from a few hours to a couple of days. If the color gets darker and the flow does not decrease, it probably means that it is menstruation.
Symptoms associated with False Menses
In some cases, false menstruation can manifest with some symptoms, not particularly painful or bothersome, such as small uterine contractions often confused with those of premenstrual syndrome. Other times, the losses can be totally asymptomatic.
False menstruation is one of the symptoms of the first weeks of pregnancy, so it can occur in combination with other disorders typical of this period, such as:
- Feeling vague discomfort;
- Menstrual delay (absence of menstruation on the expected days);
- Soreness and increased breast volume;
- Nipple color change;
- Pollakiuria (more frequent urination to urinate);
- Nausea and vomit;
- Stomach pain or bloated sensation;
- Backache;
- Fatigue and greater desire to sleep;
- Mood swings (irritability, euphoria, tendency to cry, anxiety, etc.);
- Headache;
- Mild pain in the lower part of the abdomen;
- Increased sensitivity to certain smells and taste changes;
- Constipation.
False Menstruation: when to worry?
During pregnancy, bleeding episodes, more or less intense, can occur for several reasons. On some occasions, abundant blood loss signals a serious problem, such as an ectopic pregnancy or placental abnormalities ; at other times, this manifestation is transitory and does not indicate anything significant from the pathological point of view.
In any case, it is always advisable to contact your gynecologist or treating physician, especially if the bleeding during pregnancy, similar or not to false menstruation, should be repeated with a certain frequency or for a continuous period, to exclude or identify any pathological conditions who are responsible for it.
Diagnosis
In the early stages of pregnancy, false menstruation identifies the nesting of the embryo in the uterine wall.
False Menstruation: which exams can be indicated?
In the event that the false menstruation were to be repeated frequently or continued for more than a couple of days, it is advisable to undergo a careful medical evaluation, to better frame the origin of these vaginal discharge.
False menstruation can be related to certain diseases that can compromise the course of pregnancy. Therefore, it is essential to undergo a thorough clinical evaluation, supported by instrumental investigations and laboratory tests, in order to identify the exact cause of these blood losses and choose the most appropriate intervention.
The diagnostic procedure to ascertain the origin of false menstruation and confirm the beginning of pregnancy may include:
- General gynecological examination (medical history and physical examination of the patient);
- Pelvic or transvaginal ultrasound to study the endometrium, uterus and ovaries;
- Blood tests: dosage of sex and thyroid hormones, complete blood count, sideremia, coagulation factors, etc.
False Menses: when to take the pregnancy test
When the false menstruation is not associated with particular alarm signals (that is, they do not have pathological characteristics in terms of size and duration), it is possible to exclude the doubt that their appearance could be correlated to the beginning of a pregnancy, performing a test for domestic use .
If a woman has a regular menstrual cycle of 28 days, this can be done from the first day of delayed menstruation, ie about 7 days from the nesting of the fertilized egg and 14 from the alleged conception. In fact, in general, these instruments are able to identify the beta-hCG hormone from 8 to 11 days after ovulation.
However, since not all tests are able to detect the lowest concentrations of the hormone in the urine and it is not always possible to establish the exact moment in which the ovulatory phase occurs, especially when the cycles are irregular, it is better to perform the test after four or five days of menstrual delay. In any case, if the test was performed correctly, you can wait a few days and repeat the test to confirm the result (often, the package contains two sticks).
- When the home pregnancy test is positive, it is practically certain that the pregnancy has begun, but it is advisable to confirm the result through a blood test (plasma dosage) and to fix an initial gynecological examination.
- If the outcome is doubtful or negative and the menstrual delay is prolonged, it is good to talk to your doctor or your gynecologist.
Treatment and Remedies
False menstruation does not require special treatments, since they tend to resolve spontaneously after a short time. In general, during pregnancy, it is important to try to accommodate the changing needs of the body so as not to be overloaded with unnecessary stress and anxiety. If there are doubts or you wish to have confirmation of the correct interpretation of the signals associated with the start of gestation, the advice to contact your doctor or gynecologist of reference is always valid.
