Implantation bleed or is that my period?

Gosh- Your period shows up a bit early and it doesn’t look like your normal blood loss… What could that be?

Well, it could be an “Implantation bleed”. After fertilization of your egg occurs, the embryo travels down the Fallopian tube to the uterus. Then, it attaches to the wall of the uterus and this is called “implantation”. This may occur somewhere around 6-10 days after fertilization with 7-9 days being the most common time. The bleeding is very light and may last a couple of hours or days. Believe it or not, this may be one of the first signs you see of pregnancy.

Not every woman experiences this light spotting and it can be missed. It can be mistaken for a period that “is earlier than expected”. Unlike your period that tends to start light and get heavier and then get lighter again, an implantation bleed stays pretty light in consistency and may look like egg white streaked with pink to dark brownish blood or no mucous at all and just a bit of blood on the toilet paper. The key is the timing of the blood. Early points to implantation, later in your cycle is likely your period.

Did you recognize when you had an implantation bleed? Do you remember what day in your cycle it occurred?Did it surprise you? Did you have any suspicion that it was an early sign of pregnancy? We’d love to hear about your experience in the comments below!