The time of implantation bleeding: Implantation bleeding is one of the earliest symptoms of pregnancy. It may not be a symptom in every pregnant woman, but at least 30 percent of females experience implantation bleeding and few may not notice, and in rest it may not occur. Having said this, we must know what implantation bleeding is and what its significance is.
When an egg gets fertilized with sperm in the fallopian tube of a woman, it slowly travels down into the uterus after few days. Once in the uterus, the egg attaches itself within the walls of uterus, which medical people call as endometrial lining. The endometrial lining has rich supply of blood.
When the egg gets implanted (attached) to the endometrium there is slight bleeding from the site. This bleeding is called implantation bleeding. It is the earliest pregnancy sign. Many times it is confused as early menstruation. But few characteristic features may differentiate it from menstrual bleeding. Implantation bleeding is scanty, sometime just few spots.
Implantation bleeding generally occurs just few days before the women’s actual expected menstrual date. Considering normal menstrual cycle to be of 28 days (though it may vary in every woman), the ovulation is expected to occur around 14th to 16th day. Implantation bleeding generally occurs between 6 to 12 days after ovulation has taken place. This means the process of implantation of fertilized ovum occurs in the third or fourth week after the first day of last menstruation.
Once the sperm fertilizes the ovum in the fallopian tube it remains for 5 to 6 days in the fallopian tube, after which it goes further down in the uterus. The fertilized egg than burrows itself into the uterine wall. This means implantation may occur around 9th to 12th day after ovulation which is a few days earlier that the expected date of menses. However, the time interval is not fixed. In some woman it may occur as early as 6th day. For this reason it is represented as approximate time, and that is between 6 to 12 days.
Symptoms Of Implantation Bleeding
The first symptom, bleeding per vaginum itself is the sign and symptom of implantation bleeding. As mentioned earlier, implantation bleeding may not occur in every pregnant woman. It occurs only in some woman. In others it may not occur at all or a woman may not notice it as it may be a very small spot.
The implantation bleeding is pink in color or it may also be brown, since it is not fresh blood. Usually there are no clots in this blood. The bleeding may last for few hours to one or two days, depending on every woman. But the bleeding is always less than that of normal menstrual cycle.
Aside from bleeding, there are no symptoms experienced by a woman. But if a woman is very sensitive, she may experience a mild cramp at the time of implantation. Even there is slight rise in body’s temperature. Implantation bleeding stops spontaneously.
Implantation Bleeding Treatment
There is no specific treatment for implantation as it is not something abnormal or a disease. It is just a physiological process of the body responding to a normal event taking place in a woman’s body. Most woman will continue the pregnancy safely even after implantation bleeding.
However, if there is spotting with severe pain in pelvis and abdominal region, especially one sided you should talk to your doctor immediately as it can be a sign of ectopic pregnancy. It is a complication of early pregnancy, where the fertilized ovum stays in the fallopian tube without traveling down to the uterus. In some cases the ectopic pregnancy can occur down in cervix, ovaries or abdomen too.