Color pregnancy: symptoms, causes, recommendations

One of the first and most reliable signs of pregnancy is a missed period, or rather, the cessation of menstruation. However, sometimes our bodies do not behave according to the rules.

The news sometimes slips through strange reports that a woman finds out about her pregnancy almost on the eve of giving birth. Most of these cases are journalistic hoaxes, but it also happens that menstruation does not stop during pregnancy, although it becomes irregular, and the discharge is scanty, which can be quite puzzling.

What is a colored pregnancy?

Bloody monthly discharge against the background of an established pregnancy - this is what is meant when they talk about "color pregnancy". After fertilization, there may be a slight delay, a violation of the cycle, after which menstruation (or what can be taken for them) still occurs. And if your cycles were previously irregular, you may not even notice the delay. At the same time, the main signs of early pregnancy, such as frequent urination, fatigue, morning sickness, taste and smell oddities, manifest themselves in the same way as in a normal pregnancy. The only difference is that when menstruation is present, we tend to attribute these manifestations to anything but pregnancy.

In most cases, menstruation stops after the first trimester or in the middle of the second, but sometimes it continues until the last months.

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Colored pregnancy - dangerous or not?

Carrying a baby with regular monthly “color” is as safe as without it. But this is only if the expectant mother has visited a doctor, the pregnancy is confirmed by ultrasound and she leads a lifestyle that is exactly what is needed in such a wonderful position. The reasons why a “color pregnancy” occurs are not yet reliably known.

But the danger may lie elsewhere – spotting during pregnancy can be a sign of serious problems, such as ectopic pregnancy, placental abruption, or miscarriage. However, such bleeding appears suddenly, is a one-time occurrence, and is accompanied by other characteristic symptoms. In any case, it is worth consulting a doctor.

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What will a pregnancy test show?

A home pregnancy test, which can be bought at any pharmacy, has a certain error. We have already written about cases of a false-negative test, and why this happens - most often the reason is its early use or insufficient sensitivity. In the case of a "color pregnancy", a negative result is perceived as the truth - after all, this is the second confirmation of the absence of pregnancy against the background of menstruation that does not stop. And therefore all gynecologists unanimously insist - if menstruation has become scanty and short-lived, and signs characteristic of pregnancy have appeared against their background, be sure to consult a doctor - an analysis for hCG and ultrasound will show what is happening to you and whether additional treatment is needed.

Comment by obstetrician-gynecologist Olena Brezovskaya

Olena Berezovskaya

Research physician, obstetrician-gynecologist, author of the book "A Guide for Pregnant Women", founder and director of the International Academy of Healthy Life, Toronto, Canada. doctorberezovska.com, facebook.com/dr.olena.berezovska, instagram.com @dr_olena_berezovska.

The concept of "color pregnancy" does not exist in medicine, it is a folk term, moreover, it appeared recently. As always, people are tired of being normal and want to stand out with something so exotic and unusual. As a result, all sorts of artificially created perversions of pregnancies and childbirth appear.

1. First, the talk that a woman may not notice before giving birth is a myth. Even if there is bloody discharge, a woman's belly still grows, fetal movements appear, which are definitely not confused with intestinal gas in the later stages.
2. Secondly, in general, 25% of pregnant women bleed, 80% of them usually in the first trimester. There are many reasons for bleeding, but it is not related to continuous menstruation in as many as 20%. Menstruation is the shedding of the endometrium. During pregnancy, no shedding of the endometrium is observed. In the early stages, implantation bleeding is possible. At 7-8 weeks from the first day of the last menstruation, a luteal-placental shift in progesterone production is observed, when the corpus luteum ceases to function. During this period, the level of progesterone in the corpus luteum may be low, which is not dangerous for pregnancy. During this period, a number of women may have bloody discharge, although most often defective pregnancies are interrupted at this time.
3. Thirdly, implantation bleeding is always very short-lived – sometimes a few hours. Premenstrual syndrome, which can have more than 100 symptoms, including those similar to pregnancy, as well as false pregnancy – is from the field of psychosomatics, therefore it has nothing to do with the concept of real pregnancy. A false negative result of pregnancy tests is much less common than a false positive.

If a woman is planning a pregnancy, any deviation in the menstrual pattern needs to be evaluated, although there is such a condition that I called "childbirth fever". In fact, this is a psychosomatic reaction to the desire to have a child as soon as possible. It's unbearable. And numerous tests are carried out almost 4-5 times a day, and listening to yourself is a typical trick for psychosomatic symptoms. And the cycles suddenly become irregular. If such a woman gets an appointment with a doctor who does not think, does not know, and is also commercially minded, she is guaranteed a senseless waste of money, time and health on an unnecessary extensive examination and treatment of made-up diagnoses. Therefore, my advice is simple: if you are planning a pregnancy, do not complicate your life by creating negative scenarios in advance and forget about a colored pregnancy.

Any spotting, if it comes 7-10 days late, with regular unprotected sex, requires evaluation. Not necessarily with a doctor's examination. But first you need to do a pregnancy test. Negative - do nothing special. Positive - go to the doctor, donate blood for hCG and undergo an ultrasound.