What Is Implantation Bleeding and When Does It Occur?

Despite what rom coms and Instagram influencers would lead you to believe, womanhood can be a crampy, messy, and downright perplexing affair. As if puberty and periods weren’t enough to navigate when you were younger, a new set of startling sensations and mysterious phenomena pop up when you’re trying to conceive. 

It can start to feel as though your body is trying to trip you up. You may even be experiencing this right now—you felt super confident that this is the month it finally happened, only to be met with the faintest streak of light pink blood on your underwear. Is it your period? Does this mean you’re not pregnant? What’s going on?

Fortunately, slight bleeding when you’re trying to conceive may not be your period. It’s possible that you’re experiencing implantation bleeding—a small amount of spotting that happens when your fertilized egg nestles into the lining of your womb, usually about 1 week after you conceive. 

In the guide below, we’ll take a close look at implantation bleeding—what it means, what it feels like, and when it happens—to help you make sense of this early pregnancy symptom.  

All About Implantation Bleeding 

No matter how much you read or prepare, there will always be aspects of the conception journey that can take you by surprise. For instance:

• The sudden life-or-death regard you hold for your ovulation window
• The pounding headaches from your reduced caffeine consumption
• The sheer number of walnuts you force upon your partner (your aunt once told you that they can boost sperm count)

For many women, implantation bleeding is yet another unexpected moment in the pregnancy journey—a milestone moment that can inspire anxiety, doubt, or frantic internet searches. 

While implantation bleeding can feel surprising, it’s completely natural. In fact, it occurs in 25 percent of pregnancies and can serve as an exciting first clue that you were successful in your efforts to conceive. If you’re not familiar with this nascent sign of pregnancy, that’s natural, too. Here’s everything you need to know.

What is implantation bleeding and when does it happen? 

To put it simply, implantation bleeding is a light amount of spotting that can take place during implantation—the process in which your fertilized egg, or embryo, attaches itself to the lining of your uterine wall. 

When does implantation bleeding occur? This phenomenon tends to happen between 7 and 14 days after conception—that incredible moment when one lucky sperm makes good on its mission to fertilize your egg. 

For a more complete understanding of the implantation timeline, here’s a breakdown of those first milestones that mark the conception journey:

• Your cycle starts – Your period begins, marking the start of your menstrual cycle.
• You ovulate – Around two weeks after your cycle starts and halfway through your cycle (around day 14 for an average 28-day cycle), your ovary releases a mature egg into your fallopian tube. This is the moment of ovulation.  
• You conceive – Twelve to 24 hours after you ovulate, your viable egg remains in your fallopian tube, hoping to be fertilized. Also in the picture? The intrepid, enterprising sperm hoping to do the fertilizing. These sperm can be new arrivals or determined veterans (since sperm can float around in the reproductive tract for up to five days). Regardless of when the sperm arrived, they all have one mission in common: fertilizing the egg. Egg fertilization marks the moment you conceive. Once this happens, the egg’s single cell begins to divide. 
• Your blastocyst (aka your fertilized egg) implants – About 5 to 6 days after you conceive, your egg is considered a blastocyst and is now made up of between 200 and 300 cells. The blastocyst travels to your uterus and implants itself into the lining of your uterine wall. Here is where it will hunker down for the next 9 months.
• You bleed (maybe) – As your blastocyst implants into the lining of your uterus, you may experience light spotting or vaginal bleeding as the blood vessels within the uterine lining is are disrupted. 

Based on this timeline, you might notice that implantation bleeding will generally fall toward the tail end of your cycle—around that time when you’re starting to anticipate (or dread) your menstrual period. This can make it challenging to know what—if anything—is going on because a period hasn’t been missed yet. Plus, HCG (the hormone used to detect pregnancy) won’t be at a detectable level until about a week after implantation, so taking a pregnancy test this soon after implantation may not give you an accurate result. You also may not experience any contextualizing pregnancy symptoms this early on. 

So, how do you determine if bleeding is a visit from Aunt Flo or the first sign of a little one? Let’s take a look at the tell-tale signs of implantation bleeding so you can differentiate it from period bleeding. 

Signs and Symptoms of Implantation Bleeding 

Because implantation bleeding tends to occur right before the start of your usual period, it can be easy to mistake for PMS spotting. 

However, implantation bleeding comes with certain identifiable factors. In fact, one-third of women who have experienced implantation bleeding report that they noticed differences between their menstrual bleeds and this early pregnancy symptom. To identify whether it’s just a normal period or implantation bleeding, it might help to consider:  

• Color – The bleeding that accompanies implantation can range from a light pink to a dark brown. Some women assert that it does not appear to be as red as period blood. 
• Volume – In general, implantation bleeding is much lighter than menstrual bleeding, generally only spanning the course of a single day. Some women may experience light spotting, tinted discharge, or a single droplet of blood. On the other hand, menstrual period bleeding is more the normal flow, lasting anywhere from 2 to 8 days.
• Cramping – While implantation bleeding can come with uterine cramping, it’s generally mild and short-lived compared to the menstrual cramps that come with a period. They should only last the duration of your implantation bleed, so just about one day.  
• Timing – If you’re trying to conceive, you might be clued into the timing of your cycle and faithfully tracking the days that you’ve had sex. Your calendar (or trusty ovulation app) can be a useful tool for identifying implantation. If the timing is that you’re spotting a few days before the expected start date of your period, a week or so after ovulation, and one to two weeks after you’ve had unprotected sex, it might be pregnancy—not a period.

While unlikely at this very early stage of pregnancy, it is possible that implantation bleeding occurs in conjunction with other early pregnancy symptoms, including:

• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Mood swings
• Sore or swollen breasts

So You Think It’s Implantation—What’s Next? 

We’ve figured out how to recognize implantation bleeding, what it means, and when it’s likely to occur. Now, let’s discuss how you might proceed if you suspect you’re experiencing this exciting first sign of pregnancy. Can you take a pregnancy test during implantation bleeding? Should you call your doctor? Pull out your knitting needles and make some serious headway on that baby blankie? It depends. 

• You can take a pregnancy test, just maybe not today – Even if there’s a chance you’re pregnant, you’ll likely want to confirm your hopes with a test. As tempting as it may be to take a test at the first sign of spotting, you might hold off until you’ve finished bleeding. Even though some tests claim to accurately detect pregnancy before a missed period, healthcare professionals recommend waiting between 7 to 12 days after implantation to take a pregnancy test for the most accurate, dependable results. This will allow your hormones time to rise to a detectable level and reduce your chance of getting a false negative. 
• You can call your OBGYN – If you suspect you might be pregnant and are concerned about any cramps or bleeding, it’s always a smart idea to check in with your OBGYN. If you don’t have an OBGYN, you can use this opportunity to find one. And remember, even you’re experiencing light bleeding, spotting is common throughout the first trimester—it’s usually nothing to worry about.

A Small Reminder 

While some less-than-pleasant symptoms, like bleeding, are an unavoidable part of conception and pregnancy, others might be indicative of a complication, including:

• Dizziness and weakness
• Heavy bleeding with clotting
• Severe pain or cramping

For women with these symptoms, it’s possible you are experiencing an ectopic pregnancy, and you should talk to your doctor. No one knows your body as well as you do. As you embark on this bewildering, joyful, emotional, and empowering journey, you deserve attentive care and counseling at every turn. If you experience discomfort or distress at any stage of conception or pregnancy, know that it’s perfectly alright to check in with your doctor. What’s “normal” or “common” for everyone else might not feel that way to you.

SneakPeek: Stop Wondering, Start Celebrating 

There’s no denying that the journey to pregnancy and parenthood can be magical, filled with surprises, uproarious laughter, and boundless amounts of love. It can also be maddening—requiring literal blood, sweat, and tears—and clouded by an onslaught of unknowns. What’s happening in there? Is “Arthur” too old-fashioned? Is this cheese pasteurized? Is any cheese pasteurized?

Between the seemingly endless questions, the strange new sensations, and the unexpected moments, we know there’s already enough mystery in your pregnancy journey. That’s why, at SneakPeek, it’s our mission to bring you answers, like whether the little bun in your oven is a boy or a girl. 

Our Early Gender Prediction Test is the #1 OBGYN-recommended at-home fetal sex test, capable of detecting whether you’re having a baby boy or girl with clinically-proven over 99% accuracy¹ just 6 weeks into your pregnancy. Trusted by over 1 million moms, this illuminating DNA-based test is easy to use at home and pain-free—because we believe your pregnancy should be as comfortable as possible. 

Ready to stop wondering and start celebrating? You can, with SneakPeek.

This post has been reviewed for accuracy by the following medical professional:

Dr. Heather Soper, Certified Nurse Midwife

Dr. Heather Soper brings over 15 years of experience in women's health and obstetrics to her role as the owner of The Genesis Resort for Birth. Complementing her clinical practice, she serves as an Assistant Professor of Nursing at James Madison University, where she educates nursing students with a focus on compassionate, patient-centered care. Her advanced training and dedication to midwifery are evident in her contribution to both academia and the wellness of expectant mothers

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