Delaying menstruation beyond a reasonable time divides women into two categories. Some of them are afraid, while others rejoice at this circumstance. But at the same time, each hurries to the pharmacy to confirm or refute their fears. There is an opinion that, subject to all the rules, this analysis practically guarantees an accurate result. Is this so and what to do if, after seeing two strips, menstruation still occurs?

Pregnancy test - when to do?

It is known that any rapid pregnancy tests are based on the detection of a hormone called "chorionic gonadotropin" (hCG) in the urine. It begins to be produced by the future placenta (chorion) almost immediately after fertilization, and every day its concentration increases several times. Therefore, it is possible to carry out such pregnancy tests even during menstruation, the main thing is to strictly follow the instructions.

And do not be surprised if all the symptoms indicate the onset of pregnancy, and menstruation for some time comes on time. Such cases in medical practice are quite common, although they are not considered the norm. They are explained most often by hormonal disorders that provoke minor bleeding that occurs at a time approximately coinciding with the timing of normal menstruation.

Pregnancy test rules

In order to count on the most accurate result, it is necessary to carefully follow the instructions when conducting a pregnancy test. And the absence of menstruation or its regularity should not affect the implementation of these rules. So, the necessary conditions for the analysis:

    Since the “pregnancy hormone” (hCG) has the highest concentration in morning urine, it is best to test at this time of day. Of course, if the situation requires urgent action, this procedure can be done at any other time;

    In order to prevent "blurring" of the result, it is better to refrain from excessive fluid intake on the eve of the procedure;

    It is not necessary to achieve absolute sterility of the urine collection container, the main thing is that it be clean and fat-free;

    For analysis, 20-30 ml of urine is sufficient. The test strip must be placed in it to the level marked on it and urine for 20 seconds. After that, remove and place on a horizontal surface. Results can be expected in 2 minutes and should not be delayed, because after 5 minutes the strip may show incorrect data.

There are a lot of varieties of pregnancy tests and the reliability of their results can vary significantly. So, the most accurate indicators are given by inkjet tests, for which, by the way, there is no need to arm yourself with a glass of collected urine.

What do the mysterious stripes say?

After conducting an analysis to determine pregnancy, the next step is to interpret its results. What do the stripes that appear on the test strip indicate?

    Two stripes are clearly visible - congratulations, you are pregnant! The test is positive;

    One line appeared - the test is negative. There is no pregnancy;

    One strip is poorly visible - the result is ambiguous and requires rechecking.

If the pregnancy test gave a 100% positive result, and menstruation does not stop, it is necessary to see a doctor as soon as possible to rule out a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy.

Menstruation during pregnancy - how dangerous are they?

Bleeding during pregnancy can have several causes. The least dangerous are the discharge in the first months of gestation. This may be a kind of “memory” of the body about regular periods. But you still need to be careful about this, since such regular discharge can also provoke a miscarriage.

An ectopic pregnancy is also possible, but in this case, spotting is usually accompanied by pain in the lower abdomen. In the second half of pregnancy, bleeding is especially dangerous, as it may indicate placental abruption. And this threatens not only with the loss of the mother's blood, but also with the death of the child. Therefore, any uncharacteristic discharge from a pregnant woman should serve as a reason to immediately call an ambulance.

In the early stages of pregnancy, a woman may experience spotting. Therefore, even if you have a positive test and menstruation has come, pregnancy should not be ruled out. Is such a situation dangerous, what should be done and how to protect the baby?

Can menstruation start during pregnancy?

Despite the rapid development of technology and healthcare, humanity still cannot fully explain the processes that occur in a woman's body during pregnancy. Even now it is almost impossible to predict how the pregnancy will proceed, because this process is individual for each woman. Sometimes the development of pregnancy can be so unusual that only specialists can recognize the birth of a new life.

The first signs of pregnancy:

  • toxicosis;
  • sudden mood changes;
  • irritability.

When these signs appear, it is worth doing a special test, and it is best to consult a doctor.

The most reliable evidence of pregnancy is the testimony of a special test and the cessation of menstruation, but sometimes these two signs can contradict each other.

Why do periods come during pregnancy? Immediately after the development of the embryo begins in the uterus, the woman's body produces a special complex of hormones. In particular, the amount of progesterone produced is greatly increased, this hormone regulates the growth of the inner uterine membrane and practically paralyzes the muscles of the uterus in order to exclude the possibility of accidental rejection of the fetus.

Menstruation is a process in which the old egg is excreted from the body along with part of the inner lining of the uterus, therefore, with an increased content of progesterone, menstruation is almost impossible.

If the test is positive and menstruation has come, then most often there is no reason to worry about the health of the child. Menstruation can come 5-14 days after conception, and there is nothing strange in this. The fact is that until the fertilized egg has reached the uterus, all processes in the woman's body occur as usual, and the movement of the embryo can take up to two weeks. Therefore, if conception occurred in the middle of the menstrual cycle, then in the first month of pregnancy, a delay in menstruation may not be observed. But if menstruation does not stop for two months, then you need to see a doctor as soon as possible, as the consequences can be unpredictable.

Reasons for the continuation of menstruation during pregnancy

Possible reasons for the lack of delay during pregnancy may be as follows:

  • ectopic pregnancy;
  • hormonal disbalance;
  • superovulation;
  • hyperandrogenism;
  • genetic abnormalities;
  • frozen pregnancy.

It is extremely important to recognize an ectopic pregnancy in the early stages of embryo development, because such a situation is dangerous not only for the child, but also for the mother herself. Only specialists can diagnose an ectopic pregnancy, so if there is no delay, it is recommended to immediately consult a doctor.

This category also includes a rather rare phenomenon in which a fertilized egg is fixed in an unfavorable part of the uterus. In this case, there is a high probability of rejection of the fetus already at the first stages of development, because the embryo cannot receive a sufficient amount of the elements necessary for life.

From the moment of conception, a woman's body undergoes a strong change in the set of hormones produced. If during, then the cause of this may be a violation in the set of hormones. Hormonal disruptions can manifest themselves in different ways during pregnancy. The most common deviation of this type is an insufficient amount of the hormone progesterone.

Unfortunately, the correct hormonal background during pregnancy in the modern world is organized less and less, which is why a fairly large number of women face this problem. To date, most of the hormonal disruptions are easy to fix with the help of special drugs.

Most women's bodies produce only one egg per menstrual cycle. But with superovulation, more than one egg is produced, usually two. In this case, the absence of a delay is not a bad sign, because the fertilized egg quietly develops in the woman's body, and during menstruation, another female gamete comes out, which was formed in parallel. It is worth noting that superovulation is not so common.

Hyperandrogenism is a special case of hormonal disorders, but is most often distinguished into a separate type due to its prevalence. The phenomenon got its name from the name of the male hormone androgen. In the body of a woman there is a small content of this substance, and with hyperandrogenism, its amount significantly exceeds the norm, which can cause cessation of fetal development or rejection of the embryo. The specialist who identified this problem usually prescribes drugs to the girl, with the help of which the level of androgen in the body is controlled.

Genetic abnormalities are a problem faced by many pregnant women. Deviations of this type can greatly affect the development of the fetus, so a patient with this diagnosis should be under the supervision of specialists for all 9 months.

With the so-called frozen pregnancy, a woman should also be under the supervision of qualified doctors. In most cases, this deviation can be corrected, for which the patient must undergo a course of special therapy.

There are also other reasons why menstruation continues during pregnancy. But doctors do not rank them among a number of serious abnormalities that can harm the mother or child. In order to protect the unborn child as much as possible from all sorts of dangers, it is best to visit a doctor regularly.
To reduce the risk of termination of pregnancy or the development of congenital malformations in the fetus, doctors recommend that you undergo an examination even before conception.

One of the most unpleasant consequences in the absence of a delay is that a woman may not even suspect that she is pregnant. In this case, there are no special violations in the menstrual cycle, and girls may not think about purchasing a special test. When menstruation occurs during pregnancy, the fetus can be severely affected.

What should I pay attention to during menstruation during pregnancy?

If you find the continuation of the menstrual cycle, you should immediately consult a doctor. It is best to start regularly visiting a specialist after the discovery of conception. According to statistics, the vast majority of pregnant women who turn to specialists in the first trimester of fetal development bear a full-fledged child without any special difficulties.

It must be understood that the continuation of menstruation during the development of the fetus is almost always a clear sign of some kind of anomaly, albeit minor, and can lead to unpredictable consequences.

Any discharge may also indicate the initial stage of embryo rejection.
If a woman underwent a special examination before conception, then when menstruation began, you should not panic. Most likely, doctors have already foreseen possible scenarios and know what to do in this case.

In medical practice, there are many cases when menstruation went on throughout the development of the fetus, so you should not be afraid of this phenomenon. Qualified doctors have the most modern technologies, thanks to which it is possible to cure almost all abnormalities associated with discharge during pregnancy.

Even with a slight delay, any vigilant girl takes a pregnancy test. It happens that the second strip appeared, but the menstruation still went. The catch is that the chemical indicator reacts equally to both normal pregnancy and pathology of its development. What does a positive test after menstruation indicate, what to do in such a situation and can the tests be wrong?

Menstruation or pathology?

Every fourth pregnant woman at an early stage has spotting from the vagina. Gynecologists say that this is not menstruation, but discharge, which may indicate an ectopic, missed pregnancy or miscarriage. Such bleeding is mild in nature and differs from normal menstruation.

What to look for:

  • Bleeding began earlier or later than the deadline (for 3 to 7 days);
  • The color of the discharge is pink, black or light brown;
  • Volume is scarce.

False periods can go at the appointed time and last as many days as the usual menstruation, which is misleading for women.

Any deviation in the menstrual cycle should alert, especially if the girl had unprotected, interrupted sexual intercourse or missed birth control pills before menstruation. In this case, you need to do a pregnancy test at home, and with any result of an express analysis, you should go for an examination to a gynecologist. The doctor will most likely send you for an ultrasound and prescribe a blood test for hCG.

What is hCG and how to take a hormone test?

The surest way to confirm or exclude conception is to take a blood test for the hCG hormone (human chorionic gonadotropin). This specific hormone is produced by the membrane of the embryo after the attachment of the embryo in the uterus. Ordinary test strips also react to this hormone, but only in the urine. But an analysis for hCG shows the level of the hormone in the blood and can tell the exact gestational age. In addition, several analyzes help track the dynamics of fetal development by weeks and prevent dangerous pathologies in time.

Normal hCG in a non-pregnant woman should be in the range of 0 - 5 mU / ml. If conception has occurred, the level of the hormone rises as early as 8-11 days after the delay. For example, in the third week of gestation, the hCG level will stay within 5 - 50 mU / ml, and in the fourth week it will already increase to 426 mU / ml.

In an uncertain situation, when menstruation has passed and a positive test is on hand, gynecologists advise to take the test twice in the same laboratory with a break of several days. During pregnancy, the level of the hormone in a short period will rise by 2 times. If there was no conception, the concentration of hCG will remain the same or decrease. They take an analysis on an empty stomach, excluding before that physical activity and taking hormonal drugs.

Why are there "two stripes" after menstruation?

A positive test after menstruation does not always mean conception. The second strip may also indicate the presence of various diseases and disorders in the body of a woman.

The main reasons for such a phenomenon as include:

  • The presence of a cyst in the ovary (the follicle did not burst).
  • Failure of the ovaries (functioning pathology).
  • The use of HOC (contraceptive hormonal contraceptives).
  • The fertilized egg remained in the fallopian tube, did not have time to gain a foothold. The endometrial layer comes out in the form of menstruation, after which the embryo is fixed on the new endometrium.
  • Double ovulation occurs in 10% of women. Menstruation comes when one egg is fertilized, and the second comes out along with the discharge.
  • Ectopic pregnancy.
  • Hormonal disbalance.
  • Failure of pregnancy, but the hCG hormone is still contained in the blood.
  • . A woman begins spotting on the 10th - 14th day after fertilization. During this period, the embryo attaches to the wall of the uterus and the blood vessels burst. The implantation bleeding coincides with the start date of the next menstruation, so women take the discharge as normal and are unaware of pregnancy. Fortunately, short-term bleeding is not dangerous for the baby, but it happens often - in a third of pregnant women.

It is possible that the test itself turned out to be of poor quality, expired, or the rules for conducting were not followed. Although test manufacturers assure that the accuracy of even the most common indicator in the form of a strip is at least 99%.

Why can menstruation occur during pregnancy?

Blood discharge in the first month of pregnancy is considered a frequent occurrence, and in women it is almost equal to the norm. However, gynecologists do not think so. The reasons why menstruation occurs with an existing pregnancy in the first trimester are quite alarming:

  • lack of progesterone;
  • excessive production of androgen (male hormone);
  • the fertilized egg was fixed in the wrong place, received less nutrition and died;
  • inflammation or infection;
  • embryonic death during multiple pregnancy;
  • uterine fibroids;
  • frozen fetus;
  • lifting weights can cause miscarriage;

Violation of hormonal balance for a pregnant woman is dangerous, it provokes bloody discharge from the vagina. The reason may be a failure in the work of two hormones: insufficient production of progesterone - the hormone that is responsible for carrying a pregnancy, and instead of it, the production of the male hormone androgen. If you do not start a course of treatment with a gynecologist on time, a spontaneous abortion may occur. In order to save the child, you should see a doctor with any discharge, who will register the pregnant woman at risk and prescribe medication.

Can the test be wrong?

If a pregnancy test showed two strips after menstruation, this does not always mean that the girl is in position. As mentioned earlier, a positive result of the test strip can give gynecological diseases and hormonal failure. But it turns out that third-party substances in the urine container can also play a cruel joke.

The following factors can affect the result of the analysis:

  • Incorrect testing - saliva or blood is used instead of urine.
  • A cream or intimate gel got into the container with urine, to which the indicator reacted.
  • The woman took special hCG drugs to stimulate ovulation and improve the function of the corpus luteum in the ovaries.

To exclude the influence of foreign substances on the test reagent, it is best to buy a sterile urine container from a pharmacy. Or, instead of a test strip, use an inkjet test, which does not require a urine collection.