I Got My Period But Im Having Pregnancy Symptoms: Why?
Last updated on July 28th, 2018 at 04:34 am
Question: I got my period but I’m having pregnancy symptoms, why?
If you got your period and you have pregnancy symptoms, then it’s likely because you are already pregnant. However, it could be a sign of a miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, late ovulation or vaginal infection.
Do you have pregnancy symptoms — Tummy pain, spotting before period, nausea and breast changes?
This article explains the reasons why you feel pregnant after your period.
Reasons why you feel pregnant after period
These are some reasons why you may feel pregnant after your period.
1. Pregnancy
In some women, very light bleeding before their period is an early pregnancy sign. This bleeding occurs due to implantation.
Did you have light spotting before your period that lasted 1 – 2 days? Implantation bleeding is lighter than period and occurs due to attachment of fertilized egg into the endometrium. The endometrium covers the inner part of the uterus and nourishes the fertilized egg or embryo during early pregnancy.
During the menstrual cycle, both estrogen and progesterone play important roles to thicken the endometrium in preparation for implantation or pregnancy.
If implantation does not occur, your thickened endometrium is washed out from your vagina a period.
However, if implantation occurs, some women may experience a light bleeding or spotting just days before period.
How does implantation bleeding look like?
Implantation bleeding is lighter than period and sometimes described as bloody mucus discharge or brown discharge before period. (see picture here)
Did you feel abdominal cramps that are lighter than your normal menstrual cramps? Then it is probably due to implantation cramping that occurs when you get pregnant.
If you have persistent bleeding in between period or cramping throughout your menstrual cycle, then its likely not due to pregnancy.
So when does implantation bleeding occur?
Implantation bleeding occurs 10 days after ovulation or a week or few days before your period. If you’ve had an early light period with mild cramps, then it’s likely a sign you’re pregnant.
How can I confirm pregnancy?
If implantation successfully occurs, you may have some of these pregnancy symptoms
- Brown spotting a week before period
- Mild cramps before period
- Feeling very tired easily
- Body weakness
- Avoiding some types of food and smell
- Breast swelling and soreness
- Breast pain
- Low back pain
- Abdominal bloating
If you’ve had any of these symptoms, then its possible you are pregnant
Should I get a pregnancy test to confirm?
Not yet. Pregnancy test before period is usually not accurate. However, some women may have positive pregnancy results 5 days before period if First response test kit is used.
Also, If you’ve got a negative pregnancy test, it does not exclude pregnancy. The best time to confirm pregnancy is a week after your period. Having said that, the First Response Pregnancy Kit has a 99 % accuracy a day before your period.
2. Miscarriage
If you’ve had period and still feel pregnant, then it may be due to a miscarriage.
When did you notice your period? Are you still spotting after your period? Can you tell the difference between implantation bleeding and period symptoms?
Miscarriage is a sudden loss of pregnancy and has different types. Threatened miscarriage presents with bleeding with or without abdominal cramps. Threatened miscarriage with mild cramps may easily be confused as period during pregnancy.
Other types of miscarriages are missed miscarriage and incomplete miscarriage. During a missed miscarriage, you will stop feeling pregnancy symptoms with no vaginal bleeding.
Signs of a miscarriage are:
- Pain in your lower back
- Mild to very severe abdominal cramps
- Feeling like vomiting
- Vomiting
What to do?
If you are spotting with pregnancy symptoms, you should seek your doctor’s attention immediately.
Read More: Bleeding during pregnancy: Causes and Prevention
3. You have an ectopic pregnancy
Do you have severe abdominal pain, light brown discharge and pregnancy symptoms? Then its possible you have an ectopic pregnancy.
What does ectopic pregnancy mean?
In normal pregnancies, fertilization occurs inside the Fallopian tube, which is a 10cm tube attached to the body of the uterus. After fertilization, the embryo or fertilized ovum is transported back to the uterus for implantation.
However, in ectopic pregnancies, this process fails to result in implantation outside the uterus, or in the fallopian tubes. 
Implantation inside the Fallopian tube will cause bleeding into the abdomen with symptoms like
- Pain especially in the right or left side of the abdomen
- Heavy vaginal bleeding, though it may be light bleeding or no bleeding at all.
- Dizziness or fainting attack
- Severe pain in the abdomen that gets worse with time
Who are at risk of an ectopic pregnancy?
- Untreated chlamydia or gonorrhea infection
- Pelvic inflammation disease
- Previous ectopic pregnancy
- Previous Fallopian tube surgery
- Drugs like Clomiphene citrate used to stimulate ovulation
- Previous history of an abortion
What to do?
You should inform your doctor ASAP about your symptoms. Ectopic pregnancy is an emergency worldwide and may cause death in young women if not treated early.
FAQs: I got my period but I’m having pregnancy symptoms
If you still feel pregnant after period, these are some questions that may concern you. Let us know if u have more questions below.
Pregnant symptoms but got my period and negative test
If you had an early period, pregnancy symptoms with a negative pregnancy test, then its likely because of implantation bleeding.
During implantation, your body’s human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) is still very low and increases twofold every 48 hours. A pregnancy test taken a few days after implantation may be negative.
If you got your period early with pregnancy symptoms and a negative pregnancy test, you should wait until a week after your period and retake your test.
If you missed period with a negative pregnancy test, you should learn the other reasons why your period is late.
I am pregnant but got my period first month
If you are pregnant and had your period in the first month, then its likely because of implantation bleeding.
Are you worried it may affect your pregnancy? You shouldn’t.
About 30 percent of pregnant women have spotting during the first 3 months with implantation bleeding the most common cause. Implantation bleeding occurs a weeks before your next period or 10 days after ovulation.
However, if you still have period-like bleeding weeks or months after implantation, you should inform your doctor ASAP.
Period symptoms but period like bleeding?
If you are already pregnant, period like bleeding may be due to a miscarriage, rough vaginal intercourse or vaginal infections. You should inform your doctor.
Spotting before period with early pregnancy symptoms — nausea, fatigue and breast changes, is likely because of implantation.
Now it’s your turn. Still worried you have pregnancy symptoms after period? Let us know if we could help.
Hn
I delivered on 9th june I got my period on 21 july but felling pregnat again I have seen ma second period on 20 th august, am I pregnant I usually have 27 days cycle
ION
I had protected s*x and a week or two after I saw brownish discharge on my panties one morning which was accompanied by some mild cramps then my period came like 5 days earlier than expected with pregnancy symptoms and I did a test two days after my period and it was negative. Am I pregnant?
Dr. Dunn A.
There is a chance you are pregnant, Though it’s possible it could be due to other causes. I advise you check for pregnancy in 7 days time. Sometimes implantation bleeding may be confused as a menstrual period.
Hope this helps.
ION
Thanks doc.
sam a.
I’ve been experiencing hot flashes at night, leg cramps, headaches, back pain, increased appetite, increased urination, tender breasts,diarrhea all sure tell signs of pregnancy. im due for my period next week. I got it today 5 days early. I was sure I was pregnant. Could I still be?
Dr. Dunn A.
There is a possibility that you are pregnant. You assumed period could be implantation bleeding. but still, retest in a weeks time.
Kim k
Last month my period started like this, first day it was light pink when I wiped that morning, and nothing else all that day, then by night fall it started red then the next day it increased gradually, it got heavy as the days past. So I consider it was normal.. Now I get into the next month after, two or three days after last months period and I have brownish discharge and a little pink as well, I also had some fatigue, now 2 weeks before my period I experienced nausea and still fatigue, gas the night before, slight tenderness but I thought alk this was due to ovulation, here’s the deal NY tubes are tied, which was a bilateral tubal, could I be pregnant or and I dealing with a hormone issue?
Jay
Period lasted 3 days and was light now I feel nausea from certain smells
Dr. Dunn A.
Could be implantation bleeding. See this guide to know the difference
Julie
I’ve been having pregnant like symptoms like can’t take the smell of certain perfumes and lotion along with nauseating feeling and list if appetite. My period came a day offer the due date and am still having the same feeling. I saw a pinkish discharge on the due date of my period and my period came the day after. Is it possible am pregnant
blessin
ok so for 9 weeks i had all symptoms nausea, headaches, bloating gas,fatigue,hunger sometimes ate even when i wasnt hungry,extra vaginal discharge, abdominal cramps.dizziness i swear but i bled twice but no cramps or clots like i usually get yesterday i had a pap smear because of the discharge is so watery and in my urine its cloudy and alot of white stuff soaked to the bottom later that day i bled n i still am my period seem like it changed but im very young for it to do that according to the internet i never got symptoms except for cramping before my period please tell me wats happening
blessin
and hot flashes n major chills please help
Amy
Around this time last month, my boyfriend came in me (not sure how many times). On the first of this month, I got my period. It was like any other period Ive had, which gave me reason enough not to bat an eye. Though I need answers! I am confused because I had a normal period that lasted probably 4 days -I received it when I was expecting it! Prior to my menstruation, I was having this unusual vaginal discharge, it was creamy and smelt awful, along with breast tenderness and nasea/lightheadedness and cramps. 2 weeks after my regular period I am showing signs of early pregnancy and am considering seeing my doctor.
Isadora
Greetings,
My husband and I of course have unprotected sex but we are not trying to have a baby he pulls out everytime, we had sex multiple times in November I remember these dates 16, 17, and 20 and a few weeks later (November 25) I spotted it was light and didn’t last long so I ignored it, after I started having cravings, feeling like I needed to throw up but never did, feeling constipated and urinating like my body no longer held liquid. My breast strated to hurt mostly my nipples, I found myself crying for no reason at all my hair is thicker an I feel kinda wonderful. But then December 13 I got my period it lasted my normal 4days it wasn’t as bad for cramps or flow but it counts right?! I still feel pregnant now but I haven’t tested because I got my period, I’m only nervous because my husbands mother told me she didn’t find out she was pregnant with my husband until 5months had passed, she was still bleeding during that time so I’m needing some assistance?!
What’s my body doing?
Is this something I need to look into or nothing to worry about?!
MU
Hi. I had a missed miscarriage March last year and discharged naturally about 3 weeks later. My period was regular monthly and been trying to conceive after 3 months. This month, I felt early pregnancy symptoms like super tender and breast pain, food taste changes, light lower abdominal cramp. But, my period came 4-5 days earlier. It looks different from usual period but with little blood clots. Will this be implantation bleeding or just normal period? I still feel the pregnancy symptoms (I guess) with abdominal cramp, nausea, light headed and sudden headache, light spotting once a while and some heartburn. Also, leg cramps. I’m so confused with my condition now if I’m pregnant. May you please advise.
Michelle
My partner and I had s*x during fertile period last cycle, i had a 5 day period starting 4th Feb, it was very light but my normal period starts light for 1 day getting heavier on days 2 to 4 and goes brown day 5. Now 2 weeks after last period I am having pink cm with twinges around ovaries and have tender breasts and am very tired and feel run down.
Alexis
My period is extremely regular every 24 days starting the morning void every time. I was 5 days late but eventually got af for my typical very light 4 day cycle. I had 2 negative tests prior starting af, however I am now 5days since finishing and have tender bbs, more frequent urination, nasal congestion, frequent headaches, and crying/getting emotional at almost everything I watch. I haven’t been prego in almost 10 years so I feel crazy not knowing. Could I still be pregnant?????
drew
my girl and I had protected s*x 11 days before she got her period. She got her period but 2 days later she started feeling nausea for like 5 days on and off very mild. In one occasion she said she smelled something and it almost made her throw up. Can she be pregnant?? Im sure the condom didnt break and i didnt even ejaculate inside. But all these pregnancy symptoms are making us worry. Opinions would really help thanks
Worried
My boyfriend and I had unprotected sex three days before my expected period (which I got) the. All throughout the next month I was having pregnancy symptoms, nausea, headaches, cramps, sore back. My period came a few days early and was pretty light but still a deeper red. Then it stopped on the third day and now is back again the next morning. I took a home test that came out negative. Can I possibly be pregnant?
Stephanie Ramirez
A bit confused.. my boyfriend and I recently started to try for a baby. I have been sick with pregnancy symptoms since June 20th with spitting up, heart burn, sore/ tender beast, I have no appetite, hot flashes, cramps, body and back aches, fatigue and tiredness, emotional ( I’m always crying and I’m not a crying person) nauseous:dizziness, certain smells i can’t take. I took 2 pregnancy test came back negative on June 30th I got my period and it’s flowing like regular at times. But I still feel very sick and emotional is there a chance that I am pregnant?
Steph
So this is kind of long. Sorry
So my husband and I have been trying to start a family. End of April I got Nexplanon taken out and a week later I started my period. (3 days). All throughout May we have had unprotected sex every other day. I even took an ovulation test and it told me when I was ovulating. For about a week or two I’ve had some pregnancy symptoms. My breasts feel fuller and heavier. My areola and nipples are usually pink. But they seem to have a light brown color to them. They are sore and a little sensitive when pressure is applied to them and itchy. I notice that I can see a blue vein on both of my breasts now as well. I’ve also been cramping for almost 2 weeks below my belly button. And for a few days I felt nauseous while trying to eat. (May 16-18) My period was due May 20th and I started May 19th. Brown discharge. But then there was blood. May 19th I also took a pregnancy test before I knew I had started my period and it was negative. May 20th I wiped in the AM and it was light pink and there was clear slippery discharge and a lot of it. Now it’s May 21 and there’s barely any blood. But my breasts still have that light brown color and the blue vein. They are still pretty itchy and still a little sore and I still have the cramps bellow my belly button. I’ve never had so many of these symptoms before my period ever. And not for so long. Maybe a day or two before I’d get a little fuller breasts and then I cramped the first day and I was fine after that. My symptoms would go away. I know it all may be normal but it isn’t for me. All of these symptoms and for so long is unusual for me. Can anyone help me out?