Implantation bleeding Color: Bright Red, Brown, Yellow, Pink or Black?
Last updated on May 30th, 2019 at 04:40 am
Question: What does implantation bleeding color looks like? When should I take a pregnancy test after implantation?
For most women, the most straightforward way to find out if you are pregnant is by using a pregnancy test. This can be carried out at your residence or by taking a laboratory test in any medical center nearby.
Ordinarily, the ideal time to take a pregnancy test is after you’ve missed your period; And if it is positive (with 2 lines showing on your strip), it suggests that you are pregnant.
However, waiting until you’ve missed your period can be troubling for women trying to get pregnant fast.
If you are impatient and want to find out if you’re pregnant days before your next period, then identifying implantation bleeding color, timing and volume are necessary.
Here’s the thing, implantation bleeding is still a myth to a lot of women, and it is still tricky to completely tell the difference between your period and implantation spotting. Even so, only a few women will experience vaginal spotting as a pregnancy sign.
In fact, spotting during implantation can be missed easily or confused with other causes of vaginal bleeding.
This article explains how to identify implantation bleeding through its color, the volume of blood loss, and other additional pregnancy sign you may experience before a missed period.
What’s implantation bleeding?
Implantation bleeding is small vaginal blood loss (Not heavy) from the inner walls of your womb that suggest you could be pregnant.
In the early stages of your menstrual cycle, your body prepares itself for ovulation. Ovulation takes place midway through your menstrual cycle and involves the surge in estrogen and luteinizing hormones.
Following ovulation, the produced egg finds its way into the fallopian tube where it immediately fuses with spermatozoa.
After the egg is joined with the man’s sperm (a process referred to medically as fertilization), it forms the embryo which migrates to the uterus and is attached to the inner wall of your womb and starts growing.
Anatomically, the uterus is made up of 3 parts. The outer part called the serosa that covers outside of the womb. The middle part of the uterus is made up of smooth muscles. The inner layer of the uterus is the endometrium, a vascularised layer with lots of blood supply.
The inner layer of the uterus (the endometrium) is easily affected by the rise and fall of hormones during your menstrual cycle. In fact, during your menstrual period, it breaks down and bleeds through your vagina.
Toward the end of your menstrual cycle (that is, just a few days to your next period), the endometrium is thickened and vascularised in preparation for the next period.
Therefore, if the fertilized egg digs through and implants into this highly vascularized endometrium, it causes a small loss of blood.
How to identify implantation bleeding color?
Implantation bleeding color could be brown, reddish, pinkish, or dark-brown discharge. It all depends on how quickly blood escapes from your womb to the vagina. While some women will see a small flow of deoxygenated brown blood, others will notice a pinkish or reddish vaginal discharge.
Your menstrual period is usually reddish and may continue for up to 7 days. During menstruation, some women will experience much flow in the first days requiring the need for one or more sanitary pads daily.
Unlike menstrual period, implantation bleeding is entirely different in both the flow and volume of blood loss. In fact, if it happens, it only lasts for one or two days, and during this time, you may only notice a little stain in your underwears.
Bright red Implantation color
Can implantation bleeding color be red? This is a common question I get in my Inbox. The simple answer is yes. Implantation bleeding can look reddish in color.
So, if you are just a few days away from your period, and you notice a sudden gush of red discharge or light bleeding, it is possible you may be pregnant.
Having said that, there are so many other possible reasons for a reddish discharge.
Brown implantation bleeding
Can implantation bleeding be brown? Yes, of course. If you’ve noticed a brownish discharge or spotting, it could be due to implantation.
The difference is that it takes a while for the blood to move down from the uterus through the cervix to the vagina. This period can cause a change in the texture and color of your discharge.
So, if your discharge looks brown before your period, it could be pregnancy spotting. Nevertheless, there are other reasons for brown discharge before your period. See this guide for help.
Yellow implantation bleeding, is it possible?
Yes, but you must remember that most time when women get a thick yellow discharge, it is more likely because of ongoing infection in the vagina.
So first, check if there are other symptoms, and read this guide to learn the reasons for yellow discharge before period.
Black implantation bleeding color
Can implantation bleeding be black? Yes, Of course. It is possible, especially when you notice other signs of pregnancy.
Here is a detailed guide of the causes of black discharge before period.
What’s the timing of Implantation bleeding?
Another easy way to identify implantation is the timing of vaginal bleeding. Blood loss from implantation happens about a week from your next menstrual period, though the timing could vary among women.
Ovulation usually happens halfway through your menstrual cycle, that is, if you have a 28-day menstrual cycle, ovulation occurs on day 14.
After ovulation, it takes about 6 – 12 days for the fertilized egg to attach itself to your womb. This means, if you experience brown or pinky discharge within a week from your next period, it could be pregnancy.
Are there other signs of pregnancy before a missed period?
Besides vaginal spotting, there are other signs of pregnancy you may experience before your next period. They are
Breast tenderness
Your breast tissue is one way to find out if you are pregnant, and this happens because of glandular changes that occur during pregnancy.
Right before your next period, if you are already with child, your hormones (estrogen and progesterone) will continue to rise resulting in lobular changes within your breast. This change will make your breast feel sore.
Abdominal cramping
Cramping in the lower abdomen and your back before your next period could also be a sign of pregnancy. If pregnant, mild cramps in your stomach could be due to implantation.
However, if cramps are severe and period-like, it is possible your next period is coming
Other pregnancy symptoms are food craving, waist pain, dizziness, mood swing, restlessness, vomiting, body weakness, and headache.
When to take a pregnancy test after implantation bleeding?
If you suspect your vaginal bleeding is due to pregnancy, it is essential you confirm with a pregnancy test.
A pregnancy test is the only confirmatory way to know if you’re pregnant, so, you can purchase a pregnancy test kit right away.
If you wish to take a pregnancy test, there are some practices you must follow to ensure you get an accurate result. They are
- Read through your test kit to be sure you understand the instructions
- Wait till in the morning before taking a test
- Ensure you do not dip the test strip in your urine for too long
- Make sure you are not on any medication that will give a false positive result
- If your pregnancy test result is negative, you must re-test in a weeks time
When should you take a pregnancy test?
Taking a pregnancy test within hours or days after implantation may surprisingly give you a negative result (especially if you already have many other signs of pregnancy).
This is not unexpected as the accuracy of pregnancy test kit just after implantation is quite low. Usually, you should wait about a week after spotting. A better timeline is after you have missed your period.
But in reality, you will want to take a pregnancy test right away; Therefore, if you must take a test, use a sensitive test strip. First Response Pregnancy test kit boast of the ability to detect pregnancy as early as five days before next period.
Implantation spotting but not pregnant
Besides pregnancy, there are many reasons spotting before period will happen, so its best to talk to your healthcare provider to determine the cause.
Usually, at the same time, while you are expecting your period, some women experience mild vaginal spotting. This bleeding happens because of progesterone drop just before your period.
Here are other causes of vaginal bleeding.
