Could it be implantation bleeding?

[kelsbels88]

Hi everyone,

I am currently mid cycle and am bleeding. Now I would say this is like a period bleed as in light to medium flow not something that has stained my underwear but constantly there when I wipe and of a stretchy slime like texture/appearance. Started very faint pink and has got darker.

My period started in the first and was the same as always.

I guess I’m asking if anyone has any experiences they could share. Could this be implantation? so far no cramping of any kind but I have opened my bowels a couple of times. Any other reasons is it could be?

Thank you for taking the time to read to the end and thanks in advance xx

[luthien]

Hi, mid cycle bleeding is usually associated with Ovulation bleeding, sometimes when an egg is released there can be a small amount of blood which travels out, it's called spotting. It is natural and some women use it to determine that they have ovulated. The mucus is cervical mucus which changes texture and consistency throughout your cycle. It is usually more raw egg white stretchy, sticky and soft around ovulation.

Do you track your cycles? It may be an idea to get a cycle tracker, these differ from free period trackers. The free ones often assume you have a normal 28 day cycle with equal luteal and follicular phases, since we have endometriosis / fibroids / adenomyosis, ovarian cysts, polycystic ovaries our cycles aren't the normal, they vary a bit and can sometimes be irregular, or anovulatory (no ovulation). The best app out there currently is Natural Cycles, along with a basal body thermometer, and LH tests (prior to ovulation) it adapts to your cycles, and the more cycles it's used for the better it knows your cycle, your ovulation, your period. I've used it for around two years now and I love it because it's helped me work out my ovulation is actually earlier than I thought, it knows my exact period start day. So it takes the guesswork out of planning / preventing. You can add things like sex, how you're feeling, symptoms, mucus, spotting, and it'll take those into account and with PMS it'll let you know for every future period. You can add in pregnancy tests, ovulation tests, check out the info on the app and research what you want to know more about. It even reminds me of the best time to do my monthly breast self exam!

Back to your question, sorry; implantation bleeding usually occurs after the egg has been fertilised, it can take about 10 days to travel down the fallopian tubes and implant. This can cause bleeding and spotting, anywhere from 4 days post ovulation to 10 days post ovulation. If you have a cycle tracker it'll let you know about that time you should get a slight second increase in temperature (the first being after ovulation).

An additional thought some women have "period" like symptoms around their ovulation as it causes a surge in hormones so it feels like a mini period, it could be that. Perhaps make a note of the symptoms and what you've noticed and see if it repeats next cycle.

I hope that helps somewhat.

[kelsbels88]

Hi thanks for your reply.

I have ff app which I use to track my cycles that how I am aware of this bleed being mid cycle. I’m pretty sure that I have ovulated etc.

I am aware of what it is I was hoping for some other stories of ppl who may have had implantation bleeding and could shed some light on how long there’s lasted how heavy it was etc and whether I am in a position to be cautiously optimistic or be ready to have my dreams shattered for another month.

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply.