Pregnancy-like symptoms during your period: could you still be pregnant?

If you’ve got your period but still feel pregnant, it’s confusing. Some bleeding in early pregnancy can look like a light period, so it’s worth knowing what to look out for.

Can you bleed and still be pregnant?

Yes. Around the time their period is due, some people have a bleed similar to a very light period, with some spotting or only a little blood. This is often called implantation bleeding, though it isn’t certain that implantation is what causes it. Tommy’s says this kind of bleeding shouldn’t be enough to soak through pads or underwear.

Bleeding in early pregnancy can also have other causes, including:

changes in the blood vessels of your cervix
an infection
a miscarriage, including a very early one (see what is a chemical pregnancy?)
an ectopic pregnancy, where the pregnancy grows outside the womb

Sometimes no cause is found. Bleeding in pregnancy isn’t always serious, but if you could be pregnant, it’s always worth getting checked.

Is it my period?

A period usually lasts between 2 and 7 days, often about 5. The bleeding tends to be heaviest in the first 2 days, and most people lose about 20 to 90ml of blood, about 1 to 5 tablespoons, over the whole period.

It’s more likely to be a normal period if:

it comes around when you expected it
the flow is what’s normal for you, heaviest in the first couple of days
it lasts your usual number of days
your pre-period symptoms ease once it starts

When it might not be a period

It’s worth taking a test if:

the bleeding is much lighter or shorter than usual, or is just spotting
it came at an unexpected time
you still feel sick, very tired or have sore breasts after the bleeding stops

For how spotting in early pregnancy compares with a period, see implantation bleeding.

Some signs need urgent advice. Contact your GP or call NHS 111 straight away if you might be pregnant and have a combination of these: tummy pain low down on one side, vaginal bleeding or a brown watery discharge, pain in the tip of your shoulder, or discomfort when peeing or pooing. Do this even if you haven’t had a positive test. These can be signs of an ectopic pregnancy.

What about hormonal contraception?

If you use the combined pill, patch or ring, you’ll usually have bleeding like a period in your break, or while taking dummy pills. Guidance from the College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (CoSRH, formerly the FSRH) says this bleed does not represent a real period, and has no health benefit. It happens because of the break from hormones.

Progestogen-only methods, like the progestogen-only pill, the injection and the hormonal coil (IUS), can make bleeding irregular or lighter, or stop it. And if you’ve just stopped hormonal contraception, you may have a withdrawal bleed within a few days or weeks, which is lighter than a period and isn’t caused by ovulation.

If you’ve missed pills or think your contraception may have failed, take a test at least 21 days after the sex, whether or not you’ve had a bleed.

What to do

If the bleed was lighter or shorter than usual, or just spotting, take a test now. If it’s negative and you still don’t have a normal period, test again a few days later.
If the test is positive and you’ve had any bleeding, contact your maternity unit, an early pregnancy unit or NHS 111 to get it checked.
If you’ve had two negative tests and your period still hasn’t come properly, speak to your GP.
Make a note of when the bleeding started, how heavy it is and whether you have any pain. You’ll be asked about your symptoms.

Some early tests can be used from 5 days before your period is due (the packet may say ‘6 days before your missed period’), but they won’t pick up every pregnancy that early. Testing from the day your period is due is more reliable, though a negative can still be wrong if there isn’t enough hCG yet. If your period doesn’t come, test again a few days later.

See feeling pregnant but testing negative if your tests keep coming back negative.

Questions people ask

Can you have a period and still get a positive test?

Some people have bleeding in early pregnancy that looks like a light period, and then get a positive test. If that happens, get the bleeding checked by your maternity unit, an early pregnancy unit or NHS 111.

How much bleeding is common in early pregnancy?

Light spotting or a small amount of blood. Tommy’s says it shouldn’t be enough to soak through pads or underwear. If you could be pregnant, get any bleeding checked. Call 999 if the bleeding is heavy, soaking a pad soon after you put it on.

Can you be on the pill, have a bleed and be pregnant?

It’s possible if your contraception has failed, for example if you’ve missed pills. CoSRH guidance says the bleed in your pill break isn’t a real period. If you’ve missed pills or think your contraception may have failed, take a test, even if you’ve had a bleed.

I had a normal period but still feel pregnant. Should I test?

You can if it would put your mind at rest. A normal period for you makes pregnancy unlikely, and if a test is also negative, your symptoms are much more likely to be PMS or something else. See pregnancy or PMS? If you’re still worried, test again a few days later or talk to your GP.

When to get help

Mild cramps that ease with rest are usually nothing to worry about. But if you’re pregnant, or think you could be, get urgent advice from your maternity unit, an early pregnancy unit or NHS 111 if you have:

any bleeding or spotting, even if it’s light
tummy pain that’s severe, on one side, or hasn’t eased after resting for 30 to 60 minutes
pain in the tip of your shoulder

Call 999 if you have bleeding along with severe tummy pain, pain in your shoulder, or feeling sick, faint or dizzy, or if the bleeding is heavy (soaking a pad soon after putting it on). Also call 999 if you have sudden, sharp and intense tummy pain and you feel very dizzy or faint, feel sick or look very pale. These can be signs of an ectopic pregnancy or a miscarriage that need treating straight away.