period during pregnancy?

[Ms.RN]

one of my co-worker told me that when somebody she knew was pregnant she had period every month during her entire pregnancy. is that possible? i've never been pregnant and i just know what i've learned in school and i havent heard such a thing.

[amymina]

During my pregnancies I didn't have it, but I had a friend that did every month and didn't know she was pregnant till she was five months along with her first child. It can happen, but isn't the norm.

[HappyMeNow]

I don't think that's possible. She could experience spotting which occurs in pregnancy, and with that she should be getting it checked out to see if the fetus is okay.

[qt2168]

You can have spotting that you mistake for a period but not actually a physical period.

[TwilightRNurse]

It's not possible for a young pregnant woman to have periods. Periods come about because an egg is not fertilized/implanted after ovulation so the uterus sheds the uterine lining in preparation for the following months ovulation.

If a woman bleeds during pregnancy it is not a period and it is not normal and should be checked immediately by a physician. Some bleeding does occur during pregnancy and does not necessarily mean something serious is wrong but it's always prudent to let the doctor determine that.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

I have heard from 2 people that this is what they experienced - normal periods all thru their pregnancies. No kidding. I am being for real.

[nursejoy1, ASN, RN]

I know of at least one woman who had light "periods"- more than spotting less than a normal period throughout her entire pregnancy. OB checked her thoroughly and said they could find nothing wrong and baby was very healthy at birth up to present. This was years ago. My sis also had almost normal "periods" for the first 4 or 5 months with her second child and therefore did not know until she was 5 months. Baby was born healthy

[Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP]

If she had a didelphic uterus, it could be possible. But that's pretty rare. I think I've seen it twice in almost 5 years.

[HJS27]

It IS possible to have what appears to be a normal "period" each month during a normal pregnancy. However, it is not an actual menstrual period. It is called decidual bleeding. It may be harmless, but ANY bleeding during pregnancy should be evaluated.

[JBudd, MSN]

I had a lady come in with back pain, thought she was about 4 months along, 1st prenatal was to be the next week. She said, it feels like it did when I was in labor, I have irregular periods anyway, and I bled through the whole pregnancy last time. The ER doc checked her, said she was dilated and term, but I had to argue with L&D to even look at her "she can't be delivering if she had a period 4 months ago!". Wanna bet? Delivered an 8 pound boy 2 hours later.

[sunluvarn]

Yep definately can happen... my mum had normal periods all the way through her pregnancy with me, and I had normal periods for 5 months with my first and 4 months with the second. It runs in our family apparently - my gran and aunt experienced the same!

[TwilightRNurse]

Women can have lady partsl bleeding while pregnant but it is impossible to have a true period and remain pregnant at the same time. If you were pregnant and you began menstruating you would inevitably have a miscarriage.

While you cannot have your period and continue to be pregnant at the same time you can experience lady partsl bleeding and continue to be pregnant. It is often this lady partsl bleeding that women believe is their menstrual cycle when it is not.