A few weeks ago you had a positive pregnancy test. Maybe your period was late , and maybe you've already visited the doctor to confirm that the two lines are telling a true story. Now you go to the toilet, and on the toilet paper you notice a little bleeding or discharge that looks like it's stained with blood. What is it?

Spotting during pregnancy can be uncomfortable, as it's not what you expect to see. But in most cases, spotting or pink or brown discharge in early pregnancy is quite normal and completely harmless. Read on to learn more about spotting in early pregnancy, when to be completely calm, and when to see a doctor if you experience bleeding during your pregnancy.

Spotting in early pregnancy

Many pregnant women experience spotting or colored discharge early in their pregnancy. There is no real explanation for why this happens, and there is also no way to control whether you will bleed or not. It may help to take it easy if you experience light bleeding - it is not your fault, you have done nothing wrong, and there is nothing you can do to prevent it <3

Instead, take it easy and breathe deeply - spotting is usually completely okay in early pregnancy, and there is typically no need to sound the alarm. In fact, one in four women experience light spotting early in their pregnancy. If you need to get clarity about your situation and condition, you can of course always contact your doctor - the most important thing is that you feel safe.

Heavy bleeding during your pregnancy

If, on the other hand, you suddenly experience large, heavy, menstrual-like bleeding during your pregnancy - whether at the beginning of your pregnancy or later - which may also be accompanied by pain, you should contact a doctor, the hospital or the Emergency Line 1813 immediately. This may be a sign that you are about to miscarry or are experiencing other complications that should be seen by a doctor as soon as possible.

False menstruation in early pregnancy

In addition to the spotting that you may experience at the beginning of your pregnancy, you may also experience a “false” period. It may be that you have not yet discovered that you are pregnant and think that you are simply having your period, or that you have tested positive on a pregnancy test, felt pregnancy symptoms and suddenly experience menstrual-like symptoms and bleeding. Such a situation is not pleasant, and it is easy to become confused and perhaps even affected by the contrasting conditions and symptoms - physical and psychological.

A false period at the beginning of pregnancy is also called implantation bleeding. It can occur when the fertilized egg attaches itself to the uterine lining. And if it happens before you have a positive pregnancy test, the bleeding can help hide the fact that you are pregnant because you experience period-like symptoms even though you are actually pregnant.

Learn more about your body

Both a menstruating and a pregnant body are a whole science. And at Flow, we believe that the best thing we can do for ourselves is to learn more about our bodies and thereby get to know ourselves better. This can create security within ourselves - because if we are aware of what our bodies do, can do, what symptoms we experience, and what lies behind them, we can reassure ourselves much better because we understand what they come from and mean. This also applies if you are pregnant and experience bleeding.

We hope this post has helped you learn more about yourself and your body. If you want to delve even deeper into the amazing female body, you can check out our Journal, where we write posts that delve into topics related to menstruation.

We are glad you are here <3