Are you trying to conceive? It might feel like it is ages when your ovulation time arrives and when you can try a home pregnancy test.
In the initial stages, when you are just four weeks pregnant it is difficult to get an accurate test done. One of the symptoms that most women look out for is implantation.
Implantation cramping can hint towards a possible pregnancy and can be really troublesome too. Implantation cramping is nothing to worry about as it is absolutely normal.
What Is Implantation Cramping?
Pregnancy symptoms for each woman are different. Not every woman experience implantation cramping. Implantation cramping is experienced when the fertilized egg implants itself. Implantation cramps are not severe and are nothing to worry about. You will experience it in the lower abdominal region particularly in the area the fertilized egg embeds itself to wall of uterus.
This pain lingers for one or two days accompanied by light spotting. When you notice that you feel cramps, but no period or just some slight spotting, then you should go for a pregnancy test after waiting for a few days. There are high chances that you might be in for good news.
When Does Implantation Cramping Occur?
Implantation cramp occurs when the implantation takes place in the womb. Cramping is experienced as soon as implantation occurs six to 12 days after ovulation. This can occur 12 days after you ovulation and your periods are usually 14 days after ovulation. It is no wonder women confuse implantation cramping with period cramping.
Implantation cramping is believed to be a natural way of finding out the good news of being an expectant mother. This way of finding out has been there even when pregnancy tests didn’t even exist. They can make you nervous and happy at the same time.
What Does Implantation Cramping Feel Like?
This cramping is a lot like the cramps you experience right before or during your menstruation. This is what makes it confusing as to whether it is your period or a sign of successful implantation. Generally, cramping due to implantation is mild compared to period cramps and goes away either in few hours or a day or two.
It is a pricking and pulling sensation that you experience in you lower abdomen about a week before your period is due. When the fertilized egg implants itself in the uterine wall, it sheds some part of the wall causing a little bleeding and cramps. While some women just get to face a single episode of it, others have occasional bouts of cramps that come and go for few days.
When women say they felt something right after conception, they are telling the truth. Cramping can occur right after conception occurs as the fertilized egg implants on the uterine wall.
Implantation Cramps or PMS Cramps?
If you have been making efforts to conceive for a long time and you begin to feel cramping, you might get disappointed thinking it is PMS abdominal contractions when it could be implantation spasms. Taking note of timing is very important. Implantation usually happens six to twelve days after you conceive. This is the time when most women are expecting their next periods.
If you notice pink or brown blood around the time when your period is due along with cramping, then it is probably implantation bleeding and cramping. If you have not conceived in the last few months, it is only impossible that the spotting is implantation bleeding and the cramps you are experiencing are implantation cramps.
How to Find Relief from Implantation Cramping?
Keep in mind that you don’t have to take pain killers for these cramps as they are short lived. It won’t continue for more than three days. Here are some of the ways you can find relief from implantation cramping:
- Sitting down may be helpful.
- You can also lie down and elevate your feet to ease your pain.
- If you feel pain when you sleep, just shift to the other side to ease the cramps.
- Make sure you remain well hydrated along with taking plenty of rest.
- Meditation and yoga can also prove to be fruitful.
Other Symptoms of Implantation
Implantation is also accompanied by bleeding or spotting. Implantation bleeding happens to be the earliest sign of pregnancy. You will notice it even before morning sickness. On average, one out of every three women experiences bleeding as a result of implantation. Many women confuse it as periods, but it is really light in flow and continues only for few hours or days.
Implantation results in light spotting that does no harm to the baby and you are going to have a perfectly normal pregnancy, even if you experience implantation spotting which is brown or light pink discharge. This bleeding usually takes places six to twelve days after fertilization and ovulation occurs.
Heavy implantation bleeding with clots can be a sign of miscarriage too. Don’t ignore and take professional help immediately.
Other signs of early pregnancy include mood swings, nausea, frequent urination, breast changes and fatigue. These symptoms start showing up at about six to eight weeks of pregnancy.
When to Take the Pregnancy Test
In order to confirm that you are actually pregnant, implantation bleeding is not enough. you need to get a pregnancy test done. The tests you do at home measures hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) in your urine while the one doctor does measures it in your blood. Take a pregnancy test one week after you have missed your period.
When to See a Doctor
You might also experience severe cramping that might continue for more than several days. It is better to see a doctor. It is mostly due to expansion of uterus or gas issues. However, cramps in your stomach could actually tell a different story like UTI (urinary tract infection), kidney stones, miscarriage, preeclampsia or appendicitis. Even certain foods can result in cramps.
It is best to keep noting down your symptoms and then tell your doctor about it. it will help the doctor tell you whether it is just a normal pregnancy pain or something else. See a doctor right away if your cramps don’t go away or they come with other symptoms like unusual vaginal discharge, chills, fever, vomiting, weakness, pain or burning when urinating.
[ref]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3113504/[/ref]
[ref]http://umm.edu/health/medical/ency/carepoints/vaginal-bleeding-in-early-pregnancy[/ref]