Scarleteen

I have seen many claims on the internet that people do not know they are pregnant till its too late. If someone gets regular periods could they mistake spotting for period?

Hi Chacha,

While some people do experience bleeding during pregnancy, it's unlikely that it will happen at the same time they're expecting a period or that it will look and feel like the periods they're used to. If a person is getting something that looks and feels like a period that's arriving when they're expecting it, they can assume that's their period. That being said, if someone is worried they may be pregnant, the only way to know is to take a test.

So pregnancy spotting doesn’t happen at regular intervals?

Not like a period does, no. And keep in mind that most pregnant people won't experience decidual bleeding (which is one of the things that leads to the myth that a pregnant person can keep having periods). But, again, if someone is worried they may be pregnant, the way to know for certain is to take a test.

Too, it sounds like you have some anxiety around pregnancy. Have you and your partner talked about that at all, or talked about doing only things that don't pose a pregnancy risk?

Yes we did. Thank you for your advi e

You're welcome!