Implantation is an essential early stage of conception when cells attach to the uterine wall. Signs of implantation include bleeding, cramps, discharge, and breast tenderness. These can be early signs of pregnancy.
The phrase “getting pregnant” gets tossed around as if it’s a simple one-step process. But there are a ton of tiny, amazing things that need to happen in your body to result in pregnancy.
After conception – when the egg and sperm join, the rapidly dividing ball of cells, called a blastocyst, travels through the fallopian tube and into the uterus. Once there, the bundle of cells embeds in the wall of the uterus. This process is called implantation.
Read on for more information about when implantation happens and how to know if implantation has occurred.
Implantation takes place anywhere between 6 and 12 days after you ovulate. It most commonly occurs around day 6 after conception. So, the exact date of implantation can depend on when you ovulated and whether conception occurred early or late in the ovulation window.
Let’s explore some symptoms you might notice if implantation has occurred.
Having the symptoms listed below doesn’t necessarily mean you’re pregnant — and having no symptoms doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not.
It’s a little unclear how common implantation bleeding is. Some sources claim that one-third of all women who become pregnant experience implantation bleeding, but this isn’t backed by peer-reviewed research.
Up to 25% of women experience bleeding or spotting in the first trimester — and implantation is one cause of first-trimester bleeding.
This bleeding can be confusing because it may happen around the time your period would start. Most commonly, though, it will occur a few days to a week before you expect your menstrual period.
Other differences can help you determine whether you are experiencing implantation bleeding or your period:
- implantation bleeding is most likely to be light pink or brown (as opposed to the bright or dark red of your period)
- implantation bleeding is more like spotting than an actual flow of blood
This spotting may occur once, last for a few hours, or up to 3 days. You may notice some pink or brown discharge when you wipe or on your underwear, but you won’t need a full pad or tampon — possibly not for many months!
Early pregnancy causes a rapid shift of hormones. More specifically, implantation triggers the hormone surge — that’s why you can’t get that second pink line on a home pregnancy test until after implantation.
And the changing hormonal tide can also cause cramping. Furthermore, a lot is going on in your uterus as the fertilized egg implants and begins to grow.
While there’s no research indicating that implantation itself causes cramps, some women do feel abdominal tenderness, lower back pain, or cramping around the time of implantation — like a mild version of how you feel before your period starts.
If you monitor your cervical mucus, you may notice some changes around the time of implantation.
During ovulation, your cervical mucus will be clear, stretchy, and slippery (sort of like egg whites). You probably already know this as your green light to get your baby dance on.
After implantation occurs, your mucus might have a thicker, “gummier” texture and be clear or white.
In the days of early pregnancy, rising progesterone and estrogen may cause your mucus to become even thicker, more profuse, and white or yellow.
However, cervical mucus can be affected by a number of things like:
- hormones
- stress
- intercourse
- pregnancy
- implantation bleeding
- your period
This is why cervical mucus may not always be a reliable indicator of whether or not implantation has occurred.
Starting to track your cervical mucus while you’re not pregnant may be a more useful indicator because you can tell if it changes from your typical mucus during each stage of your cycle.
Rising progesterone (which happens in early pregnancy) slows your digestive system down. This can make you feel bloated. But as so many of us know, this feeling can be a really common symptom of your period, too. That’s because progesterone also rises when your period is imminent.
After implantation,
Arguably the most famous of the early pregnancy symptoms is nausea, aka “morning sickness” (though it can happen at any time of day).
Increased levels of progesterone following implantation can make you feel nauseous. But again, this occurs around 4 or 5 weeks of pregnancy (about the time you miss your period).
Progesterone slows down digestion, which can contribute to nausea. Rising hCG levels and a more sensitive sense of smell can make the problem worse.
While they’re good and necessary for a successful pregnancy, those wildly rising hormone levels (particularly progesterone) can also give you headaches following implantation.
Estrogen and progesterone, as well as hCG, increase very quickly following implantation. This can make you feel “off” or moodier than usual.
“Implantation dip” refers to a one-day decrease in basal body temperature that can occur after implantation.
If you’ve been tracking your basal body temperature (BBT) to help identify your most fertile days, you likely already have a log of your daily BBT over the past few months.
Typically, your temperature is lower before ovulation, increases, and then drops again before your period starts. If you are pregnant, your temperature remains elevated.
However, some women seem to experience a one-day drop in temperature around the time of implantation. This is different from the drop in temperature that means their period is coming — in the case of an imminent period, their temperature would stay low.
In the case of implantation dip, your temperature drops for one day and then goes back up. This might be due to a rise in estrogen, but it’s not entirely understood.
Some women do notice signs and symptoms that implantation has occurred. Signs may include light bleeding, cramping, nausea, bloating, sore breasts, headaches, changes in mood, and possibly a change in basal body temperature.
But many of these signs are very similar to PMS. Additionally, most women experience no signs of implantation at all and are, in fact, pregnant.
The best way to know for sure if you’re pregnant is to take an at-home pregnancy test or call your doctor. (Keep in mind that even if you have implantation symptoms, it takes a few days for enough hCG to build up to turn a test positive.)
