Implantation bleeding and cramping takes place when a blastocyst becomes embedded in the walls of the uterus. It proceeds to dig deep into said walls, which are composed of an intricate network of capillaries through which blood flow. When the embryo becomes attached to the walls of the uterus, many of these capillaries become ruptured, resulting in heavy bleeding, which can in turn give rise to many complications in the body.
The bleeding usually tends to manifest itself in the form of a stain or a smear on one’s panties. The colour of the stain can range from brown to pink. Brown stains will be comparatively less in quantity than red or pink smears, since the colour of the discharge is dependent upon the time taken by the flow of blood to reach the cervical opening or the vaginal opening. The darkness of the stain is directly proportional to the time taken to for the blood to reach the opening, with the brownest stains being the oldest.
The danger lies in the fact that many women confuse such discharges with their regular occurrences of menstruation, and many others start to worry, concocting wild miscarriage-related scenarios. However, such bleeding can also occur due to factors such as stress, vaginal infections, anal outflows or friction, thus making a proper check necessary to determine the actual cause.
A good way to tell whether the bleeding is due to a miscarriage or regular implantation bleeding and cramping is actually by the cramps themselves. Even without the onset of bleeding, the cramps can nonetheless appear. They primarily occur after the first stage of the blastocyte’s implantation to the wall of the uterus is complete. Here, it should be noted that the first stage entails the blastocyte reaching the uterine wall, and the second stage entails the embedding of the blastocyte to said wall. As the blastocyte makes contact and subsequently drills into the uterine walls, the womb muscles undergo involuntary contraction, which are registered as cramps.
Unlike cramps related to miscarriage, these cramps are far less intense, usually not much different from cramps women usually experience during menstruation. These cramps usually last for one to two days at a stretch, although longer durations are usually unheard of in these cases. However, in case of miscarriages, the cramps are noticeably more violent and can last for more than two days at a time.
Some other factors which can be used to tell the difference between the bleeding caused by implantation and the bleeding caused by anything else is the quantity of discharged blood. Just like the cramps, the quantity of blood in these cases will be very low, much less than even the flow that occurs during normal menstruation, not to mention the heavy discharge which can be caused by a potential miscarriage. Also, this bleeding does not have any significant effect on the embryo or blastocyte.
Implantation bleeding and cramping can be considered a solid indicator for pregnancy by individuals who are capable of interpreting the symptoms accurately.