Oh dear.  Spotting before your period – what does it mean?  Your period is not due for at least another week, but you have found a little blood or pink or brown discharge that isn’t followed by normal flow bleeding. This is spotting and tends to always lead to your heart skipping a beat.

What does it mean? Illness? Too much Indian food? Or… you might be pregnant….  Seriously?

Breathe….exhale.

Spotting Before Your Period Can Be an Early Sign of Pregnancy

If you had sex while you were ovulating (that is, when your egg was released from your ovaries about 10 days after your period ended and about 2 weeks before your next period is due) then spotting could be a sign that you are pregnant. Spotting sometimes occurs when the fertilized egg implants itself into the wall of your uterus. This would typically occur 3-5 days after having unprotected sex. Your uterus is lined with nourishing blood for the growing baby and some of this blood can be expelled at implantation. Implantation is a necessary step in pregnancy and allows mom’s body to start nourishing the growing baby.

Not All Women Experience Spotting

However, not all pregnant women experience spotting, and in fact few do. If you experience spotting and your period does not follow a week or so later, of if you’re concerned about what it means, it’s time to see a doctor and take a test to find out if you could be pregnant. (Don’t we all just love the pee stick test.  Ugh.)  Spotting could mean nothing and could be just a minor blip in your menstrual cycle.  As always, if you have any concerns about your menstrual cycle or any other aspect of your body’s normal functioning, it is best to consult your doctor.  (After searching for endless hours on the web, of course.)

A wise course is to try and eliminate as much stress as you can from your routine, and take even better care of yourself. Whether you do turn out to be pregnant or not, your body will cherish the nurturing. We’d love to hear your story in the comment section – did you experience spotting that indicated you were pregnant? (Two of our writers did, as well as our publisher). You can always use these strips to track ovulation, and also use a health app so that you always have an accurate picture of what timing is like for your own body.

Good luck! And for extra information, read our other articles like Very Early Signs of Pregnancy, Signs of Implantation and Implantation Pain articles.  You might also check the top reasons for a late period.