Implantation occurs when a fertilized egg attaches itself to uterine lining. This is an onset of pregnancy and is often characterized by an implantation pain.
If you have been trying for conception, you might be familiar with terms such as ovulation, implantation etc. To make your attempts for conception successful it is a must that you get acquainted with your reproductive system. Menstrual cycle is a very crucial aspect of your reproductive health. The length, duration, ovulation time etc., have a significant impact upon your chances of conception.
What Causes Implantation Pain?
Before going into the details of implantation, you may want to get yourself familiar with your menstrual cycle. Female menstrual cycle can be divided into two phases: follicular and luteal. During the follicular phase, the follicles inside the ovaries begin to grow under the influence of certain hormones. Every month, only a single follicle reaches maturity and is expelled in the form of ovum or egg. This event is called ovulation. Ovulation occurs around 13th – 14th day of a normal 28 day cycle. However, depending upon the usual length of your cycle, this time may vary anywhere between the 10th day and the 20th day.
In the absence of a sperm, the egg gets disintegrated into corpus luteum and is discharged during menstrual flow. However, when a sperm manages to fertilize an egg, your body begins to prepare for a possible pregnancy. The fertilized egg soon begins its growth from a diploid structure to a multicellular mass called zygote. The zygote then begins its journey downward towards the uterus. By this time, the uterus becomes enriched with blood vessels and tissue, in order to create an ideal growth environment for the zygote. The zygote then burrows itself inside the uterine lining where it starts further growth as an embryo. The act of attachment of a zygote to the uterine lining is called implantation. This act may sometimes trigger short pain inside the abdomen.
Differentiating Implantation Pain
Implantation occurs around 7 to 12 days post ovulation. If you are in a habit of monitoring your ovulation, then you can easily identify implantation pain from other cramping. Generally, you may experience pain on one side about 1 week before your impending period. However, if you routinely get abdominal cramps as a part of PMS, then it may become difficult for you to know when the pain is due to implantation and when it is due to PMS. Nonetheless, there is one sign that definitely sets implantation pain apart from other PMS signs and that is implantation bleeding. Implantation pain is more often than not accompanied with implantation bleeding. It is either brownish in color or pink. So, in case you see similar spotting a week before your period is due, you can be sure of implantation. However, many women mistake this for an early period and get disappointed thinking that they failed to conceive. Remember, implantation bleeding is very light and rarely anything like your regular period. Hence, make sure you make no mistake in identifying your early signs of pregnancy.
Implantation spotting is rarely a cause of concern. Besides, there is not much you can do about it. The pain is often tolerable, so that no medication or treatment is required. Usually, it subsides within a day or two. If your period does not arrive on the due date, you can indeed take a pregnancy test on the same day. More likely than not, you will be greeted with a positive pregnancy test!
Very few women actually experience implantation pain or bleeding. Most women will be oblivious to the fact that they have conceived until they actually miss their period. Women on fertility drugs are more likely to experience this condition due to a larger size of the egg. They may also experience ovulation pain more prominently than other women for the same reason.
