How Long Does Breakthrough Bleeding Last?

When a woman has breakthrough bleeding, she’ll get worried that something is wrong with her baby. Thankfully, breakthrough bleeding is nothing to be concerned about and it can happen to any woman.

How Long Does Breakthrough Bleeding Last?

The main issue with trying to pinpoint the length of breakthrough bleeding is that it doesn’t occur in every woman. In fact, breakthrough bleeding can occur when:

* A woman gets pregnant.

* A woman is on birth control or other forms of contraception.

If you look at the definition of this term, you will find breakthrough bleeding defined as: bleeding that occurs between menstrual cycles.

Technically speaking, any blood from the vagina can be breakthrough bleeding – even if you’re not pregnant. This abnormal bleeding is normally caused by birth control. What occurs is that the pills do not contain enough estrogen to stop the woman from bleeding. Most contraceptives will increase the estrogen levels in the body so that a woman’s egg never actually has the chance to drop resulting in her not being able to get pregnant.

If you’re on the pill and bleeding, the amount of blood will normally be little and experienced through spotting. However, some women will have a heavier bleed that is a lot like a normal period. In most cases, this bleeding will go away on its own and is not a major concern at all.

The time you should be concerned is if the heavy bleeding persists and will not slow down. If this is the case, you need to be evaluated as quickly as possible. Breakthrough bleeding can last hours to months depending on the cause.

The only time when bleeding for months will occur is when your body gets accustomed to the pill, so it will be on and off and normally very light.

Ovulation is another cause of breakthrough bleeding. Some women will suffer from slight blood loss when they ovulate. A small amount of blood may be experienced as the follicle breaks free. And this is normal and nothing to be concerned about.

Women that are trying to get pregnant will be happy to know that if blood does occur, it can be that the egg has been fertilized. For some women, when the egg is fertilized, bleeding will occur when implantation occurs. This happens when the fertilized egg is implanted into the uterine lining.

So how long does breakthrough bleeding last? There really isn’t a good answer.

If you’ve been trying to get pregnant and you’ve had some bleeding, it may have been caused by intercourse or implantation may have occurred. In this case, you will only bleed for a day or two in most cases. A pregnancy test is recommended if you’ve been trying to conceive and noticed spotting or bleeding.

Women that are on new medications or are on new forms of birth control should consult with their doctor if they have breakthrough bleeding. Hormone imbalances can cause bleeding outside of your menstrual cycle and will need to be monitored to ensure that hormone levels return to adequate levels.

Thanks to JOJO