Can You Feel Implantation Cramps in Early Pregnancy?
Medically reviewed by Andrea Chisholm, MD FACOGMedically reviewed by Andrea Chisholm, MD FACOG
It's a few days before your period, and you feel mild cramping in your lower abdomen. If you're trying to get pregnant, those twinges may leave you wondering if you're experiencing PMS or implantation cramps, which can indicate that a fertilized egg is implanting in your uterine lining.
Not everyone feels implantation cramps, and they have zero impact on the health of your pregnancy. Here, we break down how you can distinguish between implantation cramps and menstrual cramps. You'll also learn what implanting cramping feels like, how long it usually lasts, and more.
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What Are Implantation Cramps?
Implantation cramps are muscle cramps that sometimes accompany the implantation of a fertilized egg in the uterine lining, which signals the start of a pregnancy, says Jingwen Hou, MD, PhD, an OB-GYN specializing in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Kaiser Permanente in Hawaii.
These cramps can feel like a twinge of discomfort or mild period cramps. Sometimes, implantation cramps are accompanied by light pink or brown spotting, but you can also have implantation bleeding without cramps.
How Does Implantation Work?
Here's a quick biology lesson: During ovulation, one of your ovaries releases a mature egg into your fallopian tubes. If you have sex during your "fertile window" (the day of ovulation and the five days beforehand), the egg could become fertilized by sperm, implant in the uterine lining, and form a pregnancy.
What Do Implantation Cramps Feel Like?
The sensation is different from person to person, but implantation cramping might feel like this:
Light pulling
Tingling
Dull aching
Prickling
Implantation cramps can feel very similar to menstrual cramps, but they tend to be milder in intensity. The sensation may come and go or last for one to two days before disappearing.
Where Do You Feel Implantation Cramps?
Implantation cramps are commonly felt in the same location as menstrual cramps. They might manifest in the following areas:
Lower back
Lower abdomen
Pelvis
Although only one of your ovaries releases an egg, the cramping is caused by its implantation in the uterus—so you can expect to feel it more in the middle of your body than on just one side.
Implantation Cramps vs. Period Cramps
While implantation cramps might feel similar to menstrual cramps, they aren't the same thing. Implantation cramping happens when a fertilized egg implants in the uterine lining. Period cramps, on the other hand, happen during your monthly menstrual period, as the uterine muscles contract. Also, implantation cramps usually result in a positive pregnancy test, while menstrual cramps don't.
When Does Implantation Cramping Occur?
A newly fertilized egg generally takes anywhere from six to 10 days to implant itself in the uterus after ovulation. But since every person's menstrual cycle is a different length, it's hard to say exactly when you might experience implantation cramps.
Generally, if you have a regular menstrual cycle, you can expect to feel implantation cramps about four to eight days before your next period. (The average length of time between ovulation and menstruation is about 14 days, so if implantation happens six to 10 days after ovulation, that leaves you with a timeframe of four to eight days before your period hits.)
Again, this is assuming you have an average 28-day menstrual cycle, which doesn’t apply to everyone. If your cycle is shorter or longer than 28 days, it will affect the timing of implantation.
How Long Do Implantation Cramps Last?
The duration of implantation cramping varies from person to person but doesn't last longer than a few days. Some people experience a few minor twinges over a few hours or the course of a day. On the other end of the spectrum, some experience intermittent cramping that comes and goes over one to three days.
What If I Don't Have Implantation Cramps?
Having no implantation cramps doesn’t mean that you’re not pregnant or that something has gone wrong with the implantation process. Some people simply don’t feel them or don’t realize what they're experiencing. If you’re trying to conceive, there’s no reason to think that pregnancy is any less likely to occur if you don’t feel any implantation cramps.
How Common Are Implantation Cramps?
No one knows for sure—only that some people notice them and others don’t. It’s more likely that you’ll observe implantation cramps if you’ve been trying to conceive; the anticipation can make you hyper-aware of the early symptoms of pregnancy.
On the other hand, people who aren’t expecting to become pregnant may feel implantation cramping and not give it a second thought. They're due to start their period within the next week, so they might dismiss their mild cramping as premenstrual symptoms.
And, of course, some people won’t feel implantation cramping at all.
What If Implantation Cramps Are Painful?
If your implantation cramping is affecting your day, you can try applying a heating pad or taking acetaminophen. (Although you don’t know for sure if you’re pregnant yet, acetaminophen is the safest OTC pain reliever to take while expecting, so choose it if you really want to be on the safe side.)
However, it’s important to note that implantation cramping shouldn’t be debilitating. If your pain is severe, accompanied by other worrying symptoms like heavy bleeding or fever, or is only occurring intensely on one side of your body, you should contact your health care provider. It could be a sign of early miscarriage, an ectopic pregnancy, or an ovarian cyst.
Don’t Ignore Sharp and Radiating Pain
Visit a doctor if cramps are sharp and radiate throughout your pelvis and abdomen. This may signal ectopic pregnancy, which means the embryo is implanted outside of the uterus. Ectopic pregnancy may also involve vaginal bleeding, shoulder pain, dizziness, and weakness. This type of pregnancy is not viable and can become a life-threatening emergency for the pregnant person if it goes untreated.
Are There Other Signs of Implantation?
A few early pregnancy symptoms might occur around the same time (or shortly after) you experience implantation cramping, including the following:
Implantation bleeding (light spotting)
Breast tenderness
Dizziness
Fatigue
Food cravings or aversions
Headache
Moodiness
Nausea
Here’s where things get really tricky. The early signs of pregnancy can overlap with premenstrual symptoms. That can make it tough to tell exactly what’s happening since both scenarios often cause fatigue, mood swings, cravings, and sore breasts.
Be patient, because at this point in your cycle, making any assumptions about your symptoms could lead to unnecessary stress, anxiety, or disappointment. You can take a pregnancy test after missing your period.
When to Take a Pregnancy Test
If you have cramping that isn't associated with your period, it may be implantation cramping. It's wise to take a home pregnancy test, though Dr. Hou notes that at the time of implantation cramping, it's likely still too early to get an accurate result.
Home pregnancy tests work by detecting human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in urine. This is a hormone produced by your body during pregnancy, but in the very early stages, it only exists in small amounts.
Home pregnancy tests are most accurate if taken after a missed period because, at that point, enough hCG should be present in your urine for a positive test result if implantation has occurred.
Additional reporting by Sarah Bradley
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