Does Implantation Spotting Really Exist?

Posted on September 30th, 2011. Written by Countdown to Pregnancy.

After weeks and weeks of working closely with my statistical analyst (who now knows far more about the menstrual cycle than I’m sure he wanted, and more than most women!) we’ve come to some conclusions.

The simple answer is – yes and no… :) Implantation spotting does exist but it is not nearly as common as you may have once thought. There is a lot of literature out there that claims that implantation spotting is “very common” or “easy to identify”. A lot of this information is vague and not based on statistics. Also much of the information gets mixed in with spotting or bleeding during early pregnancy so the numbers are skewed or inflated.

We have put together the facts as our data tells us, based on the information collected on the site as submitted by our users. Our data and analysis is focused ONLY on spotting during the luteal period (the time from ovulation until your expected period). We analyzed spotting patterns and the probability of pregnancy. You may be surprised, but certainly enlightened by our discoveries!

The full study: Spotting During the Luteal Phase and the Effect on the Probability of Pregnancy
Includes graph, table, analysis and statistics.

Hopefully this will help you to understand more fully the meaning and impact of spotting during the luteal phase. My hope is that the term “implantation spotting” won’t be tossed around so much as the reason for any spotting after ovulation! :)

I’ve also put together a neat little calculator based on the results of the study. Use the POP & Luteal Phase Spotting Calculator to calculate your probability of pregnancy (%) based on any recent luteal phase spotting.

Best wishes and baby dust to all! x