While a missed period is the classic first sign of pregnancy, many women continue to experience vaginal bleeding while pregnant. If you’re experiencing period-like bleeding alongside other pregnancy symptoms you may be asking, "Can you get your period and still be pregnant?”

The simple answer is no: you can’t have a true period and be pregnant at the same time.

You can’t have a period while pregnant because a period is the result of a failure to conceive. This means that during your menstrual cycle, you didn’t have a fertilized egg implant on the walls of your uterus.

The extra uterine lining that your body created that month, to prepare for a possible pregnancy, sheds and leaves your body through menstrual bleeding,leading to your period. If you are pregnant, then pregnancy hormones will help your body retain this lining to support a healthy pregnancy, and menstrual bleeding won’t take place.

If you can’t be pregnant and menstruating at the same time, why do so many women report having a period for months only to find out they’re actually pregnant? Here are a few reasons you may bleed during pregnancy:

Spotting or light bleeding is normal during pregnancy

When women become pregnant, the embedding of a fertilized egg in the uterus can cause implantation bleeding around 14 days after conception. This is right around the time you’d expect to get your period. This type of bleeding is light in volume and color. The flow will not become more consistent or heavier the way a period usually does.

Your cervix is more sensitive during pregnancy

As your cervix changes to prepare for a growing fetus, it will also become increasingly sensitive to penetration, whether that happens during sex or a gynecological exam. This can cause light bleeding and is usually nothing to worry about,unless the blood increases enough to warrant a pad or tampon. The American Pregnancy Association recommends that you avoid intercourse again until you’ve seen a doctor.

There are complications with your pregnancy

In the first trimester, steady bleeding might occur with several different pregnancy complications:

• Miscarriage – pregnancy loss up to 20 weeks of pregnancy
• Ectopic pregnancy– when a pregnancy develops outside of the uterus, sometimes in the fallopian tubesInfection
• Molar pregnancy– a tumor that develops in the uterus at the beginning of pregnancy

While miscarriages occur in up to 20% of pregnancies, these other complications are rarer. Often, though not always, these conditions are accompanied by other symptoms, like abdominal pain. If you assumed you were getting your period but experience increased cramping that does not go away, see a doctor, as these pregnancy complications can be life-threatening if left untreated.

In the second and third trimesters, bleeding of any amount can indicate the onset of labor or a complication with the uterus or placenta. Even if you have no other symptoms, call your doctor immediately if you are bleeding at this stage in pregnancy.

What to do if you’re pregnant and still bleeding?

Because it is impossible to be pregnant and get a normal period simultaneously, it is important to confirm whether you’re pregnant with a pregnancy test and a visit to an OB-GYN. If you get a positive test result and you’re still bleeding enough to fill a tampon or pad, it might indicate a medical emergency and you should seek health care right away.

If you think you got your period only to find out that you’re actually pregnant, you might feel blindsided. She Might has your back if you find yourself pregnant and you don’t want to be.