Implantation 101: recognizing implantation symptoms and what can go wrong

When does implantation bleeding occur? How often does implantation bleeding occur? What are the reasons that implantation doesn't work? How does implantation occur? These are just some of the questions I'm answering in today's podcast, and if you check out next week's episode I'm diving into implantation again to talk about how to support implantation during the TWW The process of how implantation occurs is actually really complex and although I'm not a fertility specialist or medical professional, I hope that I've been able to explain the important parts of how implantation occurs with you on the podcast in an easy to understand way. And then understand how the process of implantation occurs, you'll see just how complex it can be and how many processes are going on in the body to enable this to occur, and exactly what can cause implantation to go wrong. Of the many things that could cause implantation to fail, probably the most significant is that the endometrium essentially either falls asleep at the wheel and fails to allow the blastocyst to implant, or that it actively starts to secret a stress response hormone to stop it from doing so, usually because it perceives the blastocyst to be of poor genetic quality. It could also be other issues with your uterine lining, or another common reason is that there are immune system issues that mean that the blastocyst is essentially rejected by the woman's body as being a parasite or other foreign object. In today's podcast I also talk about implantation symptoms and some of the indications you might have that implantation has occurred. Of those is one of the most popular amongst infertility communities: implantation bleeding. If you're wondering when implantation bleeding occurs or how often it occurs, as well as some of the other symptoms, then tune in. Lastly though I've talked about my general reluctance to talk more about these topics, because truly warriors, I see my role as one that helps you cope emotionally with infertility and fall pregnant sooner and I don't believe that anxiety, endless Googling and the generally obsessive behavior during the TWW assists you in doing that. Rather, I feel that it can fuel that anxiety, so please approach this episode with curiosity and wonder at how incredible the human body is rather than obsessing over the things that you cannot control during this process.