Vaginal bleeding during pregnancy can be scary. It's not always a sign of trouble, however. In fact, most women who experience vaginal bleeding during pregnancy particularly during the first trimester go on to deliver healthy babies. By understanding the most common causes of vaginal bleeding during pregnancy, you'll know what to look for and when to contact your health care provider.
Many women have vaginal spotting or bleeding in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. If you are bleeding in early pregnancy, your doctor may do a pelvic exam. A blood test may be done to measure human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). It is a substance produced during pregnancy. You may have more than one test because hCG levels increase as the pregnancy progresses.
Vaginal bleeding is any blood coming from your vagina (the canal leading from the uterus to the external genitals). This usually refers to abnormal bleeding not associated with a regular menstrual period.
Bleeding during pregnancy is more common than you might think – around 30% of women experience bleeding during pregnancy. Around half of those women will continue on to have a healthy baby and the other half will have a miscarriage. The most likely time bleeding can occur is in the first trimester.
First trimester bleeding is any vaginal bleeding during the first 3 months of pregnancy. Vaginal bleeding may vary from light spotting to severe bleeding with clots. Vaginal bleeding is a common problem in early pregnancy, complicating 20-30% of all pregnancies.
Possible causes of vaginal bleeding during early pregnancy include:
Miscarriage. Up to 15 percent of known pregnancies end in miscarriage, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Vaginal bleeding is the primary sign of miscarriage. But bleeding doesn't necessarily mean you're having a miscarriage. Remember, most women who experience vaginal bleeding during pregnancy go on to deliver healthy babies.
Implantation bleeding is lighter than menstrual bleeding, and consists of pink or brown colored blood. Implantation bleeding occurs when the trophoblast, or tissue that surrounds the egg, attaches to the endometrium and slowly eats its way into the lining. As it does so, it eats through the mother's blood vessels, forming blood lakes within itself. When these blood lakes form near the surface of the trophoblast, they often cause implantation bleeding.
Bleeding may be a sign of early or preterm labor. If accompanied by contractions or cramps, go to your doctor to find out what’s going on. Miscarriage, or stillbirth, is still a possibility at the later stages of pregnancy, however it is less likely. If you are bleeding a lot, see your health care provider or go to the hospital just to be sure. More often, bleeding in the second and third trimesters is caused by an infection in your cervix.
During the first three months of pregnancy, vaginal bleeding can be a sign of miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy (when the foetus starts to grow inside your fallopian tubes instead of your womb). Most miscarriages occur during the first twelve weeks of pregnancy, and sadly, most cannot be prevented. Ectopic pregnancies are much less common than miscarriages, and only affect approximately one in 100 pregnancies.
