WHAT ARE CAUSE OF BLEEDING OR SPOOTING DURING PREGNANCY?
Missed menstrual period at a woman is the first sign abour pregnant, but uterine
bleeding can occur during pregnancy. As the causes for this range from trivial
to serious, a pregnant woman should notify her health care provider of any vaginal
bleeding. Please note, bleeding during pregnancy can be dangerous so you should
call your physician if you have any signs of vaginal bleeding during pregnancy.
Vaginal bleeding can be somewhat common in the first trimester. This can present
as anything from light spotting to sever bleeding with clots. First trimester
bleeding complicates between 20 and 30 percent of all pregnancies. Up to half
of those who experience this may go on to have a miscarriage. Early bleeding
may be a sign of an ectopic pregnancy. An ectopic pregnancy is one in which
the fetus is not inside the uterus. An ectopic pregnancy may threaten the life
of the mother. First trimester bleeding may also be implantation bleeding (a
small amount of spotting caused by the embryo implanting into the uterine wall).
It can be a threatened, completed or incompleted miscarriage. It can be caused
by a blighted ovum. A molar pregnancy (in which the fetus is not actually a
baby but an abnormal tissue) can cause bleeding. Postcoital bleeding may be
common during pregnancy as well.
Any vaginal bleeding during the last 6 months of a 9-month pregnancy is considered
abnormal. Most late-pregnancy bleeding is caused by a problem with the placenta.
A placentia previa occurs when the placenta completely covers the opening of
your womb (the cervix) and some of the blood vessels of the placenta stretch
and rupture. A placental abruption occurs when a normal placenta separates from
the uterine wall prematurely and blood pools between the placenta and the uterus.
A uterine rupture is a splitting open of the uterus and may also cause late-pregnancy
bleeding. In rare cases late-pregnancy bleeding may be caused by a fetal vessel
rupture, in which the vessels from the umbilical cord attach to the membranes
instead of the placenta. Other even more rare causes can be injuries or lesions
of the cervix and vagina, including polyps, cancer and varicose veins.
Bleeding after the 28th week of pregnancy is a true emergency. This bleeding
can be very mild to extremely brisk, and may or may not have accompanying abdominal
pain. Hemorrhage is the most common cause of death of the mother in the US,
and complicates roughly 4 percent of pregnancies. (by Sophia Levis)
Information about Spotting or Bleeding?
If you are notice abour spotting or bleeding, try to call your doctor or midwife
right away, even if the bleeding seems to have stopped. While it may turn out
to be something minor, it could also be a sign of a serious problem. You'll
probably need an exam to rule out any complications and to make sure you and
your baby are fine. (If you're actively bleeding or have severe pain of any
kind and can't immediately reach your practitioner, head straight for the emergency
room.)
How is spotting different from bleeding?
Spotting is very light bleeding, similar to what you may have at the
very beginning or end of your period. It can vary in color from pink to red
to brown (the color of dried blood).
What can cause spotting?
Because of an increase in the blood supply to your cervix and greater
blood flow to the area, you might spot after having a Pap smear, an internal
exam, or sex. Other causes include:
- Implantation bleeding You may have very scant "implantation bleeding,"
possibly around 11 or 12 days after fertilization (close to the time you might
notice a missed period). It may be caused by the fertilized egg burrowing
into the wall of your uterus — a process that starts just six days after
fertilization — but no one knows for sure. The bleeding is very light,
lasting only a day or two, and only a minority of pregnant women have this
kind of spotting at all.
- Miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy Spotting can be an early sign of miscarriage
or an ectopic pregnancy, especially if accompanied by abdominal pain or cramping.
About a quarter of pregnant women have some spotting or bleeding in early
pregnancy, and about half of these women miscarry. But if you have an ultrasound
that shows a heartbeat between 7 and 11 weeks, your chances of continuing
the pregnancy are greater than 90 percent.
- Infections Spotting can also be caused by conditions unrelated to pregnancy.
A vaginal infection (such as a yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis) or
a sexually transmitted infection (such as trichomoniasis, gonorrhea, chlamydia,
or herpes) can cause your cervix to become irritated or inflamed. An inflamed
cervix is particularly susceptible to spotting after sex or after a Pap smear.
You may also spot or bleed after sex or a Pap smear if you have a cervical
polyp (a benign growth).
- Placental problems or premature labor In the second or third trimester,
bleeding or spotting can be a sign of a serious condition such as placenta
previa, placental abruption (in which the placenta separates from the uterus),
a late miscarriage (between 13 weeks and midpregnancy), or premature labor
(between midpregnancy and 37 weeks).
- Normal labor A mucus discharge that's tinged with blood after 37 weeks is
most likely just a sign that the mucus plug has dislodged and the cervix is
beginning to soften or dilate in preparation for labor. You should still report
any other bleeding or spotting at this point to your practitioner.
- Unknown In some cases, the cause of the spotting will remain a mystery.
About 20 weeks into her first pregnancy, teacher Laura Graff discovered she
was spotting. Her doctor was concerned, so he advised Graff to take it easy
for a while — to skip exercising, stop having sexual intercourse, and
avoid lifting heavy objects for three weeks. After a week, the spotting stopped.
Her doctor never figured out why it had happened, and Laura's son, Kevin,
was born healthy at full-term.
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