Bleeding in Early Pregnancy – Is It Normal? Does it harm the baby?

Bleeding in early pregnancy  is a cause of great concern for women, as is normal, and is always a reason for medical consultation.

Many women experience loss during the first few months of pregnancy and their appearance can be due to different reasons. They can be caused by minor problems or be the sign of a serious complication.

Therefore, it is very important to learn to recognize them, observe the color, the amount and if the losses are accompanied by abdominal pain or some other symptom.

Whenever there is blood loss during pregnancy, it is necessary to immediately consult with the doctor to carry out an exploration and ultrasound to monitor the development of the pregnancy.

What is the difference between spotting and bleeding in early pregnancy?

Bleeding can happen anytime, from when you become pregnant to before you give birth. The stain is light bleeding. This happens when you have a few drops of blood on your underwear. The stain is so small that blood does not saturate the female protector daily. Bleeding happens when blood flow is more intense and you need a daily pad or sanitary towel to prevent blood from getting into your underwear and clothing.

What to do if you have bleeding in early pregnancy?

Call your healthcare professional and do the following:

1. Track how heavy the bleeding is, whether it increases or decreases, and how many pads are being used.
2. Check the blood color. The professional may want to know. It can be of different colors such as brown, reddish or dark reddish.
3. When you are bleeding, do not use tampons, douche or have sex.

Contact your healthcare professional immediately or go to an emergency department if you have:

1. Heavy bleeding.
2. Bleeding with pain, abdominal cramping, or menstrual pain.
3. Dizziness and bleeding.
4. Pain in the abdomen or pelvis.

What causes bleeding in early pregnancy?

Next, we explain each of the possible causes of bleeding in early pregnancy (mild or severe).

1. Embryo implantation:

Between the fourth and sixth week of pregnancy it can cause a slight brownish or pink color that lasts a day or two, similar to what you get when your period starts or ends. It is usually not accompanied by abdominal pain or, if any, is mild.

While conception occurs when the body sends chemical signals to prevent menstruation from occurring, sometimes the fertilized egg to implant in the uterine lining erodes endometrial tissue causing slight bleeding called “implantation bleeding”.

It is possible that you still don’t know that you are pregnant and the bleeding is mistaken for the arrival of your period. But you will see that the bleeding does not go away and when a test is performed, the pregnancy will be confirmed.

2. Miscarriage:

In case you experience more profuse blood loss (like a period) accompanied by abdominal cramps, it could be a symptom of miscarriage .

You should see the doctor to assess the situation. You will have a scan to check the opening of the cervix and an ultrasound to check if the embryo is inside the uterus and has beats. If all goes well, it will certainly indicate rest until the bleeding disappears.

It is very disappointing to have a miscarriage , but if it is a consolation it is much more frequent than we think. Half of conceptions are believed to end in miscarriage , some of which we don’t know about. The answer to why a miscarriage occurs is very complex. The causes can be a combination of multiple factors, but most of the time it is due to genetic flaws in the early stages of embryo formation.

6. Etopic pregnancy:

Vaginal leaks are rare, but severe pain can be one of the symptoms of ectopic pregnancy , which occurs when the embryo implants outside the uterus, usually in the fallopian tube, and has very little chance of term.

Losses are usually clear and brown (unless the fallopian tube ruptures, which are plentiful) and may appear several days or weeks before pain appears.

Pain in the lower abdomen is very intense in the case of an ectopic pregnancy and can hurt more on one side than the other. Dizziness, fainting, and sometimes low back or shoulder pain can also occur.

7. Molar pregnancy:

Molar pregnancy is rare, but one of its symptoms is vaginal bleeding. There may be intermittent bleeding or brownish leakage accompanied by an overgrowth of the uterus that does not correspond to weeks of gestation.

Molar pregnancy is the result of abnormal fertilization of the egg that produces a deformed growth of embryonic tissue (hydatidiform mole). In no case can it survive producing a miscarriage accompanied by dark, watery hemorrhages, although usually not accompanied by pain.

8. Hematoma uterino:

A bruise can also cause bleeding. It is a collection of blood within the endometrial cavity, something common in women during the first few weeks of pregnancy. Bleeding is profuse (as if it were a rule), but it is usually not accompanied by abdominal pain.
Most of the time, the rest of the hematoma is reabsorbed and the losses disappear.

Other reasons:

The intense hormonal changes that occur in the first few weeks of pregnancy can produce small blood losses just when you should be menstruating.

Maternal infections such as thrush or sexually transmitted infections, while having nothing to do with the pregnancy itself, can also cause blood loss in the first few months.

In turn, during pregnancy there is a greater supply of blood to the vessels of the cervix, so when performing a cytology, a medical exam or having sex, given the sensitivity of the area, there may be slight bleeding.

Bleeding  in early pregnancy is quite common and having them does not mean losing the pregnancy. If you experience any bleeding, even if it is very mild, it is essential to go to the doctor and follow his instructions to the letter.

How is Bleeding in Early Pregnancy Treated?

Your treatment depends on the cause of the bleeding. You may need a medical exam and tests. Most of the time, the treatment for bleeding in early pregnancy is rest. Maybe you should take a few days off work and get some rest. You may need medication to help protect your baby from Rh incompatibility. This happens when your blood and your baby’s blood are incompatible (they can’t stay together). This disease can cause serious problems and even the death of your baby.