Bleeding During Early And Late Pregnancy

Bleeding during pregnancy can be very alarming to most women although bleeding doesn’t always mean you could be experiencing a miscarriage.

During labour, many women will experience a “bloody show”. This is when the plug that covers the opening of the cervix during pregnancy is passed shortly before birth happens. Most of the time it contains a small amount of blood and mucous and it is quite common and not a health threat if it happens within a few weeks of your due date. However, the issue should not be taken lightly, but it also isn’t necessarily indicating a problem. For women, the best way to approach this is to understand the certain conditions that may seem unfamiliar to you.

Bleeding During Pregnancy (1st Trimester)

Vaginal bleeding is not uncommon in pregnant women in the first trimester of their pregnancy, and it is not an issue. The problem becomes serious if the bleeding does not stop even in the second and the third trimester. The condition may vary from light spotting to severe bleeding with some blood clots. Bleeding during pregnancy is more common than you think. About 15 to 25 per cent experience bleeding early on their pregnancy and there can be various possible reasons for it.

Bleeding During Pregnancy (2nd – 3rd trimester)

If there is any bleeding during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy (the last 6months of the whole pregnancy). Obviously, it involves concerns different from bleeding in the first trimester of your pregnancy. Any bleeding within this stage of pregnancy is not normal. Vaginal bleeding after the 28th week of pregnancy is an emergency. Bleeding from the vagina can range from mild to extremely risk and may or may not be accompanied by abdominal pain.

What Are The Other Causes Of Spotting Or Bleeding?

First, spotting can be differentiated from bleeding because it is a very light bleeding, just like what you may have at the beginning or end of your menstrual period. It can vary in colour from pink to red brown. Here are the other causes of spotting or bleeding:

Infections – Spotting during pregnancy may happen due to some conditions that are not related to pregnancy. A vaginal infection (yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis) or a sexually transmitted infection (trichomoniasis, herpes, chlamydia, or gonorrhoea) can cause the cervix to become inflamed. An irritated cervix certainly causes spotting after sex or a pap smear.
Miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy. A potential cause of bleeding during early pregnancy is having miscarriage. Most of the time, it is accompanied by abdominal pain or cramping. The common cause of miscarriage during early pregnancy is an ectopic pregnancy. This condition happens when the fertilised egg implants itself in one of the fallopian tubes. It is also referred as “tubal pregnancy”.
Postcoital bleeding is a vaginal bleeding after sexual intercourse. It may be normal during pregnancy but when it happens frequently with increased amounts of blood, consult your doctor.
Uterine rupture is an abnormal splitting open of the uterus, causing the baby to be partially or completely expelled into the abdomen. This condition is rare but is very harmful for both mother and baby. This condition may occur before or during the time of delivery.
Fetal vessel rupture is a condition that occurs in about one of every 1,000 pregnancies. The baby’s blood vessels from the umbilical cord may attach to the membranes instead of the placenta.
Hereditary bleeding problems such as haemophilia, it is rare and occurs in 1 of every 10,000 women.
Less common causes of bleeding during pregnancy include injuries or lesion of the cervix and vagina, including polyps, cancer and varicosities.

Heavy bleeding during late pregnancy is most often associated with a problem in the placenta. The two most common problems that involve the placenta are placenta previa and placenta abruption.

Vaginal bleeding during pregnancy is the often the first sign of placenta previa and it happens in about one in every two hundred pregnancies. The placenta’s position is in the lower part of the woman’s uterus; It can completely or partially covers the opening of the cervix. In this case, a caesarean section will be scheduled because placenta previa poses a serious risk to both mother and baby if it is not diagnosed and labour is allowed to occur.
Placenta abruption occurs when the placenta detaches from the wall of the uterus either before or during labour. In this case, vaginal bleeding may show or not; most women experience a severe abdominal pain even if they do not show vaginal bleeding.

What To Do When Bleeding During Pregnancy?

The most ideal thing to do is to call your doctor or health care provider immediately, even if the bleeding seems to have stopped. The condition may turn out to be something minor but it could be a sign of a serious problem. An evaluation test may include a physical exam, an ultrasound main test offered to women experiencing bleeding during pregnancy. It can establish whether the baby is alive or dead and can help predict if the pregnancy will continue or end in miscarriage, and blood tests to detect placental hormonal levels. Low level of hormones indicates that there is a high risk of miscarriage. These are done to make sure that you and our baby are on good condition and to rule out any complications.