Bleeding During Pregnancy
Better to be Prepared

• Is it dangerous for my baby if I am bleeding during pregnancy?
• Why I am having vaginal bleeding?
• What is going wrong with my pregnancy?

Definitely bleeding and pregnancy is a sign of concern. However, there are many women who have bleeding during the early weeks and have gone on to have healthy babies. However, do not take it lightly, if you have vaginal bleeding, you should visit your doctor immediately.

Vaginal bleeding may occur at any point during your pregnancy and I agree that it is frightening when this happens.

What are the causes of vaginal bleeding?

There are some causes that may be not that serious but can happen in many women during the first weeks of pregnancy.

You might have some spotting or light bleeding:

• After sexual intercourse.
• After having a vaginal exam.
• When the fertilized egg is implanted in the uterus, the vaginal bleeding can be caused by fluctuating hormonal levels occurring when you would normally have your period. This is called implantation bleeding and it is perfectly normal. Do not worry because this bleeding is not associated with any risk to your baby.

There are other causes that can be considered serious complication during your pregnancy. In these cases you might have heavy bleeding and even abdominal pain.

• Threatened or inevitable miscarriage. This is definitely a serious cause of bleeding during pregnancy that may happen during the first trimester. Your doctor may recommend you go to bed, but if the bleeding does not stop and you have abdominal pain, you should immediately go to the hospital emergency room since you will have an inevitable miscarriage.
• Perhaps the most dangerous cause of vaginal bleeding in early pregnancy is an ectopic pregnancy, which is also accompanied with abdominal pain.
• Placenta Previa. In the second or third trimester, bleeding or spotting can happen and could be a sign of a serious pregnancy complication. The placenta may be separated from the uterus (placenta abruption).

Normal bleeding during pregnancy. Some vaginal bleeding near the end of pregnancy is considered normal because your cervix will be preparing for the birth of your baby. It may happen up to one or two weeks before delivery.

There are other causes that are not necessarily related to your pregnancy, for example, sexually transmitted infections. Under these conditions, your cervix can become irritated or inflamed, and if you have sex, this inflammation can cause vaginal bleeding.

So, you should avoid having sex with multiple partners, or preferably use a barrier method like a condom . Read more about: Sex During Pregnancy.

In any circumstance, if the bleeding is hemorrhagic (heavily bleeding), for prolonged periods, and a bright red (fresh blood), go immediately to the hospital emergency room.

Don’t be surprised if your doctor advice you bedrest if you have early bleeding during pregnancy, and in spite of going to bed and doing whatever your doctor recommends, you may have an inevitable spontaneous abortion.

Your body has probably rejected the pregnancy for a very good reason and whilst it is very disappointing and upsetting, there is nothing you can do to prevent it happening. Remember you are not responsible for this; you will not have done anything to cause it.

Read about other complications during pregnancy:

Miscarriage | Ectopic Pregnancy | Premature Labor | Cholestasis | Placenta Previa