What kind of spotting during pregnancy

Implantation bleeding is usually light pink to dark brown. An ectopic pregnancy is a medical emergency. It occurs when the fertilized egg attaches itself outside the uterus. Light to heavy vaginal spotting or bleeding can be a symptom of an ectopic pregnancy. Most miscarriages occur in the first 13 weeks of pregnancy. You should still call your doctor, though, so they may rule out ectopic pregnancy or another complication.

Your doctor will likely do two or more blood tests to check your pregnancy hormone levels. This hormone is called human chorionic gonadotropin hCG. The tests will be 24 to 48 hours apart. A decline in hCG levels indicates a pregnancy loss. In some people, changes to the cervix can cause mild spotting. Other times, hormonal changes may be responsible. They can rule out more serious causes and put your mind at ease. Light bleeding or spotting during the second trimester may be caused by irritation to the cervix, usually after sex or a cervical exam.

This is common and not usually cause for concern. A cervical polyp is another possible cause for bleeding in the second trimester. This is a harmless growth on the cervix. You may have spotting from the area around the cervix due to an increased number of blood vessels in the tissue there. Heavy bleeding in the second trimester may be a sign of a medical emergency, such as:. Light bleeding or spotting during late pregnancy may occur after sex or a cervical exam.

If you experience heavy vaginal bleeding during late pregnancy, seek emergency medical care. It could be caused by a:. If you experience a lighter blood flow or light spotting, you should still call your doctor right away.

Depending on your other symptoms, you may need an evaluation. About 10 percent of all clinically recognized pregnancies end in miscarriage. You may also experience pain or cramping in your lower back or abdomen, or fluid or tissue passing from your vagina along with the following symptoms:.

Further along in the first trimester, or if there are com plications , you may require a procedure called dilation and curettage — commonly called a D and C — to stop bleeding and prevent infection. If the fetus is no longer alive, you may be given medication to help you deliver the fetus and placenta vaginally or your doctor may decide to surgically remove the fetus using a procedure called dilation and evacuation , also known as D and E.

A second or third-trimester miscarriage requires physical and emotional care. This is when the developing embryo plants itself in the wall of your womb. This type of bleeding often happens around the time your period would have been due. Pregnancy can cause changes to the cervix, and this may sometimes cause bleeding — after sex, for example. During the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, vaginal bleeding can be a sign of miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy.

However, if you bleed at this stage of pregnancy it is likely you will go on to have normal and successful pregnancies. If a pregnancy ends before the 24th week, it's called a miscarriage. Around 1 in 5 pregnancies ends this way. Many early miscarriages before 14 weeks happen because there is something wrong with the baby. There can also be other causes of miscarriage, such as hormone or blood clotting problems. Most miscarriages occur during the first 12 weeks 3 months of pregnancy and, sadly, most cannot be prevented.

Other symptoms of miscarriage include:. If you have bleeding or any of the symptoms above, contact your midwife or GP straightaway. An ectopic pregnancy is when a fertilised egg implants outside the womb — for example, in the fallopian tube.

It can cause bleeding and is dangerous because the fertilised egg can't develop properly outside the womb. The egg has to be removed, which can be done through an operation or with medicines. Symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy tend to develop in the 6th week of pregnancy but can happen later.

Also, the color often varies from pink to red to brown. The majority of women who experiencing spotting during pregnancy go on to have a healthy pregnancy and baby. Vaginal bleeding during pregnancy is any discharge of blood from the vagina. It can happen anytime from conception when the egg is fertilized to the end of pregnancy.

Light bleeding, or spotting, during pregnancy is common, especially during the first trimester. It is considered spotting when you notice a few drops of blood occasionally in your underwear, or if you wipe yourself with tissue and see a little blood on the paper. There should not be enough blood to fill a panty liner. Bleeding is a heavier flow of blood. With bleeding, you will need a liner or pad to keep the blood from soaking your clothes.

Whether you are bleeding or spotting, it is best to contact your healthcare provider and describe what you are experiencing. Implantation bleeding is a common cause of spotting early on in pregnancy. Implantation bleeding happens when the fertilized egg attaches to the uterine lining. This can trigger a few days of light bleeding or spotting. This spotting occurs before a woman even knows she is pregnant and is often mistaken as a pending period. Bleeding that occurs after the day a woman expects her period is typically too late to be considered implantation bleeding, and is more likely related to early pregnancy in general.

Another common cause of spotting is a cervical polyp a harmless growth on the cervix , which is more likely to bleed during pregnancy due to higher estrogen levels. This may occur because there is an increased number of blood vessels in the tissue around the cervix during pregnancy. As a result, contact with this area through sexual intercourse or a gynecological exam, for example can cause bleeding. Even without the presence of a cervical polyp, there are a few things that may cause some spotting in the couple days after:.