Bleeding in early pregnancy

The most common causes of bleeding early in pregnancy are implantation bleeding and hormonal bleeding and neither is a sign of a problem with the pregnancy.

Implantation bleeding happens when the embryo and placenta implant in the walls of the uterus, opening up small blood vessels in the uterus in the process. This usually appears as light spotting, although it may be enough that some women mistake it for a very light period, and isn't anything to worry about. Not all women experience implantation bleeding, so if you haven't noticed it it doesn't mean that you're not pregnant.

Hormonal bleeding May occur around the time you'd usually have your period and as the name suggests, is caused by hormonal changes. Rarely it may be heavy enough to be mistaken for a period, but for most women this bleeding will be very light.

Threatened miscarriage A threatened miscarriage usually starts with light bleeding. With a threatened miscarriage the bleeding often stops and the pregnancy develops as normal. However the pregnancy may also miscarry.

Miscarriage Heavy blood loss accompanied by pain indicate that a miscarriage is more likely. Clots may appear in heavy blood flow and if fetal tissue is passed then a miscarriage is inevitable. If this happens then try to save what you can of any tissue and clots in the blood in a jar - it may help the doctors understand what happened.

What to do
With any kind of bleeding during pregnancy, the first thing to do is to inform your doctor or midwife. Try and give them as much information as you can about the type of bleeding you are experiencing, including flow, consistency, colour and whether there are any clots or other bits of tissue along with the blood.

Your doctor will be able to find out more by conducting an examination. If you are diagnosed with a threatened miscarriage you will usually be advised to get plenty of rest, avoid heavy exercise, cut back on work, avoid stress and avoid sex until the bleeding has stopped. More often than not, women with a threatened miscarriage will go on to develop a healthy pregnancy.

If the doctor finds that your cervix is dilating or evidence that the fetus isn't viable, then you will be experiencing a true miscarriage. Your experience and how you are cared for medically will vary depending upon what stage of pregnancy you are at. If you do suffer a miscarriage it's important to remember that miscarriages are very common, and most women who have a miscarriage will go on to carry a healthy pregnancy to term. It's also important to know that you are not to blame for a miscarriage. Even when experienced at an early stage, miscarriages can be a very difficult experience. Needing time to recover both physically and emotionally is perfectly normal.