Spotting while pregnant

 Many women during the early stages of pregnancy have a brownish colored discharge and often wonder if this is spotting. Some doctors do call it spotting and in some cases it can be a cause for alarm, but most of the time it is actually quite normal in early pregnancy. But here is the main cause of brown spotting:

• Spotting brown blood is actually an indication of old, dried blood that has for some reason remained in the cervix. The most common reason as to why it stays in the cervix is that when you had sex there was some irritation that caused a tiny tear in your cervix which led to a small amount of bleeding. And because the tear was so small the blood didn't come flowing out but instead it only came out when you urinated or wiped.

If you do notice brown spotting the best thing that you can do is to have your hormone levels checked. This can be done by your doctor or it can be done at the hospital. All they have to do is draw some blood and they can tell you what level your hCG hormones are at and if there is any danger of losing the pregnancy. The reason for this is that during certain times in your pregnancy your hormone levels are going to be doubling every two days. So if you are 4 weeks pregnant your hormone levels should be at a certain number and if they are lower than that it can signal that there is a problem going on. Once it has been determined that there is a problem more tests can be done to find out what is causing the brown spotting, such as an ultrasound. But even if the brown spotting is nothing to worry about it is better safe than sorry.

One thing that you will find out is that it is not always possible to determine the cause of prenatal spotting or bleeding. The main reason that it can be hard to determine the exact cause is because the blood supply to your cervix and pelvis has increased. And because this has increased it makes it easier to notice spotting after a pap smear or an internal exam has been performed or even after you have sex.

But here are some of the other main causes of spotting or bleeding during a pregnancy:

• Implantation bleeding - this is light spotting that occurs for a day or two at the very beginning of your pregnancy. This occurs when the fertilized egg burrows into the wall of your uterus. This is actually going to happen about six to seven days after the egg has been fertilized so when it does happen you won't even know that you are pregnant yet.
• Miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy - spotting or bleeding after you have found out that you are pregnant can be an early sign of a miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy. This is especially true if the spotting occurs with abdominal pain or cramping. But it can also signal a molar pregnancy which is a rare condition in which abnormalities in the fertilized egg at conception make it impossible for the embryo to develop or survive. In fact about 25% of pregnant women have some kind of spotting or bleeding early in their pregnancy. Of these 25% of women about half of them end up having a miscarriage. The good news is that if you have an ultrasound that shows a normal heartbeat between 7 and 11 weeks your chances of continuing the pregnancy even with early bleeding or spotting is greater than 90%.
  
• Infections - spotting can also be caused by some conditions that are completely irrelevant to your pregnancy. For example a vaginal infection, such as a yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis, or even a sexually transmitted infection, such as herpes or gonorrhea, can make your cervix irritated or even inflamed. If your cervix is irritated or inflamed it is actually prone to spotting both after sex and a Pap smear. But spotting or bleeding after sex or a Pap smear can also be caused by a cervical polyp, which is a benign growth.
  
• Placental problems or premature labor - this is usually when bleeding or spotting occurs in the second or third trimester. But this late bleeding or spotting can be a sign of a very serious problem such as placenta previa, which is where the placenta begins to cover the cervix or placental abruption, which is where the placenta actually separates from the uterus. But this late bleeding can also signal a late miscarriage, which can happen anywhere from 13 weeks to mid-pregnancy. Or it can signal premature labor which can happen anywhere from mid-pregnancy to 37 weeks. But it is not just second or third trimester bleeding that can signal there is a problem with the placenta this can also be the cause of first trimester bleeding. In fact research that has been done actually shows that there is a link between early pregnancy bleeding and an increased risk of complications later on, such as preterm delivery or placental abruption. The heavier the bleeding is the higher the risk of complications later on.
  
• Subchorionic hemorrhage - this condition is directly related to your pregnancy and while it sounds very serious it is actually rather harmless. This is just a small clot that causes bleeding and then it dissolves away. All your doctor will do is keep an eye on it until it disappears.
  
• Incompetent cervix - this is where the cervix actually starts to open up early. The main cause of this is usually a cause of recurrent, late miscarriage. If this is happening to you it needs to be evaluated and treated by a high-risk obstetrician. Even if this does occur that doesn't mean that your pregnancy is in danger you can still carry the baby to term in some cases.
  
• Normal labor - after 37 weeks of pregnancy if you experience a mucus discharge that is tinged with blood it is considered normal. In fact most of the time it is just a common sign that your mucus plug has fallen out. What this means is that your cervix is starting to soften or open up so that the labor process can begin.

But no matter what the cause of the bleeding or spotting if you notice that you are spotting or bleeding, even if it seems to have stopped you need to call your doctor or midwife right away. The reason for this is that even though it can be something minor you are going to want to make sure that there is not a serious problem with the pregnancy. What your doctor will end up doing is giving you and exam to make sure that both you and the baby are fine and so that they can rule out any complications. If you can't reach your doctor or midwife and you are actively bleeding and/or have severe pain of any kind you are going to want to go straight to the nearest emergency room for medical treatment.

When you call your doctor your doctor is going to probably ask you a series of questions to help determine if you need to come into the office for an exam right away or if the spotting can be considered normal. Here are some of the questions that your doctor might ask you over the phone:

• What color is the blood? Red means that it is fresh blood whereas brown means that it is old blood.
  
• Are there clots or tissue mixed in with the blood?
  
• Is there any pain? If so where and how bad is the pain?
  
• Is there a fever along with the bleeding?
  
• Did the spotting begin after intercourse or is there pain with intercourse?
  
• Have you spotted previously in this pregnancy?
  
• Have you already had an ultrasound that determined that the pregnancy was in the uterus?

If you are bleeding during the first trimester or even during the later trimesters of your pregnancy there are some basic things that you are going to want to know. Here are some of the basics things that you need to know about bleeding during pregnancy:

• If you are bleeding you want to make sure that you are wearing either a pad or a panty liner so that you can monitor how much you are bleeding. But you also want to wear one so that you know what type of bleeding that you are experiencing
  
• Never wear a tampon or introduce anything else into your vaginal area, such as douching or having sex, if you are currently experiencing bleeding
  
• If you are having bleeding with any of the other symptoms that are mentioned that can signal a possible complication you need to call your doctor or go into the emergency room right away.