Periods and other blood loss during pregnancy

Is Bleeding During Pregnancy Serious?

Blood on your underwear as you start your pregnancy, or even later. The anxiety of the miscarriage assails you immediately. Do not panic. Be aware that bleeding is possible and even quite frequent, especially during the first weeks: they touch one in four expectant mothers. These bleeds are not necessarily the first signs of a miscarriage. There are a host of causes that can cause this blood loss. These range from the most benign to the most serious, requiring immediate treatment. This is why, in the face of any bleeding, we can only encourage you to consult, as soon as possible, your midwife or your gynecologist, who will identify the cause.

Mild bleeding during pregnancy

These mini-hemorrhages, does not affect the continuation of your pregnancy and which are the most frequent, can be of four distinct origins. The implantation first of all. Implantation of the embryo in the uterus, which occurs eight days after fertilization, can cause early bleeding. They are generally very light and brief. A weakening of the cervix then. After vaginal examination or intercourse, light bleeding may occur. They are often due to an injury to the outer lining of the cervix, weakened by pregnancy. They usually do not persist for more than a day or two. A minor detachment of the placenta can also be the cause of a small hemorrhage, due to a slight hematoma that has formed between the egg and the uterine wall. Most of the time, it resolves without problem, on condition of observing a scrupulous rest. Finally, some pregnant women will continue to have monthly bleeding on the days when they should have had their period: this is called the “birthday rules”.

White discharge during pregnancy: don’t panic

Unlike bleeding during pregnancy, which should prompt you to consult quickly, white discharge during pregnancy is a priori physiological. The cervix is ​​closed and cervical mucus plays its role as a physical barrier to protect the uterus from infections. Creamy, milky, abundant and thick losses are a priori normal in pregnant women. However, white discharge that is smelly, lumpy and / or accompanied by itching in the vulva should lead to a consultation because it may be a vaginal yeast infection.

Brown discharge during pregnancy: what it may indicate

Brown discharge indicates “old” blood that has oxidized in the uterus or vagina. If such blood loss can occur during pregnancy without it being a problem, it is better to consult a gynecologist or a midwife about it, especially if this brown discharge is accompanied by pelvic pain. They can in particular be the sign of a bad implantation of the egg or of a placental abruption.

Blood during pregnancy: is it a risk of miscarriage?

In case of heavy bleeding, accompanied by clots and period pain, consult quickly : you may be having a miscarriage. A situation that affects an early pregnancy in 5 or 6, with a risk twice as high at 40 years as at 20. In nine cases out of ten, these early miscarriages are due to a chromosomal abnormality in the embryo. It can also be a clear egg, with an empty uterine sac. For more advanced pregnancies, this accident can be attributed to various causes: a shock or a fall, placental abruption, infection or disease. Expulsion of the embryo or fetus, if not done on its own, will require medical intervention.

Ectopic pregnancy (EEG), a cause of bleeding during pregnancy

benefits light, brownish bleeding, assorted severe and persistent pain, to the right or to the left of the abdomen? Go without further delay to your practitioner. Using a vaginal ultrasound, it will be able to confirm or not an ectopic pregnancy. This unnatural implantation, outside the uterine cavity – most often in the fallopian tubes, more rarely in the ovary or in the cervix – is less rare than we think: around 1,7 % of pregnancies in France, ie 14 women each year, are affected. Above all, it is a potentially very serious anomaly: once implanted in the proboscis, the egg continues to develop, risking cracking or even breaking it. Corn rest assured : today there are several medical treatments to stop GEU.

Pregnant blood loss: the case of molar pregnancy

Bleeding accompanied by profuse vomiting, an excessive increase in the size of the uterus and an abnormally high level of the hormone beta-HCG are indicators of a possible molar pregnancy. Rather rare (1 case per 2 pregnancies, i.e. 000 cases per year), this abnormal pregnancy is characterized by unrestricted development of the placenta – then called hydatidiform mole – to the detriment of the embryo. This illness requires rapid hospitalization, in order to remove the mole by suction. Careful follow-up for one year is then set up, without being able to start a new pregnancy, in order to rule out any risk of recurrence. In fact, in 10% of cases, molar pregnancy leads to the development of carcinogenic cells and must be treated with chemotherapy.