Vaginal bleeding during pregnancy is nothing unusual, many pregnant women face this problem and there are many reasons behind this. Bleeding during the first trimester is more common (about 20% - 30% women experience this) and
Bleeding During Pregnancy has less complication attached to it, whereas bleeding during the second and third trimester can be a sign of more complicated problems.
Reasons for bleeding during first half of pregnancy
Miscarriage: Bleeding during the early stage of pregnancy can be a sign of miscarriage. But that does not mean that all cases of bleeding are caused by miscarriage. Only half of the women who have
Bleeding have miscarriage and miscarriage happens during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Vaginal bleeding along with cramping pain in the lower stomach that is much more severe than the usual menstrual cramps and passing of tissues through the vagina are the symptoms of miscarriage. Remember miscarriage does not mean you can’t have a healthy pregnancy later.
Ectopic Pregnancy: Ectopic pregnancy is another reason for bleeding at the early stage of
Pregnancy but it is a rare cause as only 1% of all pregnancies are ectopic. In ectopic pregnancy the fertilized ovum is implanted in any tissue outside the uterus. Though in most ectopic pregnancy cases the ovum is placed in the Fallopian tube, implantation can also occur in the cervix, ovaries, and abdomen. In case of ectopic
Pregnancy vaginal bleeding is accompanied with sharp abdominal pain and cramps in the lower stomach.
Molar Pregnancy: Molar pregnancy is another rare cause of early bleeding. In a molar pregnancy growth of abnormal tissue takes place instead of an embryo. Apart from vaginal bleeding molar pregnancy symptoms also include high HCG levels, absence of foetal heart tones and the ultrasound test will show grape-like clusters. Apart from these complications
Bleeding During Pregnancy can be due to implantation bleeding, infection in the pelvic cavity or urinary tract and sexual intercourse.
Reasons for bleeding during later half of pregnancy
Placenta Previa: This problem occurs when the placenta lies low in the uterus and completely or partially covers the cervix. This is a rare possibility and only 0.5% of all pregnancies have this condition. The symptom of this condition is
vaginal bleeding without pain.
Placental Abruption: Vaginal bleeding in this case is caused when the placenta gets detached from the uterine wall before or during labor. This problem normally happens during the last 12 weeks of pregnancy and only 1% of all pregnant women suffer this problem. The symptom of this problem is
Bleeding and stomach pain. Women who have children, high blood pressure, history of abruption, sickle cell anaemia and are in the age of above 35 are in the higher risk of developing placental abruption.
Preterm Labor: Vaginal bleeding at the advanced stage of pregnancy can also be a sign of preterm labor. But in that case bleeding will be accompanied with watery, mucus, or bloody discharge from vagina, pressure at the lower
abdominal and pelvic area, low and dull backache stomach cramps, and regular contractions.
