When to Worry about Spotting During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a joyful time in a woman’s life but it is also a time of worry. Spotting in the first trimester is not uncommon and can really upset expectant mothers. This condition of spotting occurs in approximately 30% of women. It is lighter than a menstrual period and the color varies from red to brown.

This could be explained by implantation of the fertilized egg attaching to the uterine lining which will trigger spotting for a few days. You could also have a cervical polyp, a small harmless growth on the cervix that seems to bleed during pregnancy as your estrogen levels become elevated in the normal process of the pregnancy. And another simple reason is you just have an increased number of blood vessels around the cervix and contact with this area due to intercourse or the genealogical exam can bring on bleeding. Always let your doctor know what is happening.

There may be other reasons you begin to spot after the first trimester. Light spotting can be an indication something is wrong. One woman did some light spotting and became terrified she was loosing the baby. A visit to her doctor who did an ultrasound and not only was she still pregnant, she was carrying twins. Spotting started as a way of her body adjusting to a twin pregnancy.

If you are past your first trimester, and begin to spot, call your doctor and take notes prior to calling noting the color of the spotting, what you were doing when you discovered the spotting, how long, etc. Remain calm and take notes.

There may be other non-pregnancy related reasons for spotting as hemorrhoids, bacterial vagninosis, a yeast infection or a urinary tract infection. There is also some subchorionic hemorrhage, which sounds serious but is just a very small clot that will dissolve away. You could also have some issues with hormones rising and being unstable as well as cervical infections.

Now, let us look at other conditions that may be happening from the spotting. You could be beginning a miscarriage, which is characterized by bright red bleeding and cramping pains. Bleeding without pain may be due to another condition.

Miscarriage can occur in 40 percent of all pregnancies with the large portion occurring in the first five weeks of pregnancy. The majority of women will go on to have a healthy pregnancy. When bleeding occurs early in the pregnancy, it usually resolves itself in the second or their trimester. If you are in the second or third trimester and begin to spot, contact your OB-GYN immediately.