As a now pregnant woman you expect that there will be no vaginal bleeding now for the next 9 months because as we all know, having had periods since we were anywhere between 11 yrs old and 15 yrs old. Its part of life, not being pregnant to have our monthlies, so now when pregnancy has been confirmed, there should be no more bleeding.. right? Well not so much.. it is actually pretty normal to what you might call harmless light bleeding or ‘spotting’. This can happen when the developing embryo is implanting into the wall of the uterus and this type of bleeding can often happen around the time your period may have been due.
So it is more common than you think, up to 1:5 (20%) of all pregnant women have some spotting or bleeding during pregnancy, and it doesn’t mean there is a problem. However, there are occasions when this bleeding may be more sinister.
Does Bleeding Always Mean Miscarriage?
If you bleed in early pregnancy it does not always mean that you are having a miscarriage. One in four women will bleed in early pregnancy, many of whom go on to have a healthy baby, so light spotting or loss of a dark ‘old’ blood is not indicative of a miscarriage however, an early scan would be advised.
How Long Can Early Pregnancy Bleeding Last?
Early pregnancy spotting can go on for a few hours to a few weeks, without it being concerning, however if this gets heavier and accompanied by tissue loss or abdominal pain, it is more likely this is a miscarriage.
Is Implantation Bleeding Heavy?
Implantation bleeding is usually pretty light and only lasts for a day or two. It might be enough to warrant a wearing a pantyliner, but it’s usually not enough to soak a tampon or bad, but implantation can be on the heavy in rare cases.
If you are worried, or feel that you would like reassurance, please feel free to call Helen, Dr Penmans secretary on 07943951912 or go ahead and book an early scan with Dr Penman
