Bleeding in Pregnancy

Bleeding in Pregnancy under 20 weeks

Although bleeding in early pregnancy can be very frightening for women, it is fairly common and doesn’t always mean that there is a problem. However during the first 12 weeks, vaginal bleeding can be a sign of miscarriage and sometimes ectopic pregnancy. 

You are more likely to have episodes of bleeding during pregnancy if you are a smoker. There are many health benefits to stopping smoking and you can get support to quit from your midwife.

Causes of bleeding in early pregnancy

Implantation bleeding

In early pregnancy, you might get some harmless light bleeding, called "spotting". This is when the developing embryo plants itself in the wall of your womb. This type of bleeding often happens a few days before your period would have been due. 

Cervical changes

Pregnancy can cause normal changes to the surface of the cervix. These can lead to bleeding or “spotting”, particularly after sex. Sex is not harmful during pregnancy, but in some instances, your doctor may advise you to avoid it.

Miscarriage

If a pregnancy ends before the 24th week, it's called a miscarriage. Around 1 in 4 pregnancies ends this way.

Most miscarriages occur during the first 12 weeks (3 months) of pregnancy. In about 80% of miscarriages this is due to genetic problems (the genetic code that is used to build all of the baby and placenta’s cells). Genetic problems are usually a chance event for that particular pregnancy and do not generally happen in future pregnancies.

Ectopic pregnancy

An ectopic pregnancy is when a fertilised egg implants outside the womb – for example, in the fallopian tube.

It can cause bleeding and is dangerous because the fertilised egg cannot develop properly outside the womb. Some ectopic pregnancies will stop and resolve by themselves, but many will require either surgery to remove the egg or medical treatment to stop the pregnancy continuing to grow.

Ectopic pregnancies do not develop normally and unfortunately there is no way to move an ectopic pregnancy into the womb.

 Symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy tend to develop in the 6th week of pregnancy but can happen later.