Bleeding During Pregnancy – Many women experience bleeding or spotting during pregnancy. Anyone will immediately panic when they experience bleeding during pregnancy. So, is this normal? Not always bleeding that occurs during pregnancy is a sign of danger. However, pregnant women must remain vigilant about this situation, so it is important to recognize normal and abnormal bleeding during pregnancy.
Every mother certainly wants to have a normal and smooth pregnancy until it is time to give birth. It’s just that, often several complaints arise and interfere with pregnancy. One of the problems in pregnancy that often worries pregnant women is bleeding.
Bleeding the time of pregnancy can occur in every trimester of pregnancy, from the first week to the last week. The worry experienced by pregnant women is very natural, because bleeding that occurs during pregnancy should not be underestimated.
Bleeding during pregnancy can be classified as normal bleeding or it can be dangerous abnormal bleeding. Now, to know whether bleeding during pregnancy is normal or abnormal, please refer to the discussion below.
Bleeding During Pregnancy That Is Still Normal
Bleeding that occurs during pregnancy is not always dangerous. Because in certain situations the bleeding that occurs is still fairly normal. Even so, you still have to be careful and always consult your doctor about any complaints or problems you are experiencing.
Bleeding that occurs during pregnancy is still considered normal if only a small amount of blood comes out. The blood that comes out can be in the form of streaks and is not transparent on the underwear, similar to the blood spots that women experience at the beginning or end of menstruation. The color of blood that comes out can vary, it can be dark red, pink or brownish in color. The blood that comes out will not be bright red.
Bleeding that occurs during pregnancy usually occurs during the fifth and eighth weeks of gestation. In some cases, this situation usually will not last long, no more than three days.
20% – 40% of pregnant women in the first trimester experience bleeding due to embryo implantation. The blood that comes out is not much or just a spot. Apart from being caused by embryo implantation, bleeding can also be caused by problems outside of pregnancy. Bleeding can occur due to sexual intercourse during pregnancy. Sometimes stress and physical exhaustion can cause bleeding during pregnancy.
Bleeding can also occur when approaching delivery or at 37-40 weeks of age. If the blood that comes out is mixed with mucus, and is followed by contractions that are getting stronger and regular, then this could be a sign of going into labor.
Abnormal Bleeding While Pregnant (Dangerous)
All complaints or problems with pregnancy, including bleeding, should be consulted by a doctor or midwife, whether it is mild, severe or has stopped. Bleeding can be a sign of a serious problem that will threaten your pregnancy. The following are the causes of abnormal bleeding during pregnancy.
Subchorionic Bleeding
Subchorionic hemorrhage is bleeding that occurs around the placenta. Most of this bleeding will heal on its own. It’s just that it will increase the risk of experiencing complications, such as giving birth to a premature baby. Even though pregnant women after experiencing this bleeding may still be able to carry out their pregnancy normally, but proper treatment is important. This subchorionic hemorrhage can cause the placenta to escape from the uterine wall, thus increasing the risk of miscarriage. Although the cases are rare, you still have to be vigilant.
If you experience profuse bleeding, bright red in color, and accompanied by stomach cramps and a feeling of pushing, you can immediately go to the doctor for further tests.
Miscarriage
A miscarriage is the spontaneous discharge of an embryo in the womb before 20 weeks of gestation. Miscarriage is the most dreaded pregnancy problem. When a pregnant woman has a miscarriage, she will experience heavy bleeding. Bleeding will be accompanied by other symptoms such as abdominal cramps or pain. This miscarriage is usually due to a damaged fetus, so that the mother’s body will reject a pregnancy that is unable to survive.
In general, women will feel that they are no longer pregnant when they experience bleeding or miscarriage, and signs of pregnancy disappear such as no longer feeling nauseous, no chest pain or so on. However, miscarriage can also occur without bleeding. A miscarriage without bleeding is called a silent miscarriage. In this state the fetus in the womb has died, it’s just that the mother’s body still maintains it.
Chemical Pregnancy
Chemical pregnancy is a miscarriage that occurs early in pregnancy. This miscarriage generally occurs when the gestational age is less than 5 weeks. When the ultrasound was done, there was no evidence a sign of pregnancy. In this situation, fertilization does occur, it’s just that in the uterus the cells cannot survive so that a miscarriage occurs.
Most women experience this condition but are not aware of it. The reason is, the bleeding that occurs is almost like being late in your period, only a little heavy and accompanied by several other symptoms such as pain in the stomach, and a lot of bleeding.
Ectopic Pregnancy
Ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy that occurs outside the womb. This situation occurs when a fertilized egg attaches itself not to the uterus, usually most often it attaches to the fallopian tube. Early symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy include pelvic pain and light bleeding. In addition, it can also be followed by other symptoms such as sharp stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting followed by pain, pain on one side of the body, weakness and dizziness, and pain in the neck, shoulder or rectum.
An ectopic pregnancy can rupture the fallopian tubes. If this situation occurs, you will experience severe pain and heavy bleeding. This pregnancy will not proceed normally, even if it is not diagnosed it can be life threatening to the mother.
The most common cause of an ectopic pregnancy is that the fallopian tube is damaged, either due to inflammation or an inflammatory process. Due to this damage, the fertilized egg will be prevented from entering the uterus, so that it will eventually attach to the fallopian tube or other organ. Other conditions can trigger an ectopic pregnancy, namely abnormal egg development or imbalance hormone levels.
Placenta Previa
Placenta previa is a condition in which the placenta is located lower than the uterine wall or in certain circumstances above the cervix. This situation will certainly disrupt the delivery process. In about 0.5% of pregnancies, the state of placenta previa can occur.
Placenta previa problems will cause bleeding, usually occurs after 20 weeks of gestation. In addition, the other most common sign is bright red bleeding. Bleeding usua
lly occurs during the last 3 months of gestation. The amount of blood that appears can be mild or severe. In part pregnant mother some experience contractions, as well as pain that appears in the lower abdomen or back.
Not all pregnant women who experience this condition experience bleeding. However, proper handling must still be done to prevent complications. If bleeding occurs in the second or third trimester, you should contact your doctor immediately. If not treated properly, pregnant women who experience placenta previa are at higher risk of bleeding after and before birth, the placenta detaching from the uterus, and premature birth.
There are several factors that have the potential to increase the risk of placenta previa in pregnancy, including having had uterine surgery, had had a cesarean section, had previously experienced placenta previa, had a miscarriage, a pregnant woman smoked and so on.
Molar Pregnancy
A molar pregnancy is often referred to as a wine pregnancy. This pregnancy occurs when the tissue that normally becomes a fetus develops abnormally in the uterus. Symptoms of molar pregnancy are similar to normal pregnancy in general, the mother will experience morning sickness or late menstruation.
Wine pregnancy will appear with symptoms like normal pregnancy. It’s just that after some time other signs appear such as bleeding, especially in the first trimester, pain in the pelvis, severe nausea and vomiting, and a wine-shaped cyst from the vagina. Because the symptoms of wine pregnancy tend to be the same as normal pregnancy, this condition is usually rarely realized. You can immediately consult a doctor if you feel the symptoms that have been mentioned previously, especially in early pregnancy.
Placenta Abruptio
Placenta abruption or the state of the detachment of the placenta is a serious condition, where all or part of the placenta is separated from the uterus before the baby is born. This situation results in the cutting off of the oxygen and nutrient pathways for the baby in the womb. Heavy bleeding can occur which will endanger the life of pregnant women or baby contained.
Placenta abruption is characterized by several symptoms such as light to moderate bleeding, painful uterus, signs of early labor, and decreased fetal activity than usual. If you experience these symptoms, either one or more symptoms you should immediately go to the doctor for further tests.
Premature Birth
Premature birth is a birth that occurs before the time of normal delivery. In normal circumstances, birth will occur at 40 weeks of gestation. Meanwhile, preterm birth usually occurs at 37 weeks gestation or earlier.
In the last few weeks of pregnancy, is a very important time for the growth of the fetus in the womb, especially the lungs and brain. Therefore, babies born before their time usually have medical problems and require longer hospitalization than babies born normally.
Symptoms of preterm birth can be felt by the mother, some of which are light bleeding accompanied by contractions, pressure in the pelvis, diarrhea or pain in the back before 37 weeks of pregnancy. If not treated properly, this situation can have serious consequences for the baby.
Regardless of the cause, bleeding that occurs during pregnancy should not be underestimated. When you experience bleeding you must immediately visit a doctor, to determine whether the bleeding you are experiencing is normal or abnormal. You can tell the doctor about the color of the blood, the amount or when the bleeding starts. This is an explanation of bleeding during pregnancy, both normal and abnormal bleeding. Hope it is useful.
This article is reviewed by Midwife Pevi Revina sTR. Keb
