Spotting in early pregnancy

introduction

The passing of small amounts of blood is called spotting. The color of the blood can vary from red to brown. Spotting is often harmless. They occur mainly in the first few weeks of pregnancy and occur in around a quarter of all expectant mothers.

What causes spotting in early pregnancy?

Especially in the first three months of pregnancy, light bleeding can occur at the time of the earlier menstruation. This is because the female body often continues to release hormones that regulate the cycle.
Irritation of the already sensitive cervical and vaginal mucous membrane can also trigger minor bleeding. This irritation can result from sexual intercourse or vaginal infections, for example.
The implantation of the fertilized egg in the wall of the uterus can lead to a single bleeding. This is called implantation bleeding and it usually lasts a day or two.
Bleeding can also occur due to small growths (Polyps) on the cervix or growths on the uterine wall (Fibroids) arise. These growths are mostly harmless and usually exist before pregnancy.

Less common but more serious causes can be so-called extrauterine pregnancies. The egg does not implant itself in the uterus, but in another location. Often this is the fallopian tube (Tubal pregnancy), less often the abdominal cavity (Peritoneal pregnancy). With fallopian tubes or abdominal cavity pregnancies, a surgical procedure is necessary to remove the implanted egg cell or embryo. The often watery bleeding is often accompanied by abdominal pain.

Miscarriages can also cause bleeding. These are often accompanied by abdominal cramps in order to excrete the embryo.
Moles are less common cause of bleeding. Genetic errors in the fertilized egg cell lead to the pure formation of a placenta or to only partial development of the embryo, so that it cannot survive.

Read more on the topic: Spotting

Nidation

Nidation is the process of implanting the fertilized egg cell (Blastocyst) in the uterine wall. This takes place between the 6th and 12th day after fertilization. In doing so, the egg cell nests itself preferentially on the upper rear wall of the uterus. The egg cell “sticks” to the mucous membrane of the uterus and develops two layers of cells, then it “digs” deeper and deeper into the wall until it is covered by the mucous membrane. In order to guarantee a blood supply for further growth, maternal blood vessels are "tapped". This can lead to light bleeding approximately 23 days after your last menstruation.

Read more on the subject at: Implantation bleeding

Occurrence of spotting after intercourse

Spotting after sexual intercourse is often a sign of irritation to the delicate lining of the vagina. The type of bleeding is also called contact bleeding. Since the cervix and vagina are more sensitive during the nine months of pregnancy, small blood vessels can be injured during sexual intercourse. This bleeding can sometimes occur a few days after intercourse. As a rule, they are to be regarded as harmless.

How dangerous is spotting?

Typically, most bleeding in the first few weeks of pregnancy is harmless. Hormone fluctuations in the first trimester of pregnancy that lead to bleeding are not an indication of a risk to pregnancy. Implantation bleeding is also harmless and tends to confirm that the pregnancy is progressing.

The situation is different with spotting that occurs during extrauterine pregnancies. Depending on the location of the egg cell implantation, the growth of the fruit can cause the fallopian tubes to burst or the uterus to tear. These complications can then be associated with life-threatening bleeding. The embryo must therefore be removed in a surgical procedure.

Spotting, especially in connection with cramping abdominal pain, can indicate an abortion. It is not uncommon for spontaneous abortions to occur, especially in the first few weeks. Often these are hardly noticed by women and appear to the outside like a menstrual bleeding. However, if remnants of the embryo or placenta remain in the abdominal cavity, infections can occur, which can then pose a danger to those affected.

When should you see a doctor if you have spotting?

Even if most of the bleeding is harmless, the doctor treating you should be contacted with any bleeding. He or she can provide advice and, if necessary, carry out further examinations to rule out an infection, miscarriage or extrauterine pregnancy.
In addition to a physical exam, he can also do an ultrasound, for example, to see if the baby is safe and in the right place. If the bleeding is accompanied by pain or cramps, a gynecologist should be consulted immediately.

Duration of spotting during pregnancy

Depending on the cause of the spotting, this can also take different lengths of time. As a rule, harmless spotting is rather mild and only lasts for a short time. Under the influence of cycle hormones, the bleeding can last a few days; in the case of implantation bleeding, the bleeding lasts one to two days. In infections, miscarriages and extrauterine pregnancies, the bleeding time can vary widely from a few hours to several days.

Can you still be pregnant if you have spotting?

Spotting is not uncommon, especially in the first few weeks of pregnancy. On the one hand, they can occur at the time of the otherwise always occurring period or they can be caused by the implantation of the fertilized egg.
Spotting does not have to be a sign of termination of pregnancy. In the case of implantation, the bleeding is even a sign of pregnancy. Bleeding from irritation does not speak against pregnancy either.

However, when the spotting is combined with abdominal pain or cramps, it is often a sign of ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage. In this case it means the end of an existing pregnancy.

Can spotting be a sign of pregnancy?

If bleeding occurs as the fertilized egg is implanted in the uterine wall, it is a positive sign of pregnancy in the first month. However, since the cause cannot be seen solely because of the spotting, spotting is not a sign of pregnancy per se. This is because spotting can occur between menstruations outside of pregnancy. The most common causes of this are, for example, hormone fluctuations in the menstrual cycle, infections or sometimes benign and malignant tumors.