Why is there spotting during pregnancy?

Spotting During Pregnancy: Is there any cause for concern?

When women know they are pregnant, it would be surprising for them to see tiny amounts of blood in their underwear, or bed sheet or upon wiping and they probably might get alarmed as well. The process of spotting, that reproductive experts say is very similar to bleeding during pregnancy, generally takes place at any point during a woman's pregnancy. Spotting is mostly seen as a slight bleeding and may either be red, brown or sometimes pink-colored blood. Although this occurrence is a cause of worry for many women, usually there is a quite simple explanation for this particular phenomenon.

Analyzing Spotting During Pregnancy

According to physicians, when a pregnant woman sees some spotting, her first thoughts would be that of a miscarriage. Gynecologists stress that a miscarriage would have specific symptoms which are associated with it and spotting would only be one of them.

Some women do spot during a usual pregnancy, particularly during the first 3 months, as a woman's body in general adjusts to the hormone levels and this occurrence usually takes place when a woman's menstruation period is due. There are also occasions when women don't even realize that they're pregnant, especially since they bleed correctly on schedule. Health experts say that the first thing a woman must do when she notices some spotting, is to call the doctor as a physician is more capable of assessing the outcomes and determining the severity of the concern.

The doctor will then be able to verify whether the color of blood is fresh, or whether it's old. A physician would then perform a regular check-up on the woman to determine if she has a fever, or if she is experiencing any kind of body pain or would ask her whether the spotting began after intercourse or if she feels any pain with intercourse.

Other Factors that Cause Spotting During Pregnancy

Reproductive health experts note that there could be other non-pregnancy-related factors causing spotting. These would normally include a possible yeast infection, bacterial vaginosis, urinary tract infection, or hemorrhoids. Doctors also stress that there might be occasions when the spotting or bleeding could be related to pregnancy, but would not be considered life-threatening or serious.

A subchorionic hemorrhage, or a minute clot that causes bleeding and then dissolves away harmlessly can be the cause and the doctor would likely keep a tab on this concern until it disappears or begins to gradually ease. Some of the pregnancy-related factors for occurrence of spotting are unstable hormones or may be some forms of cervical infections.

It's a major concern, however, when spotting occurs in pregnant women, as the spotting might indicate that a miscarriage would be taking place. Doctors say that a miscarriage is generally manifested by the occurrence of bright red bleeding, along with a cramping body pain.

Generally, after women undergo an internal exam, they would see some form of spotting, and if this happens, it is best to first contact their doctor and inform of this incident. There have been certain occasions when spotting occurs and women would simply see no underlying cause as to the cause of it happening. If spotting occurs, women are best advised to avoid lifting heavy objects or doing any strenuous exercising during this period.