Spotting while pregnant

Pregnant women are more aware of any kind of change that occurs during pregnancy. They also pay close attention to everything that is happening to their bodies. They can get worried over trivial things, but may sometimes be careful enough and react timely this way preventing potential detrimental consequences.

Spotting while being pregnant is only one problem which may affect pregnant women and cause a lot of worry. The problem may develop due to many reasons and can be both, physiological and pathological. Still, in case it occurs, the woman is supposed to report it to her doctor who will perform additional tests and exams and identify the actual cause of spotting. He/she will also decide whether a woman should be treated or the problem will withdraw on its own.

What Causes Spotting while Pregnant?

There are many potential underlying causes of spotting during pregnancy.

Placenta previa is a medical condition in which the placenta is attached to the lower portions of the uterus and due to that can bleed easily. This condition is responsible for a late miscarriage or premature labor and can cause spotting in initial stages. It requires prompt medical attention. Miscarriage is another potential cause of spotting during pregnancy.

This type of bleeding is also associated with several more pathological conditions including molar pregnancy, ectopic pregnancy, inflammation of the cervix or scratch over cervix, placental abruption and subchorionic hemorrhage.

Fortunately, spotting is sometimes related to normal, physiological conditions. For example, spotting may be a sign of implantation. So, the woman may not even be aware of implantation of a fertilized egg which is taking place inside of her uterus. And finally, in pregnant women a mucus discharge tinged with blood is considered a normal sign of introduction to labor.

What to Do?

Spotting usually includes brown blood which is old and dried blood that has somehow remained in the cervix. On the other hand, the presence of fresh blood may be more serious and require prompt medical attention.

Spotting brown blood usually requires testing woman's hormone levels (particularly level of hCG). By examining the woman the doctor will determine whether she is suffering from certain abnormalities during pregnancy (such as placenta previa and similar) and chose the most convenient treatment option in order to prevent a miscarriage or even premature birth. All infections responsible for spotting must be brought under control as soon as possible since many of them can be detrimental for both the mother and the baby.