Spotting During Pregnancy – How Worried Should You Be?

Spotting during pregnancy is something that is described as a small amount of blood passing through the vagina.

Spotting during pregnancy could be noticed as discharge on the panty or on the tissue as a woman wipes after going to the bathroom.

As a general rule, any spotting during pregnancy, other than that which occurs during the very early part of pregnancy could be a sign of a threatened miscarriage.

The only spotting during pregnancy that is considered normal is known as Implantation Bleeding. This is the appearance of a small quantity of blood that may be seen on a pregnant woman’s panty at the time of the embryo being implanted in the lining of the uterus.

This is typically seen a few days prior to the time that a woman would ordinarily have got her period; in other words it could be seen 7 to 10 days after conception.

Not all women experience this implantation spotting during pregnancy and not all early pregnancy spotting is OK.

If the spotting or bleeding is of pinkish (lighter than the color of blood) or brownish (darker than the color of blood) then it could be the implantation that is causing it.

However if the blood is fresh and/or is accompanied by any pain or cramps it must be reported to the doctor directly.

Spotting during later part of pregnancy should always be regarded with some concern. While it is true that in some rare cases women menstruate almost as normal throughout their pregnancy and then go on to deliver perfectly healthy babies, this is not at all common.

Spotting during pregnancy other than in the early part, i.e. implantation could be due to a lot of worrisome reasons including a threatened miscarriage or the presence of an infection or disease. However, this may not always be the case.

Many women report spotting during pregnancy with no particular negative consequences; however spotting during pregnancy, late or early should be reported. Causes for spotting could be:

• The spotting could be due to a yeast infection
• It could be due to a UTI (urinary tract infection)
• The bleeding could be due to hemorrhoids or anal fissures
• Sometimes it could be due to infections such as bacterial vaginosis
• Sometimes there could be hormonal reasons for spotting during pregnancy
• Certain other cervical infections could also be the reason for spotting.

If there is spotting or bleeding and a pregnant woman is scared that it could be due to a miscarriage, then she should be looking at the following factors:

• The blood should be fresh of bright red in color
• There will also typically be cramping or lower body pain that accompanies the bleeding that is caused by a miscarriage

In the event of spotting during pregnancy, the best course of action is to inform the doctor and to take rest in the meantime; while refraining from lifting heavy objects or doing vigorous exercise.