Causes of bleeding during pregnancy, how to stop?
Content:
- Causes of bleeding during pregnancy
- Bleeding during early pregnancy
- Ectopic pregnancy bleeding
- Implantation bleeding during pregnancy
- How to stop bleeding during pregnancy?
Bleeding during pregnancy is a serious threat to the health and life of both the fetus and the mother. Therefore, such a condition cannot be ignored, and when bleeding of any nature appears, seek medical help. It is a discharge of various colors (red, pink, brown) and consistency emerging from the vagina.
According to statistics, bleeding in pregnant women is quite common. This problem affects up to 20% of expectant mothers. In Russia, up to 100 women die from bleeding during pregnancy every year, which indicates the seriousness of the problem.
Causes of bleeding during pregnancy
Bleeding during pregnancy can have a number of reasons, these include the following:
- Ectopic pregnancy. It is characterized by the fact that pregnancy occurs and begins to develop outside the uterus.
- A frozen pregnancy in which the fetus dies in the womb.
- Inflammation of the cervix.
- Placental abruption.
- Multiple pregnancy.
- Abdominal trauma.
- Egg implantation to the walls of the uterus.
- Cervical erosion.
- Polyps of the cervical canal.
- Myoma of the uterus.
- Sexual intercourse while carrying a child. It occurs due to irritation of the cervix and vaginal lining.
- Miscarriage. A concomitant symptom of the smearing discharge that appears is severe paroxysmal pain in the lower abdomen.
- Bubble drift. This is a condition in which tissue overgrowth of the placenta occurs. With it, bleeding is profuse, but there is no pain.
- Fetal malformations.
- Low progesterone levels.
- Bladder infections.
- Placental abruption.
- Premature birth.
- Varicose veins of the vagina.
- Rupture of the uterus that occurs late in pregnancy. At risk are women who have undergone a cesarean section, with multiple pregnancies, with scars left after operations.
- Cervical cancer.
Sometimes the causes of bleeding in a pregnant woman can be invasive gynecological examinations, such as taking blood from the umbilical cord, examining amniotic fluid, fetal chorion biopsy.
Bleeding during early pregnancy
Bleeding in early pregnancy does not always indicate the presence of any pathology, however, such a condition should not be ignored. There are both natural bleeding and those that can pose a serious threat.
Sometimes, in the early stages, when a woman does not yet know that she has become pregnant, a small amount of blood may be released from the vagina. This is due to the fact that the fertilized egg attaches to the wall of the uterus. During this process, there is a natural rejection of minor elements of the mucous membrane lining it. In connection with such changes occurring in the body, a woman may observe small discharge of brownish-brown or red color, accompanied by a feeling of discomfort and short-term pain.
Sometimes, a little bleeding can occur at 3-4 weeks of pregnancy. It does not always indicate a problem. This may happen due to the fact that the woman at this time should have started another menstruation. Hormones that regulate the course of pregnancy naturally interrupt this process. That is why sometimes some blood is released. Such bleeding can sometimes continue up to the 2nd trimester, and therefore, a woman sometimes does not know about her position.
Sometimes early bleeding can result from increased blood supply to the growing uterus. In this case, varicose veins can be observed, polyps form in the cervical canal. At the same time, the pregnant woman does not feel any discomfort and treatment by doctors is not prescribed.
However, one should not be silent at the next visit to the doctor that bleeding occurred during early pregnancy, since in some cases they are a symptom of serious processes. In this case, both the fetus and the woman herself can suffer.
Sometimes bleeding can occur at 5 weeks of gestation. This may be due to the mother's Rh-conflict with the fetus. It is at this time that the hematopoiesis system of the embryo is laid, and if an immuno-conflict occurs, this can provoke a miscarriage. If, with smearing discharge and accompanying pain, a woman does not consult a doctor, then most often the pregnancy cannot be prolonged. If the bleeding increases, clots and severe pain appear, this indicates that the miscarriage is already in the process.
At about 6 weeks, sometimes a little earlier or later, bleeding may occur, indicating an ectopic pregnancy, when the ovum is located outside the uterus.
It is impossible to recognize the cause of bleeding on your own, so you need to see a doctor. Moreover, in the early stages, they can indicate both pathological and natural processes.
Ectopic pregnancy bleeding
Ectopic pregnancy refers to a pathological condition and is a complication of pregnancy. It is characterized by the fact that the fertilized egg is attached outside the walls of the uterus. This condition requires urgent hospitalization, as it causes internal bleeding and can be fatal for a woman.
The danger of an ectopic pregnancy is that at the beginning of the birth of life, it is no different from the uterine one. A woman may experience nausea, weakness, breast tenderness.
Typical symptoms begin to appear at a period of 5 to 8 weeks, they are expressed as follows:
- Bleeding occurs in the abdominal cavity, as this is where the vessels are damaged. But uterine bleeding can often be observed, which is caused by a sharp drop in progesterone levels. The discharge is usually only slight, sometimes it can resemble menstrual discharge. Profuse bleeding occurs, but is extremely rare.
- The pain is of a different nature, it can be cutting, paroxysmal and aching, localized in the lower abdomen, followed by irradiation to the side and anus.
- If the blood loss is significant, the woman may develop shock. It is characterized by loss of consciousness, pallor, and a sharp drop in blood pressure.
When bleeding, a surgical method is always used to remove the ovum. Either only the egg is removed, or the fallopian tube, in case of rupture.
Implantation bleeding during pregnancy
Implant bleeding is the natural discharge of blood during the early stages of pregnancy. It is due to the fact that the fertilized egg is trying to invade the walls of the uterus. This type of bleeding is not pathological and is not observed in every woman.
According to statistics, bleeding in pregnant women is quite common. This problem affects up to 20% of expectant mothers. In Russia, up to 100 women die from bleeding during pregnancy every year, which indicates the seriousness of the problem.
The name of this type of bleeding is due to the fact that the introduction of an egg into the walls of the endometrium of the uterus is called implantation. Damaging tissues and blood vessels, the egg hardens inside the body of women, causing bloody discharge. This process takes place on average for 8 days, after the sexual intercourse that has happened, sometimes the process can take up to 12 days. The discharge does not last long, the discharge is observed for 2 hours, no more.
It is important to be able to recognize the signs of implantation bleeding and distinguish it from the onset of menstruation or another type of blood loss.
The fact that the woman began implantation bleeding is indicated by the following:
- The presence of unpleasant, but not too painful sensations in the lower abdomen. They are pulling in nature. Caused by spasms of the muscles of the uterine muscles.
- A short-term decrease in basal temperature. But this sign is very difficult to track, since the decrease is insignificant and short-lived.
- The bleeding itself is weak, the discharge is more often a light, creamy shade.
- A woman may feel mildly unwell, accompanied by dizziness, weakness, and lethargy. They arise after the implantation of the egg is completed.
- The timing of the onset of implantation can be calculated. This will happen on day 10, after ovulation, if the cycle is 28 days.
- Unlike menstruation, this bleeding is short-lived.
- The color of the discharge will not be as intense.
- The number of such secretions is equivalent to a few drops.
On the subject: Implantation bleeding - what it looks like, how many days it takes, causes of
When an ectopic pregnancy occurs, implantation bleeding is slightly different. The woman experiences pain, sharp and paroxysmal. Most often, ectopic implantation is immediately accompanied by dizziness and nausea. During the passage through the fallopian tube, the blood will become dark, therefore, the discharge will acquire a corresponding character.
If the discharge occurred before the specified time or later. Are intense, this may indicate the presence of any other disease. In this case, you need to go to the doctor for advice.
It is problematic to independently determine implantation bleeding using a pregnancy test. As a rule, at such early stages of pregnancy, it does not give a reliable result and it must be done only after the first day of delay in menstruation.
There is a more reliable method for determining the presence of pregnancy - this is a blood sample and an analysis for a specific hormone hCG. When fertilization occurs, the level of human chorionic gonadotropin in the woman's blood rises. Its release actively occurs by the membrane of the ovum. This method of determining pregnancy is very reliable and can be carried out as early as 6 days after intercourse. However, it will be more reliable after implantation bleeding has occurred.
How to stop bleeding during pregnancy?
If a woman bleeds while carrying a child, you must act in accordance with the following instructions:
- Profuse blood loss during pregnancy rarely starts abruptly and unexpectedly. Most often, it is preceded by pain and tension in the lower abdomen.
- If a woman finds bloody discharge, then it is necessary to call an ambulance, and before she arrives, lie in bed with a roller under her feet.
- If the arrival of the doctor is delayed for any reason, you need to drink two tablets of No-shpa and valerian extract.
- You should put something cold on your lower abdomen, it can be an ice heater or a bottle of water. But first you need to wrap it with a cloth.
- It is forbidden to use solutions for douching and even wash away so that the doctor can determine the cause of blood loss by the color and nature of the discharge.
- You cannot use a tampon to stop bleeding; in order not to stain your clothes, you should use a sanitary napkin or a clean cloth.
- You cannot use progesterone-based hormonal drugs on your own, without a doctor's prescription, in order to stop bleeding. In some cases, they help, but the doctor must determine the cause of the bleeding.
- After the arrival of the ambulance team, the woman will be taken to the hospital and transferred to a specialist for observation.
On the subject: Hemostatic agents for uterine bleeding
Depending on what caused the blood loss, the pregnant woman will either be left in the hospital or sent home for treatment. Most often, hemostatic agents (Dicinon, Vikasol, etc.) are used for therapy, which reduce the uterine muscles (oxytocin), and raise the hemoglobin level of funds. Pregnant women are prescribed vitamins and drugs that help strengthen blood vessels - Askorutin.
The author of the article: Lapikova Valentina Vladimirovna | Gynecologist, reproductologist
Education: Diploma in Obstetrics and Gynecology received at the Russian State Medical University of the Federal Agency for Healthcare and Social Development (2010). In 2013 completed postgraduate studies at N. N. N. I. Pirogova.
