Bleeding from the vagina during pregnancy can be a scary thing, especially if it is suspected to be miscarriage blood. However, miscarriage is not the only cause of bleeding. Let's see what conditions can cause bleeding during pregnancy.
Miscarriage is the condition of the death of the fetus when the gestational age is still under 20 weeks. Bleeding from the vagina is a sign of a miscarriage.
However, bleeding during pregnancy does not necessarily mean you will have a miscarriage. Bleeding from the vagina due to miscarriage will generally be accompanied by several other symptoms.
Signs of miscarriage
As previously explained, one of the signs of a miscarriage is bleeding from the vagina, much like during menstruation. But in many cases of miscarriage, blood and blood clots that come out more than during menstruation.
In addition, miscarriage can also be recognized by several other accompanying symptoms, namely:
- Decreased pregnancy symptoms, such as nausea or vomiting morning sickness, drastically.
- Discharge of mucus or reddish fluid accompanied by lumps of flesh or tissue from the vagina.
- Pain in the lower abdomen, pelvis, or lower back (contractions). This pain is similar to menstruation, but is usually more severe.
- Contractions that appear regularly every 5-20 minutes.
If during pregnancy, miscarriage blood appears accompanied by the above symptoms, immediately see a gynecologist for further examination.
Experience Bleeding Not Always Meaning Miscarriage
When experiencing bleeding, do not immediately panic let alone despair and assume that it is miscarriage blood, because bleeding during pregnancy can also be caused by several other things.
In the first trimester of pregnancy, the appearance of blood from the vagina may be caused by sex, urinary tract infections, hormonal changes, to the implantation of an embryo (prospective fetus) in the uterine wall or also known as implantation bleeding.
So is the case with bleeding that occurs in the second or third trimester. Bleeding in this trimester can also be caused by the same thing as in the early trimester. It's just that in this later trimester, there are several other factors that might cause vaginal bleeding to be suspected as a miscarriage, such as placenta previa and premature labor.
The best way to determine the cause of bleeding during pregnancy is to see a doctor. The doctor will run a series of tests, from a physical examination to supporting tests, such as ultrasound and blood tests, to find out whether the bleeding is miscarriage blood or not.
Beware of Bleeding and Understand the Handling
When bleeding occurs, there are several things you need to do, namely:
- Pay attention to the things that cause the bleeding, whether it's because you've just had sexual intercourse, have an injury or impact on the abdominal or vaginal area, or recently underwent a uterine examination.
- Get plenty of rest at home and don't move too much.
- Use panty liners or pads to measure the amount of blood that comes out. Also pay attention to the color of the blood, whether it is bright red, dark red, or brown and is accompanied by lumps that resemble flesh.
- Avoid having sex when bleeding occurs.
- Drink enough water to avoid dehydration.
- Also watch for additional symptoms, such as back pain, nausea, contractions, fever, or decreased movement of the baby.
If the blood that comes out of the vagina is not much and is not accompanied by the other symptoms of miscarriage that have been mentioned, then it is likely that the blood is not miscarriage blood. But to be sure, you are still advised to check with a gynecologist.