Age

If women are younger than 18 years or older than 35 years (older than 40 years from the second child onwards), the pregnancy is classified as a high-risk pregnancy and pregnancy complications may occur. Among other things, complications such as premature labor and premature births are more common in very young women. In women over 35 years of age, chromosomal changes such as trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) are more common and the risk of miscarriage is higher. Older women are more likely to have pre-existing conditions that can lead to pregnancy complications. In addition, pregnancy diabetes, hypertension, thrombosis or placental insufficiency are more common during pregnancy.

Frequency

Overall, bleeding from the vagina during pregnancy is not uncommon. In early pregnancy, bleeding occurs in about 20% of all expectant mothers, i.e. about one in five women. The reason for the bleeding is often harmless, but should always be clarified by a doctor.

In the second half of the pregnancy (from the 20th week of pregnancy onwards) bleeding occurs less frequently overall, only in about 2-10% of cases. In most cases, however, the causes are more serious in this stage than in early pregnancy. This topic could also be interesting for you: Pain in the pubic bone during pregnancy

Bleeding

Bleeding is a significant complication of pregnancy. Although bleeding during pregnancy does not necessarily pose a risk to mother and child, if weak (e.g. spotting) or more severe bleeding occurs, with or without pain, the expectant mother should immediately consult a gynecologist or her treating physician or drive to hospital. Especially bright red (fresh) and heavy bleeding is an alarm signal and requires immediate medical attention.

Bleeding is comparatively common during early pregnancy (first to twelfth week of pregnancy (SSW)). The causes can be harmless, such as so-called nidation bleeding during the implantation of the fertilized egg in the uterus, which takes place a few days after fertilization, or small injuries in the vagina or cervix, such as those that can occur during sexual intercourse. But also an ectopic pregnancy, a change in the hormone balance at the beginning of the pregnancy or a miscarriage can be the cause of bleeding in early pregnancy.

In the later course of the pregnancy, bleeding from the vagina is generally less frequent. This can be caused, among other things, by a malposition of the placenta (so-called placenta praevia) or premature detachment of the placenta from the uterine wall, which is an emergency. Harmless, however, is the so-called drawing haemorrhage, if it is noticed a few days around the delivery date. But even in this case, the expectant mother should consult a doctor.