Spotting during early pregnancy

Introduction

The excretion of small amounts of blood is called spotting. The color of the blood can vary from red to brown. Often spotting is harmless. They occur mainly in the first few weeks of pregnancy and occur in about a quarter of all expectant mothers.

What causes spotting in early pregnancy?

Especially in the first three months of pregnancy, slight bleeding may occur at the time of the earlier menstruation. This is because the female body often still releases hormones that regulate the cycle. Irritation of the already sensitive cervical and vaginal mucosa can also cause minor bleeding.

This irritation can be caused by sexual intercourse or vaginal infections, for example. The implantation of the fertilised egg in the wall of the uterus can lead to a single bleed. This is called nidation or implantation bleeding and usually lasts one or two days.

Bleeding can also occur due to small growths (polyps) on the cervix or growths on the wall of the uterus (fibroids). These growths are usually harmless and usually exist before pregnancy. Less frequent, but more serious causes can be so-called extrauterine pregnancies.

Here, the egg cell does not nest in the uterus, but in a different place. This is often the fallopian tube (tubal pregnancy), more rarely the abdominal cavity (peritoneal pregnancy). In the case of tubal or abdominal cavity pregnancies, surgical intervention is necessary to remove the implanted egg or embryo.

The often watery bleeding is often accompanied by abdominal pain. Miscarriages can also cause bleeding. These are often accompanied by abdominal cramps to excrete the embryo.

More rarely, bladder moles are the cause of bleeding. Here, genetic defects in the fertilised egg cell result in the mere formation of a placenta or only partial development of the embryo, so that it is not capable of survival. The process of implantation of the fertilised egg (blastocyst) into the uterine wall is called implantation or nidation.

This takes place between the 6th and 12th day after fertilization. During this time, the egg cell preferentially nests itself on the upper posterior wall of the uterus. The egg “sticks” to the mucous membrane of the uterus and develops two cell layers, then it “digs” deeper and deeper into the wall until it is covered by the mucous membrane.

To ensure a blood supply for further growth, maternal blood vessels are “tapped”. This can lead to a slight bleeding about 23 days after the last menstruation. Spotting after sexual intercourse is often a sign of irritation of the sensitive vaginal mucosa.

The type of bleeding is also called contact bleeding. Since the cervix and vagina are more sensitive during the nine months of pregnancy, small blood vessels may be injured during sexual intercourse. This bleeding can sometimes occur a few days after sexual intercourse. They are usually considered harmless.