Vaginal bleeding is common in the first trimester of pregnancy and some studies describe it as an indication of risk of miscarriage. However, it is not so. A study conducted over eight years in nearly 5000 women has shown that vaginal bleeding is not equal to abortion.
First, the percentage of women who abort is the same among women who bleed and those who do not: around 11%.
Second, the type of bleeding is an important fact: women with spotting or light bleeding do not have a higher chance of miscarriage compared to those who do not bleed.
Only those with strong bleeding are twice as likely to have an abortion. Fortunately, staining (75.6% of cases of vaginal bleeding) and mild vaginal bleeding (18.4%) are common early pregnancy symptoms, but heavy vaginal bleeding is much less common (6% of cases of vaginal bleeding ).
Presence of bleeding Percentage of abortion
No bleeding 11.6
With bleeding 10.9
Type of bleeding Percentage of abortion
Without bleeding 11.6
Spotted 9.2
Light Bleeding 11,7
Heavy bleeding 23.7
Modified from VAGINAL BLEEDING IN EARLY PREGNANCY: PATTERNS, PREDICTORS, AND ASSOCIATION WITH MISCARRIAGE, Reem Hasan, Doctoral Thesis, 2009
Episodes of heavy bleeding (similar or more volume than normal menstruation in women) are more likely to be associated with pain, longer duration, bright red color, and presence of multiple episodes of bleeding, whereas episodes light bleeding are more likely to occur occasionally, with less
pain.
All types of bleeding are possible in viable pregnancies
Pink, red or brown, spotted, light vaginal bleeding, bulky bleeding, one day or more days of 7 days.
Almost all types and characteristics of bleeding can occur in the first weeks of pregnancy. Not only in pregnancies ending in abortion but also in perfectly viable pregnancies. Often many women ask us about the chances of pregnancy after having had unprotected and unprotected sex and discover days later a vaginal bleeding. And the answer is almost always: a pregnancy test should be done, because the characteristics and type of bleeding are not definitive symptoms.
Investigating scientific work, we have found one (Human Reproduction, Volume 27, Issue 1, Pp. 54-60) that describes the types of bleeding in the first weeks of pregnancy in a total of 3978 women, all with pregnancy who ended in childbirth .
Of all of them, a total of 986 women experienced at least one hemorrhagic episode, (32.6%) in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. The study describes the types of bleeding that women had (we have developed a modified table). If we find the percentages from the data provided by this study we found that the most abundant type of bleeding was brown spotting of only one day duration. The least abundant was abundant red bleeding and lasting more than 7 days.
Volume N Percentage
Spotted 733 74.49
Light Bleeding 191 19.41
Heavy bleeding 60 6.10
984 100.00
Color
Brown 432 43.90
Pink 284 28.86
Red 268 27.24
984 100.00
Duration
1 Day 488 49.59
2 days 159 16.16
3 Days 114 11.59
4-6 days 118 11.99
= Or more than 7 days 105 10.67
984 100.0
All types of bleeding were perfectly compatible with viable pregnancies that arrived at delivery without problem. If you read this and are worried about a bleeding that you have had, we believe that the data will reassure you. Cheer up!
All types of bleeding are possible in viable pregnancies
Pink, red or brown, spotted, light vaginal bleeding, bulky bleeding, one day or more days of 7 days.
Almost all types and characteristics of bleeding can occur in the first weeks of pregnancy. Not only in pregnancies ending in abortion but also in perfectly viable pregnancies. Often many women ask us about the chances of pregnancy after having had unprotected and unprotected sex and discover days later a vaginal bleeding. And the answer is almost always: a pregnancy test should be done, because the characteristics and type of bleeding are not definitive symptoms.
Investigating scientific work, we have found one (Human Reproduction, Volume 27, Issue 1, Pp. 54-60) that describes the types of bleeding in the first weeks of pregnancy in a total of 3978 women, all with pregnancy who ended in childbirth .
Of all of them, a total of 986 women experienced at least one hemorrhagic episode, (32.6%) in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. The study describes the types of bleeding that women had (we have developed a modified table). If we find the percentages from the data provided by this study we found that the most abundant type of bleeding was brown spotting of only one day duration. The least abundant was abundant red bleeding and lasting more than 7 days.
Volume N Percentage
Spotted 733 74.49
Light Bleeding 191 19.41
Heavy bleeding 60 6.10
984 100.00
Color
Brown 432 43.90
Pink 284 28.86
Red 268 27.24
984 100.00
Duration
1 Day 488 49.59
2 days 159 16.16
3 Days 114 11.59
4-6 days 118 11.99
= Or more than 7 days 105 10.67
984 100.0
All types of bleeding were perfectly compatible with viable pregnancies that arrived at delivery without problem. If you read this and are worried about a bleeding that you have had, we believe that the data will reassure you. Cheer up!