Nothing can stress out a newly pregnant woman more than spotting. Your mind immediately goes to the worst case scenario and you fear it means you are losing your baby. Spotting doesn’t always mean the worst. There are times when you should worry and other times when you should relax.
Any spotting should be reported to your doctor. If you are having very light spotting and no cramping, the call can probably wait until normal business hours. Don’t be afraid to make an after hours call if you are very worried. That’s what the doctor is there for.
Spotting occurs in about 25% of all pregnancies. There are a variety of causes of this in early pregnancy. One is implantation bleeding. This occurs around the time you would normally be expecting a period. It is caused by the embryo implanting into the wall of the uterus.
Another cause can be vaginal exams. This happened to me with my fourth pregnancy. Since I had three miscarriages before having my three children, I completely panicked at the sight of the blood. I immediately called the doctor. They assured me that the cause was the exam and suggested I rest for the day. Everything turned out fine, but it was very scary.
There are other times when spotting is a sign of trouble. If the spotting is accompanied by cramping, this could be a sign of miscarriage. Call your doctor if you experience these symptoms. An ultrasound will be done to check for the baby’s heartbeat.
In some cases, spotting can be a sign of ectopic pregnancy. This is relatively rare and occurs in about 1% of all pregnancies. An ectopic pregnancy happens when the baby attaches to an area outside the uterus, usually the fallopian tubes. The bleeding is usually accompanied by pain on one side of the abdomen.
If you experience spotting in early pregnancy, try not to get hysterical. In about half the cases, the pregnancy continues and the baby is fine. Call your doctor and try to relax until you can be examined.