Many expectant mothers experience unexplained bleeding at various points in their pregnancy. Bleeding, from spotting to heavy bleeding, is a very common symptom during pregnancy and can occur at any stage of pregnancy. However, experts remind expectant mothers that bleeding during pregnancy must not blindly protect the fetus!
If bleeding symptoms occur during pregnancy, don\’t panic. You should go to the hospital as soon as possible, cooperate with the doctor for examination and treatment, and try to keep the hemostatic pad so that the doctor can estimate the amount of bleeding. Experts pointed out that whether bleeding has a protective effect on the fetus still needs to be analyzed based on the cause of bleeding.
50% of early pregnancy bleeding does not affect pregnancy
About 20%-30% of expectant mothers have symptoms of early pregnancy bleeding, and 50% of them eventually give birth to a healthy baby. Experts summarize the causes of early pregnancy bleeding:
Threatened abortion with low bleeding: The so-called threatened abortion means that there are signs of miscarriage, but it may not necessarily lead to miscarriage. It usually manifests as light vaginal bleeding. Progesterone deficiency is a possible cause. If the fetus is in the womb and there is no active bleeding from the cervix, pregnant women should pay attention to rest, reduce activities, and avoid sexual intercourse, constipation, mental stress, etc. If necessary, follow your doctor\’s advice to supplement progesterone to prevent miscarriage.
Unavoidable miscarriage is mostly the result of natural selection: if threatened abortion develops further and miscarriage cannot be avoided, we call it unavoidable miscarriage. A large part of the reasons for unavoidable miscarriage may be related to abnormal development of the baby itself, which can be considered to be the result of natural selection. Unavoidable miscarriage usually involves heavy bleeding, equal to or exceeding menstrual flow, and is often accompanied by abdominal pain. If fleshy tissue is discharged from the vagina, it may be an aborted embryo and should be collected and sent to the hospital for necessary examinations.
Embryonic suspension is prone to bleeding: the fetus stops developing in the uterus and vaginal bleeding often occurs, which is mostly diagnosed by ultrasound. The absence of a fetal heartbeat after 8 weeks of pregnancy usually means that the embryo has stopped fertilizing. Some terminated embryos may miscarry spontaneously; but some remain in the uterine cavity forever. This situation also requires curettage, otherwise infection and bleeding may occur.
Ectopic pregnancy is life-threatening: When the embryo grows outside the uterine cavity, it is called an ectopic pregnancy, commonly known as an ectopic pregnancy. The most common is a fallopian tube pregnancy. As the embryo grows, it may cause local rupture and massive bleeding, which can be life-threatening. In addition to bleeding, abdominal pain is also a common symptom.
In addition to these common causes, there are also some possible causes of bleeding, such as implantation bleeding, cervical erosion, cervical polyps, etc.
Bleeding in the second and third trimester of pregnancy should reduce activities and observe more
If vaginal bleeding occurs in the middle and late stages of pregnancy, especially after 28 weeks of pregnancy, pregnant women should go to the hospital as soon as possible. During this period, they should reduce their activities and observe the amount of bleeding, fetal movement changes, and fetal movements. Abdominal pain and other symptoms. In addition to cervical inflammation and lesions, bleeding in the second and third trimesters can also be caused by the following three reasons:
Placenta previa can causeRecurrent bleeding: Normally the placenta should be attached to the body of the uterus. If after 28 weeks of pregnancy, the placenta is attached too low, close to or covering the cervix, it is called placenta previa. Placenta previa can cause repeated bleeding, most (70%) of which are not accompanied by abdominal pain, and the amount of bleeding at one time may be large.
Placental abruption requires immediate cesarean section: that is, the placenta separates from the uterine wall before the baby is born, which may be related to trauma, high blood pressure, smoking, etc. If the placenta separates prematurely, it is a very dangerous situation for both the baby and the mother. Pregnant women often experience severe abdominal pain, which may be accompanied by low back pain and uterine contractions. Vaginal bleeding is sometimes not serious. If the peeling area is large, the baby may lose blood supply in a short period of time, which is life-threatening, and the doctor must perform a cesarean section immediately.
Late miscarriage/threatened preterm birth can be suppressed with drugs: in addition to a small amount of vaginal bleeding and bloody discharge, it may also be accompanied by bouts of tightness and hardness in the abdomen, and even regular lower abdominal distension and pain, and a sinking feeling. If this feeling of tightness, stiffness and labor pain occurs more than three times every half hour, the doctor will need to take medicine to suppress the contractions.
B-ultrasound is commonly used to check for bleeding during pregnancy
In the early stages of pregnancy, if the patient has symptoms of vaginal bleeding, it is generally recommended to have a B-ultrasound examination when going to the hospital. The purpose of the B-ultrasound at this time is firstly to confirm that the embryo is in the uterus and not an ectopic pregnancy, and secondly to determine whether the embryo\’s development in the uterus is consistent with the number of weeks of menopause, that is, whether the embryonic development has stopped.
Under normal circumstances, fetal heart rate can be seen by B-ultrasound 7-8 weeks after menopause. If you can\’t see it, your doctor will need to check the time of conception again. If the B-ultrasound results do not reveal any abnormality in the embryo, blood hormone levels will be required.
Experts say that for unavoidable miscarriage in early pregnancy, if the amount of bleeding gradually decreases, an ultrasound examination can be done to see if there is any residue in the uterine cavity. Ultrasound examination of residual tissue within the uterine cavity usually requires dilation and curettage.
Don’t blindly have an abortion
During pregnancy, when expectant mothers experience vaginal bleeding, they ask their doctor whether they need an abortion. However, whether an abortion can occur depends on the patient\’s physical condition and whether the fetus itself has abnormal development.
For early pregnancy bleeding, if no fetal abnormality is found in B-ultrasound examination, the patient\’s blood hormone levels should be referred to. If progesterone levels decrease, abortion treatment will be given. If progesterone levels are normal, look for other possible causes of bleeding.
Abortion cannot be performed blindly. If you use tocolytic drugs without confirming whether the embryo is in the uterus, it may delay the treatment of ectopic pregnancy and worsen the condition.
Experts point out that tocolytic drugs will be injectable or oral depending on the condition of the pregnant woman. At present, these drugs are mainly natural progesterone, which is relatively safe for babies. However, when anti-tocolytic drugs are needed in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, it is often necessary to start with infusion and then continue taking oral drugs after the condition is stable.
In addition to using tocolytics, pregnant women should also take appropriate rest and reduce strenuous exercise and nervousness. Many pregnant women believe that in order to protect their pregnancy, they must absolutely stay in bed and not go to the ground. In fact, this is not the case. Activities of daily living and walking can still continue.