Vaginal hemorrhage in the early stages of pregnancy - Causes and Symptoms

Definition

The appearance of blood loss in the first weeks after conception is a problem that occurs in 20-30% of confirmed pregnancies, and does not necessarily represent a phenomenon associated with adverse outcomes. In the early stages of pregnancy, in fact, small blood leaks of a bright or dark red color may appear. These generally represent the consequence of engraftment of the embryo in the wall of the uterus or rupture of a capillary of the cervix.

However, copious vaginal bleeding, with a flow comparable to that of menstruation, may correlate with an unfavorable evolution of pregnancy. Spontaneous abortion is the most frequent cause. In this case, in addition to vaginal bleeding, with or without cramp-like abdominal pain, the medical examination can show a more or less marked cervical dilation, the presence of contractions (in the case of threatened abortion) or a lower uterine volume as provided (in case of incomplete or complete abortion already occurred).

The most dangerous pathology, on the other hand, is represented by the ectopic pregnancy, which can cause severe internal bleeding and shock due to the rupture of the organ on which the gestational sac is implanted. Other causes include rupture of corpus luteum and gestational trophoblastic disease.

Bleeding in the early stages of pregnancy can also depend on trauma (eg laceration of the cervix or vagina, due to instrumental maneuvers), vaginitis, cervicitis and cervical polyps.