Pregnancy is a glorious period for any women, but it could also be a time filled with worries and concerns for many pregnant women. Noticing bleeding during pregnancy can set off alarm bells for all the pregnant ladies. Is it a sign of danger? Is it the menses, which plenty of women swear they continue to experience all through their pregnancies? Or is it something entirely different? Bleeding during pregnancy could be cause for concern but it could also be quite physiological. So how does a pregnant woman know when to call her health care provider?

Vaginal bleeding can be defined as any blood coming from the vagina (the canal that leads from the uterus to the external genital organ). This generally refers to abnormal bleeding not associated with a regular menstrual cycle. Here is some of the common bleeding during pregnancy

• First trimester bleeding is any vaginal bleeding that occurs during the first three months of pregnancy and here, vaginal bleeding might differ from light spotting to severe bleeding having clots. Vaginal bleeding is a general problem in early pregnancy that complicates 20-30% of all the pregnancies.

• Any vaginal bleeding occurring in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy (the last six months of a nine-months pregnancy) includes concerns different from bleeding in the first three months of the pregnancy and bleeding during the 2 nd and 3 rd trimesters is considered to be abnormal.

• Bleeding from the vagina after the 28 th week of pregnancy is a genuine emergency and the bleeding might range from very mild to very brisk and might or might not be accompanied by abdominal pain. Hemorrhage (another term for bleeding) is the commonest cause of death of the mother in the US and also across the world. It will complicate about 4 per cent of all pregnancies.

A miscarriage is the termination of a pregnancy before the 20th week of pregnancy and about 20 per cent of all pregnancies result in miscarriage. There are several causes for miscarriage and the most common are a result of chromosomal anomalies, uterine abnormalities, infections, or improper placental circulation. Signs of miscarriage include spotting or bleeding and cramps during pregnancy. If the woman is concerned that she is miscarrying, she should call her doctor right away.

A doctor might perform an ultrasound and about half of the total woman who has spotting during pregnancy do not miscarry as if during the ultrasound a doctor notices a heartbeat, the chances of miscarriage are even lessened. If she has an ultrasound between 7 th and 11 th weeks of pregnancy and a heartbeat is noticed, the chances of miscarrying are lesser than 10 per cent.

Another bleeding during pregnancy could be an implantation bleeding. This is w hen a fertilized ovum attaches to the uterine lining and results in light spotting and/or streaking (streaks of the blood). Generally, this will only last a day or two; nevertheless the woman should mention it to her healthcare provider for safe measure. Implantation bleeding is generally bright fresh blood such like what she would expect to see if her finger is cut; however, it can also be like a pink mucous stain.

Another pregnancy bleeding is placental abruption. This is when the placenta gets separated from the uterus and sometimes a partial separation will occur and sometimes it separates completely. This is an emergency case and might result in the death of the unborn or the mother. Symptoms involve vaginal bleeding, abdominal cramps and soreness and continuous uterine contractions. Bleeding can also occur due to labor. If the woman is approaching her due date and notice a small amount of bleeding, this might be an indication that she is going into labor. Contact the doctor as soon as possible is the best solution. In some of the cases, the causes of the spotting remain a mystery, as there have been hundreds of thousands of cases where women have had bleedings or spotting in the pregnancy and have successfully full term and healthy infants.

The important thing is that the moment pregnant woman experiences any type of bleeding or spotting; she should inform her healthcare provider as soon as possible