What to Do if You Experience Pregnancy Spotting

Before you can understand what to do in the case of pregnancy spotting, you need to know what spotting is. Spotting is a small amount of blood that discharges through the vagina. You may not even realize that you’re spotting as it is usually quite light, and most women notice it on toilet paper after they use the restroom rather than in their underwear. The color may be brown, pink, or a dark red.

Anything heavier than light spotting should be reported to an emergency care physician immediately. Any spotting or bleeding that is bright red in nature is also a sign to seek emergency medical treatment. However, for the most part, regular spotting in early or late pregnancy is normal.

In general, there are a couple of situations during pregnancy in which spotting isn’t a cause for concern. The first is during implantation. During the first seven to ten days of your pregnancy, you may experience some spotting as the fetus attaches itself to the uterine wall. However, most women don’t even know that they’re pregnant during this stage and may dismiss any spotting as a normal part of menstruation.

You may also experience some spotting if you overextend yourself during the first month or two of pregnancy. This happens to approximately twenty percent of women, but can be a cause for some concern. You should report any occurrence of pregnancy spotting to your doctor immediately. He or she may place you on bed rest or simply tell you to take it easy until the spotting stops. Only ten percent of women who experience spotting miscarry, so there’s no cause for alarm until your doctor tells you to worry.

The last reason you’ll experience normal pregnancy spotting is when you lose your mucus plug, which happens within the last few weeks before you give birth. When this plug loosens, you’ll more than likely see some pregnancy spotting. Don’t let this worry you because it’s perfectly normal – almost every pregnant woman experiences it. If, however, you experience bleeding that’s bright red or a lose lot of fluid, you’ll need to see your doctor immediately, as you may be losing amniotic fluid and your baby will need to be born very soon.

If you experience pregnancy spotting at any time, you should contact your doctor to report the incident. If your doctor feels the spotting may be normal, he will probably tell you to rest and let him know if the spotting gets worse or symptoms change. In cases of concern, your doctor may ask you to take it easy or stay off your feet altogether.

On the other hand, if you experience heavy bleeding or cramps with your spotting, you need to seek immediate medical attention. Such symptoms during early pregnancy tend to point to a miscarriage. While there’s very little that can be done to stop a miscarriage in the first four months, you need to seek emergency medical attention for your own health and safety. In later pregnancy, these symptoms can point to problems with the baby that may require early delivery.

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