Bleeding in early pregnancy
Common, frightening, and usually not the end of the pregnancy.
Bleeding in the first trimester happens in a substantial minority of pregnancies that go on perfectly well. It is still always worth being assessed, because it can also indicate a miscarriage in progress or an ectopic pregnancy.
Assessment usually means an ultrasound and sometimes blood tests repeated over days. If you are Rh negative, bleeding is one of the situations where anti-D may be given.
Go in urgently forHeavy bleeding, severe pain especially on one side, shoulder-tip pain, or feeling faint. An ectopic pregnancy is a surgical emergency and the pain is often described as unlike period pain.
Where this comes from:
164. McBain RD, Crowther CA, Middleton P. Anti-D administration in pregnancy for preventing Rhesus alloimmunisation. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015;(9):CD000020.
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This page is educational. It supports the conversation with your own clinicians. It is not consent to any treatment, and it cannot assess you. If you are worried about a symptom now, see urgent warning signs.