Vaginal Bleeding During Pregnancy
Overview
Causes
Bleeding has many common causes, such as:
- Bleeding that happens after conception as the fertilized egg attaches to the wall of the womb
- Blood between the membrane that surrounds the fertilized egg and the wall of the womb
- Miscarriage
- A fertilized egg that attaches to the wall of the womb but doesn't grow into an embryo
- Ectopic pregnancy—a fertilized egg that attaches and grows outside the womb
- Molar pregnancy, also called gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD)—the growth of abnormal tissue, instead of an embryo, inside the womb
- Threatened miscarriage
- Cervical infection
- Vulvovaginitis
- Urinary tract infection
- Trauma
- Cervical cancer or polyps
SymptomsandDiagnosis
Treatments
This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.
Edits to original content made by Denver Health.
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RESOURCES
The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists http://www.acog.org
American Pregnancy Association http://www.americanpregnancy.org
CANADIAN RESOURCES
The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada http://www.sogc.org
Women's Health Matters http://www.womenshealthmatters.ca
References
Bleeding during pregnancy. American Pregnancy Association website. Available at: http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/bleedingduringpreg.html. Updated August 2015. Accessed November 12, 2019.
Breeze C. Early pregnancy bleeding. Aust Fam Physician. 2016 May;45(5):283-286.
Early pregnancy bleeding. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/approach-to/early-pregnancy-bleeding . Updated May 17, 2019. Accessed November 12, 2019.
Pregnancy complications. Women's Health—US Department of Health and Human Services website. Available at: http://www.womenshealth.gov/pregnancy/you-are-pregnant/pregnancy-complications.html. Updated April 19, 2019. Accessed November 12, 2019.
Sommers MS. Ectopic pregnancy. Diseases & Disorders: A Nursing Therapeutics Manual. 5th ed. F.A. Davis Company; 2015 (book chapter). EBSCO Nursing Reference Center Plus. Available at: https://www.ebscohost.com/nursing/products/nursing-reference-center . Accessed November 12, 2019.