First Trimester Bleeding does not always Predict Miscarriage

 Early pregnancy can be a very special time for many women.  You begin to daydream of what it will be like to hold your baby.  You might begin to buy just a few items in preparation for when your baby arrives.  And you might even share the news with family and close friends.  But the first trimester can also be a time of great anxiety and worry as this is the time period when most miscarriages occur.  The American Pregnancy Association  estimates that 15-20% of all pregnancies end with miscarriage and these quite often occur during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.  So if you find that you are spotting or bleeding during this time you may become frightened that this is a sign of impending miscarriage. The American Pregnancy Association tells us that anywhere from 20-30% of women experience some degree of bleeding in early pregnancy. The good news is that half of these women who bleed early in their pregnancy will not have a miscarriage.

In my case, when I had a miscarriage, I did not bleed at all.  

I was about ten weeks along and when I went in for a sonogram they could not find a heartbeat.  I had no physical indication that I had lost the baby.  I did not bleed.  I did not cramp.  So it was both shocking and heartbreaking news that I had a miscarriage.  I assumed that I would bleed.  If they had not checked me, the bleeding would have probably begun at some point.  But in my case I would require a D&C (dilation and cutterage) to finish the process of emptying my uterus.  It was psychologically every bit as horrible as it sounds.  I had wished that my body had given me some kind of warning of impending miscarriage but it did not. 

Following my miscarriage I had experienced infertility for over two years before conceiving again.  I was a nervous wreck.  I was so afraid of losing this baby that I did worry over any sign which could indicate something was wrong.  So I don't have to tell you that when I began to spot during the first trimester, I was terrified.  I remember finding blood in my underwear and crying because I was so sure this was a very bad sign.  I called the gynecologist who told me I could either wait to see her the next day or I could go to the emergency room. 

I opted to go to the emergency room and it was so crowded that I had to sit on a table for magazines.  We waited for one hour, then two, then three. Meanwhile I was sitting there thinking that I was losing my baby and nobody would help me. It was well past midnight when my husband and I agreed that we were not going to be seen so we went home.  The bleeding had stopped and I tried to sleep. 

The next day we saw my doctor first thing in the morning.  She checked me physically.  She then got blood work to check my hormonal levels and also ordered a sonogram to be done that day.  After a long day at the hospital, it was determined that my baby was fine.  But the doctor couldn't explain my spotting and bleeding except to say that sometimes during pregnancy the cervix and surrounding tissues are more sensitive and sometimes bleeding is possible.  I do want to note that I never experienced any cramping with my bleeding.  I only noticed it when I went to the bathroom and saw it on my underwear and wiped.