Women, quite understandably, are generally nervous about bleeding during pregnancy. Unlike red bleeding, which indicates that blood is fresh, brown bleeding results from the flow of oxidized blood from the vagina. When blood comes in contact with air or is outside the blood vessels for a long time before leaving the body, it looks brown. Many causes of brown bleeding during pregnancy are not problems.
Significance
It's difficult to assess the significance of brown bleeding during pregnancy without taking into account aspects of the pregnancy and a woman's activities before bleeding commenced. Many women worry that bleeding of any kind is an indication that miscarriage is imminent, but Dr. Raymond Poliakin points out in his book, "What You Didn't Think To Ask Your Obstetrician," that there are other reasons a woman may bleed, which have nothing to do with miscarriage.
Time Frame
One important consideration in determining whether bleeding is of concern is when the bleeding occurs during the pregnancy. Very early brown bleeding or spotting that occurs right around the time of a woman's missed period--very near the beginning of her pregnancy, in other words--may be due to implantation of the fertilized egg. Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel note in their book, "What To Expect When You're Expecting," that not all women experience implantation bleeding, but for those who do, it's completely normal.
Considerations
Women should also consider activities in which they are engaged prior to experiencing brown bleeding during pregnancy. Sexual intercourse, physical examination of the cervix by an obstetrician and internal ultrasound can all lead to small amounts of bleeding. This is because the cervix becomes very vascular during pregnancy, explains Dr. Poliakin. It's more prone to bleed than usual, but the blood isn't coming from inside the uterus, so it's no indication whatsoever of a problem with the baby.
Prevention/Solution
There's really very little that can be done to prevent brown bleeding during pregnancy; some women experience it regularly as a result of intercourse and exams, while others don't bleed at all. In her book "Conception, Pregnancy and Birth," Dr. Miriam Stoppard suggests that women who note something happening for the first time, such as bleeding, might wish to contact their physician. If the same activity results in bleeding on later occasions, women will know what to expect and be less concerned.
Warning
While bleeding in small amounts usually isn't a sign that anything is wrong with the pregnancy, large amounts of blood are never normal. Women who bleed large amounts, regardless of color, or women who experience pain or cramping with bleeding should contact their physicians right away for a checkup. Dr. Stoppard notes that there's no harm in contacting a doctor over bleeding that turns out to be normal, and it's better to be safe than sorry.
References
- "What You Didn't Think to Ask Your Obstetrician"; Raymond Poliakin, M.D.; 2007
- "What to Expect When You're Expecting"; Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel; 2008
- "Conception, Pregnancy and Birth"; Miriam Stoppard, M.D.; 2008
