Q: How worried should I be if I am spotting? I am 10 weeks pregnant.
Answer from Dr. Peter H. R. Roberts, medical director of obstetrics and gynecology at Providence Portland Medical Center: During the first 3 months of pregnancy spotting is quite common. Usually it can be attributed to early development in the uterus; your body is producing more blood to carry nutrients to the fetus. During this phase, it’s not unusual to have a little bit of bleeding. Unless you are experiencing a lot of bleeding, like a normal menstrual period, along with severe cramps, there is no cause for concern.
During the second trimester of pregnancy spotting is not very common. It may still occasionally occur, especially following sexual intercourse. During pregnancy the cervix is congested with an increased blood supply, and the vessels delivering blood to the cervix are a little more fragile than normal, so any contact with the cervix (such as occurs during intercourse) can cause bleeding.
Toward the end of the second trimester and the beginning of the third, bleeding may be an indication of placenta previa, a complication of pregnancy in which the placenta is implanted too low. However, today almost all patients have ultrasounds during pregnancy, and these screenings usually diagnose placenta previa before any bleeding occurs.
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January 2002
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