[Gaby&Emmy'sMama]

Spotting in early pregnancy, while scary - doesn't always mean the worst.

Possible reasons for spotting/bleeding:
- 'cervicitis', the cells at the mouth of the womb become more sensitive during pregnancy & sex, heavy lifting, alteration of vaginal pH or infection can all cause bleeding
- cervical polyps, benign growths of tissue on/around the cervix
- subchorionic hemmorhage, USUALLY a small clot that causes bleeding & then dissolves away, OCCASIONALLY it can cause the dissection of the placenta from the uterine wall
- implantation bleeding, a small amount of bleeding is caused by the egg 'burrowing' into the uterine wall (generally happens very early on)
- periods during pregnancy, it's rare but some women do experience periods during pregnancy
- of course spotting or bleeding can also be a sign of a threatened miscarriage

Report any spotting/bleeding to your Lead Maternity Carer & they will let you know what to do, if they want to see you etc. The general consensus seems to be that if you are going through a (sanitary) pad in the space of an hour or less, to go to the ER.