Having sex within the last 24 hours
Irritation from cervical erosion
Sloughing off of old vaginal cells
A very recent vaginal exam
Brown spotting is more common in the first trimester than in the second or third. Although spotting is common, it really isn’t “normal” but by itself it is not usually serious. However if you experience severe pain with the spotting, call your health care provider just to be sure everything is ok.
They may do a blood test to measure the blood level of the pregnancy hormone HCG (human chronic gonadatropin). If the results are inconclusive or the level is low, it might be due to a miscalculation of the due date, a miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy. However if the HCG levels are high it could mean more than one baby or again a miscalculation of the pregnancy date.
Don’t get nervous, brown spotting rarely, if ever, progresses to the bleeding and painful contractions that signal that the pregnancy may be in trouble. We know of a woman who experienced one or two days of bleeding every month throughout her pregnancy and she and her son did just fine. She didn’t realize she was pregnant until the start of her second trimester.
However any bleeding (especially bright red blood) should be brought to the attention of your health care provider as soon as possible. The earlier she is aware of this problem the better the chance that your pregnancy can be brought to term. You may find yourself confined to bed rest or at the very least have your activity severely restricted, such as only going up and down the stairs once a day, no driving, no lifting, you may even have to take leave from work.
Sometimes the pain and bleeding disappears on its own, leaving the pregnancy intact, which of course is the ideal outcome.
However we can’t ever make light of pain and bleeding before 37 weeks. There are some serious conditions that might be behind these symptoms. Such as an ectopic pregnancy (a.k.a. tubal pregnancy) where the embryo implants in a fallopian tube, which can not sustain the pregnancy, pre-eclampsia, characterized by protein in the urine, severe headaches, increase in blood pressure, decrease in urination, and more. These conditions put both mother and baby at risk. Fortunately brown spotting in the second trimester is not related to these serious conditions.
However many women, especially first time moms-to-be, panic when they spot. If you have any concerns, call your health care provider and discuss your fears with her. If she feels there is a reason to worry she will let you know what she feels should be done and make arrangements for any testing that may be needed.
Brown spotting without severe pain is an annoying but harmless aspect of pregnancy for some women. Just remember, it will go away when your baby is born or if you are lucky, even before that spectacular event.
You may have spotted with one pregnancy and then not with any subsequent ones or you could have it with all of them. There is now way to tell for sure.
There is so much folk lore connected with pregnancy that even spotting doesn’t escape. One woman told her granddaughter that spotting meant you were having a boy. The young lady spotted with all three pregnancies and you guessed it, she has three beautiful daughters.
If you feel up to it there really isn’t much that you can’t do when spotting. In general, when you are pregnant avoid getting overtired. You can swim, bike, ride horses, got to work. It probably isn’t a good idea to do heavy lifting or try rearranging your living room furniture without help. I know a woman who went water skiing until her 7th month and the baby was healthy and beautiful. Again, with any activity observe the usual safety rules for that activity and don’t get too tired or stressed.
My doctor told me I could do anything I did before pregnancy except sky dive (don’t know why) which I have never gave even a fleeting thought to. Seriously, be cautious, stay safe and think before you act on a whim, but do the things you enjoy the most. You won’t have as much time for it once the baby is born.
You will be getting a lot of conflicting advice from friends and family members who have had children and even from some who have never been pregnant. How do you handle it? Easy, tell everyone “that’s interesting, I’ll think about it.” But the only advice you should be listening to is that which comes from your health care provider.
These people mean well, however what works for me may not work for you. If your best friend tells you something that worked for her, check with your doctor before trying it. As you can see, brown spotting in the second trimester is inconvenient and annoying but it isn’t usually anything to worry about.
