HealthInfo West Coast-Te Tai Poutini
Bleeding in early pregnancy
Heke toto i te taiawa o te wā āhua moata
Important
Some spotting or light vaginal bleeding is common in the first 3 months of pregnancy and does not usually mean you are having a miscarriage.
You can wait to see your midwife or general practice team for up to 48 hours if you have spotting or light bleeding (needing a liner but not a pad). Do not go to the emergency department.
About 1 in every 5 women may have some bleeding in their first 14 weeks of pregnancy (first trimester). It is natural to worry, but it does not necessarily mean that you are having a miscarriage.
Most women who have spotting or light bleeding in early pregnancy will go on to have a healthy pregnancy and baby. Only 1 or 2 out of 10 women who experience bleeding in early pregnancy will be having a miscarriage.
Bleeding can vary from light bleeding or spotting (dark brown to light pink), to heavier bleeding.
Spotting means you sometimes notice a few drops of blood in your underwear, or you wipe yourself with tissue and see a little blood on the paper. There should not be enough blood to cover a panty liner.
With heavier bleeding, you will need a liner or pad to keep the blood from soaking through your underwear.
If you have spotting or bleeding, make an appointment to see your midwife or general practice team. There is never any cost to see your midwife. There should be no cost to see a doctor about your pregnancy for the first 14 weeks since care is subsidised.
Spotting or light vaginal bleeding
You can wait to see your midwife or general practice team for up to 24 to 48 hours if you have spotting or light bleeding (needing a liner but not a pad). Do not go to the emergency department. Waiting might feel stressful, but no treatment can change what will happen. Often the pregnancy is fine, and the bleeding will stop on its own.
Your midwife or general practice team can arrange blood tests (known as hCG) and an ultrasound to check on your pregnancy.
Your midwife or general practice team will decide what to do next based on the results.
Moderate vaginal bleeding
You should see your midwife or a doctor more urgently if:
- you are bleeding enough to soak through a sanitary pad (not a liner) within 2 to 4 hours
- you have tummy pains that do not get better with paracetamol.
Contact your midwife or general practice team or go to an after-hours clinic.
Heavy vaginal bleeding or feeling unwell
You need to see a medical professional at once if you are:
- bleeding enough to soak through a super pad within an hour
- passing large clots
- have a high fever or are feeling faint.
Contact your midwife or general practice team or go to an after-hours clinic or the emergency department.
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed November 2024.
Sources
See also:
Review key: HIHCP-311277
