Bleeding at 11 weeks

[jennyleightay]

Help!  I really need some advice here!  I am 37 years old and pregnant for the 1st time (after IVF).  I have felt good and had almost no symptoms at all.  After a brief scare with a weak fetal heart beat at 6 weeks, the 8 wk ultrasound showed that all was well with the baby.  Then last week, at exactly 11 weeks, I started bleeding.  Not a lot, but a steady spotting, sometimes red, mostly brown, a few very, very small clots.  I was away from home at the time (Thanksgiving Day, of all times!) so I went to a local ER.  They did many tests, most importantly an ultrasound which still showed a strong heart beat and I could actually see the baby moving around!  I was so relieved!!!  So they told me to take it easy, stay off my feet, etc.  Well, the bleeding has continued for a week.  It has never gotten heavy, only a spot or two on a pad, and some on the TP when I wipe.  I went to my regular doctor 4 days after the ER, and he could not hear the heartbeat with the Doppler, but said not to worry as it was still early for that.  Well, I am worried!  I am now 12 wks and 1 day, and the spotting seems to have nearly stopped, and I see the doctor again tomorrow.  If he still can't hear the heartbeat, should I insist on another U/S?  Has anyone had bleeding like this?  Could it be a miscarriage, even though there was never much blood at once?  And when should we be able to hear the heartbeat?  Am I right to be worried?  Even though the U/S showed a strong pregnancy a week ago, I am worried now!  Any advice or stories of similar situations would be greatly appreciated!!

[momttc]

I started my 13th week today, so I'm 12 weeks.  I rented a doppler and can hear my baby's heartbeat loudly.  So i bet you'll hear it at this next appointment.  My dr wouldn't even listen at 10 weeks so I'm not surprised you couldn't hear it at 11wks.  Hang in there.

I've lost a pregnancy but had a d&c so can't say what a miscarriage is like , but it doesn't sound like that's what you had.  Spotting is normal, but i would be scared too.  Especially since like you, i've not had even one drop of blood since my last period before I conceived.  Try not to worry, but yes, if they can not find the heart beat make them do an ultrasound.  AT this stage you should be able to hear the heart beat.

good luck, we'll be thinking of you, momttc

[mgi]

Hi
I bled with my son  on  sunday.  Cried all day.   went to the Doc on monday ultrasound - they said placenta previa  (pretty common they said)  (mind you this was 12 years ago!)  Anyway.   ORdered rest - till ultrasound showed improvement.  No sex no lifting no excercise no stairs...  Now I have a healthy 11 1/2 year old!
So good luck.

[hangin'in there!]

Any bleeding in pregnancy is worrisom. Although not every women that experiances bleeding during pregnancy ends up miscarrying!

I have a 2.5 year old son and I am happily married.  However, we have had 3 m/c's in the last 2 years trying for another one. I never had a speck of blood with my son ... it was a pretty cruisy pregnancy really and we concieved within the first couple of 'tries'. Then we had 2 miscarriages in a row - but these happened so early in the pregnancy that I hadn't had the chance to 'feel preg.' and they were like exceptionally painfull and heavy menstrual bleeding.  The cramps were crippling - but nature did it's job well and I recovered quickly.  The 3rd m/c was the worst. Found out I was pregnant and did everything by the book, cutting no corner's.  Saw an awesome fetal heart beat at 7 weeks via ultrasound and was told that 95% of pregnancies progress to term where the heart beat has been sited in an ultra sound. Went home and life went on ... I even had a due date!

I got out of the shower and noticed the tiniest bit of blood on the towel after drying you-know-where. After I cleaned myself up there was no more bleeding but I went to ER cos I wanted an ultrasound ... hey, I'd lost 2 already and blood is not good - right? They had be guzzle a heap of H2O and whipped me off for an ultrasound ... I was supposed to be 15 weeks pregnant.

"There is no fetal heartbeat, I'm sorry." The ultra sound was haunting. Slumped at the bottom of the gestational sac was my dead unborn child.  They measured the fetus and said that it had died at approx. 8-9weeks of age. I wanted to know how I could have a dead fetus inside me and not bleed for well over a month and they couldn't answer me ..."That happens sometimes and we call that a missed abortion or late miscarriage." I went home, hoping to let nature do it's job but ended up ambulanced to hospital haemoragging badly and in shock.  I had not passed any fetal material - but was loosing clots the size of large lemons.  I had an emergency d&c (which I had hoped to avoid) and then went home only to become gravely ill with infection.  I was booked in for another d&c (for the same preg.) as an ultrasound revealed that there were reatained products of conception. Heaps of antibiotics later and no period for 6 months I was finally ready to think about 'trying again'.

I am now 8 weeks pregnant and have had one gush of blood that disappeared as quickly and suddenly as it came.  This happened at 4-5 weeks and I have not bled since! I think I still have symptoms of pregnancy (sore boobs, weird cravings and moody) but these things are hard to know for sure as I still had morning sickness during the period my fetus was deceased - so what do symptoms really tell us???

I'm sorry for hi-jacking your thread!!! I wanted to tell you something reassuring but I have probably scared you senseless.  My point is that bleeding during pregnancy is really scary but not always a forecast of doom.

To reassure yourself, familiarise yourself with the signs of miscarriage and research your own symptoms.  You will probably find that if you were going to miscarry - you would have a sore lower back and CONSTANT uterine cramping ... but then I had a late miscarriage with NO signs or symptoms.  I had a bad gut feeling about that pregnancy ... but that is the only warning I got about it. The hard part was we'd already told people that we were pregnant and they asked about it.  We had to say,"...We lost the baby!" and that made us feel terrible.

I'm pregnant again and my hubby and I pray that a little bleeding in early pregnancy does not mean pending m/c - but I'll tell you what my doctor told me. Aside from getting plenty of rest and taking good care of yourself there is nothing that can be done to stop a miscarriage. When a m/c does occur it is usually a blessing in disguise - early m/c is beyound your control.  In my words, it's in God's hands.

Good luck and try to stay positive.

[jennyleightay]

Thank you to everyone who had words of reassurance and advice!  I saw my doctor again at 12 wks/ 2 days and could hear the heart beat with the Doppler...so I was thrilled!  And yet the bleeding continues...still not heavy, mainly a small amount of sort of thick, brown blood with a very, very small clot once in a while.  The doctor says just take it easy until it stops, and as we all know, if a miscarriage is going to occur there is no way to stop it.  I am trying to remain posititve, and keep telling myself that I am past the 12 wk milestone, so my odds of keeping this pregnancy are good.  But each time I see blood, I worry that the next test will show no heart beat.  When I had an U/S at 11 wks, they did mention placenta previa as a possible cause, although they said it is very early to tell.

[jennimom]

Your bleeding is much longer than mine was, but I'd pay attention to the heartbeat.  My dr is doing u/s every three weeks, which has been quite reassuring.  When do you get another u/s?  The hb is quite reassuring though.  The drs don't have any good explanation for bleeding I've found.  We've had three u/s since the last bleeding so we are feeling much safer.  The more time you get once it stops you will feel more confident again.  Is your dr watching the pg carefully?  jennimom

[kimoe]

my gf is 11 months tomorrow and she just start bleeding its kind of brown today its not much it was her second time bleeding so we need some advice and how to you hear the heart beat please help us

[pregwtwins]

I am 11 weeks along with twins.  I started to bleed at the doctor of all places last week.  They rushed me for an US and the heartbeats were very strong.  I started to spot brownish today but I was told it can happen especially around this week.  It could be due to the placenta attaching.  Going for another US tomo.