Bleeding in early pregnancy can be very distressing but it does not always mean you are having a miscarriage. It affects one in four women, and many will go on to have a healthy baby.
If you are bleeding in early pregnancy (the first 12 weeks), talk to your GP or midwife as soon as possible.
Early Pregnancy Assessment Clinic (EPAC)
You may be referred to EPAC at Waikato Hospital, a specialist service for women experiencing pain and bleeding in early pregnancy, when the pregnancy is of an unknown location.
Women with gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD), also known as molar pregnancy, and women with a confirmed miscarriage are also patients at the clinic.
The EPAC service includes early pregnancy ultrasound, diagnostic tests, counselling and management planning. This service is an outpatient clinic and is open Monday to Friday.
The cause of bleeding
The cause of the bleeding is often not found and the pregnancy will continue as normal.
If the bleeding is being caused by a miscarriage, unfortunately there is no treatment or therapy that can stop the miscarriage from happening.
Ectopic pregnancy can also cause bleeding and pain. This is when the pregnancy is growing outside the uterus – usually in the fallopian tube. Between 1-2 per cent of all pregnancies are ectopic, and without treatment they can seriously impact your health and fertility.
If you are experiencing severe pain, or your bleeding is very heavy, with large clots accompanied by crampy abdominal pains, you need urgent care and should attend the nearest emergency department to you – either at Waikato Hospital or one of the rural hospitals.
Early bleeding that is not an ectopic pregnancy, a molar pregnancy or does not lead to miscarriage will not have caused your baby any harm.