Brief Answer:
Bleeding during the first trimester may happen with normal pregnancy, miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy- further details below

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to 'Ask A Doctor' service,

I carefully read your query and understand your concern.

Bleeding during pregnancy can happen for different reasons. One in five pregnant women bleeds in the first trimester.

Half of these go on normally, so there are cases that there is bleeding but the pregnancy may go on normally.

On the other hand, there are some cases that there are problems such as miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy.

If there is mild bleeding and no pain then very likely this pregnancy will go on normally.

If pain develops you will need a visit with your doctor. In this case, a transvaginal ultrasound and BHCG levels in the blood may be needed to determine if the pregnancy is developing in the womb and if it is developing normally. Your doctor may require to repeat BHCG in a couple of days and follow you up this way to better determine if this is a healthy pregnancy. BHCG should increase with at least 60% in 2 days.

To conclude:

- Bleeding may happen at the beginning of a normal pregnancy but it may also indicate certain pathologies such as miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy and rarely another gynecological disorder (infection, cervical lesions, etc)

- Because you have only light bleeding (light-colored pinkish-brown discharge) and no pain, very likely there is nothing to worry about, and you just need to keep an eye on your symptoms

- If you start to have pain or the bleeding increases then you may need to see your doctor and have a gynecological visit, a transvaginal ultrasound, and a BHCG blood test. An ectopic pregnancy is an emergency and needs to be ruled out soon if you develop these symptoms.

- In some cases, follow up in time is needed to have a better understanding of what is going on. So, your doctor may repeat these tests in a few days.

- Meanwhile, there is no specific treatment that you need to take at the moment. Travelling and intercourse are not found to affect the pregnancy in the first trimester but many women choose, for peace of mind, to avoid these while they bleed.

I hope this answers your query.
I remain at your disposal for further medical assistance.

Regards,
Dr. Antoneta Zotaj
General and Family Physician

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