Miscarriage Bleeding and Pain

Miscarriage is a loss of pregnancy which depends on many factors like age, previous pregnancy records, health conditions and many more. Miscarriage is affected by some of the factors like:

• Smoking 
• Drinking alcohol 
• Diabetes 
• Overweight
• Underweight
• Cervical problems

Most of the miscarriages will happen before the woman realize that she is pregnant. The percentage of miscarriages are higher before 20 weeks of pregnancy. 

Symptoms of a miscarriage

• Vaginal bleeding 
• Pain in the pelvis or abdomen
• Cramps in the lower back 
• Bad smelling discharge from the vagina
• Fever
• Dizziness
• Bleeding very heavily (soaking more than 2 pads per hour or passing clots larger than golf balls)

Bleeding during miscarriage

Bleeding during miscarriage starts with light spotting of the blood and ends up with heavy gush of blood. Heavy loss of blood will be seen for 3 to 5 hours from the start of heavy bleeding. It may take one to two sanitary pads to fill for two hours but it may vary from person to person and condition of the miscarriage.

Light spotting will be seen for one or two weeks before ending. The bleeding occurs as the cervix tends to empty by dilating.

The colour of the blood will be seen as pink, red, brown. The blood which is in red color will be seen which is considered as fresh blood. The blood which is brown or sometimes black may be the blood which was in the uterus for a while. The clots can also be seen as the remains of the foetus in the blood.

How long does the bleeding last?

The bleeding may vary from person to person and their conditions of pregnancy. The bleeding during miscarriage may take around two weeks to complete. If you consult your doctor during miscarriage he may suggest some medicines.

Under medication, the bleeding may start within two days and heavy bleeding occurs which involves removal of the foetus. Once the foetus is lost during heavy bleeding, the remains of the tissues will be lost during the light spotting of blood.

If no medicine is consumed it may take two weeks for bleeding to occur during miscarriage naturally.

How miscarriage bleeding different from bleeding during periods?

Generally, miscarriages happen during early pregnancy. It is often mistaken, a miscarriage as a late period. The intensity and duration of bleeding vary in the miscarriage and normal periods. Here are some facts which differentiate bleeding during miscarriage and vaginal bleeding during periods. They are:

• The bleeding during menstruation will also have heavy and light days but during miscarriage, the heavy bleeding will be comparatively heavy and intense. The duration of bleeding will also be longer during miscarriage than during menstrual periods.
• The bleeding during miscarriage may have clots which include tissues of the foetus that are not observed during regular periods.
• As the cervix dilates the cramps during a miscarriage are more and much painful than during regular menstrual cycle.

Pain during miscarriage

Pain during a miscarriage is also a sign of miscarriage. The pain mostly is experienced in the lower stomach, the tip of the shoulder, pain in the pelvis. The cramping pains last longer for hours. The cramps will get worse and severe until they feel like contractions, and you will pass out the pregnancy tissue.

Braxton hicks contractions are a sign of tightening of the muscle of the womb. These pains are irregular and last for a short period. 

The pains during miscarriage and pains during normal period can be differentiated by its intensity and duration.

The pains during miscarriage are continuous and unbearable and lasts for longer periods of time. While the pains during periods are irregular and not continuous and last for a short period of time.

Treatment

The treatment during or after a miscarriage is to prevent hemorrhaging or infection. All the foetal tissues must be expelled from the body through bleeding.

The body should expel all the tissues through bleeding naturally otherwise it is better to use medical procedures.  The dilation and curettage known as D and C is the most common procedure performed to prevent infection and stop bleeding.

Medicines may be prescribed to help control bleeding after the D&C is performed. The bleeding must be monitored and if fever and chills continue it is better to consult your doctor immediately.