Anyone PAIF with heavy bleeding during early pregnancy?

leilee101

Hope it's ok I start a thread here - looking for some support after a scary few weeks of unexplained heavy bleeding on and off.

I am 10 weeks today after a very long journey *TW* including a 7 week loss in September *TW*. Still too superstitious to start a first trimester thread but I hope to join the second tri thread in a few weeks! I have been having episodes of heavy bleeding, I have been assuming it's a SCH based on everything I have read but every scan I have, they can't find anything.  I have had 4 scans now, including one today, and every time baby is measuring on track with a strong heartbeat and wiggling around, seemingly unaware. I have heard bleeding is more common in IVF pregnancies, hoping someone has experience with this and can provide me with any type of insight. Doctor's keep saying it can just be unexplained - I would not be so nervous if it were just spotting, these episodes are quite severe and giving me so much anxiety. 

mbradfo2

@leilee101
Number 1 - congrats!! I remember when you had the m/c and I was so devastated for you. So happy to see things are going properly so far!

I do believe we have some ladies who have had episodes of excessive bleeding but I think they all had dx'd SCH's. Hopefully there is someone who can offer you some insight.

Bleeding is much more common in IVF pregnancies, especially if you're taking baby aspirin. I had spotting throughout my first trimester - red, pink, brown - but I have no experience with heavy bleeding. Is it all bright red fresh blood? Are you doing suppositories at all?  Are you active or are you taking it easy? How often are the episodes of bleeding?

Could it be possible you have placenta previa - placenta over the cervix? That can cause episodes of bleeding. Not sure how early they can detect that on u/s.  If that is the case, it will usually resolve on its own as the placenta moves into place as everything progresses -- at the worst, you might need a scheduled c-section. I think we have at least one lady on the board with placenta previa. 

Hopefully it will clear up soon -- my last day of blood in my pregnancy was at my 12 week appt with my OB.

leilee101

@mbradfo2 Thank you! I am very cautiously optimistic. If there is any silver lining in all this, it's that I have been getting weekly ultrasounds and get to see my little gummy bear more than I otherwise would. 

I am not on baby aspirin, still on PIO but only for one more week (was supposed to stop today but requested an extra week due to bleeds). The big bleeds have been fresh, red blood - usually lasts a couple hours (with the exception of last night, it was like 12 hours of bleeding) and then stops and tapers off to brown spotting for a few days. I had one at 8+2, 9+1 and then last night at 9+6. I have been taking it very easy since the first bleed, other than coming into work (not a physical job), I basically lay around. I have even been taking the elevator everywhere!

Since this started right when the placenta is started to form, so it might be placenta previa? My doctor said it still might even be a SCH that's very small (although not sure how it could be with all the bleeding), maybe like right next to the cervix so an easy exit for all the blood. She also said often times these things are just unexplained and generally resolve by the second trimester.

cashewchicken

I experienced heavy bleeding at 14 weeks. Woke up with a gush of fluid, rushed immediately to the bathroom and the toilet bowl was full of blood. When I wiped, it was black blood (didn’t realize the significance of this at the time). Thinking I was losing the baby, I immediately rushed to my hospital. There they did an ultrasound, and asked what the color of the blood was. They also asked to see the pad to see if it was soaked.  I showed them the pad which showed some spotting but not soaked as the bleeding has subsided by then. I remembered that the blood looked black-ish. Turns out I had SCH and I was bleeding out some old blood. They told me to just go home and take it easy but I didn’t need to bedrest. I spotted again from 16 weeks through 18 weeks though that was light and just brown in color. 

Well, beside those bleeding episodes, my pregnancy progressed just fine. I delivered a baby boy at 38 weeks and 2 days.

its a good thing that you’re closely monitored. Hope bleeding stops soon and that you get to enjoy your pregnancy. What I was told is, as long as the blood is not fresh blood (bright red) and soaks the pad, you don’t have to freak out. It’s so hard not to though. 

leilee101

@cashewchicken thank you so much for sharing your experience. Every heavy bleeding episode is exactly like you describe.. bright red blood that filled the toilet bowl/saturates a pad, then tapers off to brown/black spotting sometimes with a couple small clots. It’s happened 3 times now. When I’m having the active red bleeding I put myself on bed rest, then when it’s brown I have just been taking it super easy.

If this keeps happening I might talk to my doctor about going on an anti anxiety med that is safe during pregnancy because man is this sh*t stressing me out!

northbeach3

Hi @leilee101, sorry your dealing with spotting after your earlier loss. I dealt with this as well but did have a diagnosed SCH. 

It does sound like like an SCH but weird they haven’t found it on the monitors. I had major blood loss at 7 and 12 weeks. Bright red blood filling toilet and passing several dark red clots. First time, spotting subsided within a few days. Second time, it lasted daily from 12-18 weeks, but only needed panty liners. Then spotting just stopped and no more SCH detected at scans. 

I think the healthy scans are reassuring but seeing blood every time you wipe is not. I’m hoping it subsides but my SIL said she had spotting through 20w. It’s really a mind fuck and we still didn’t feel good even after the 20 week scan. It wasn’t until I started feeling consistent movement at about 22w that I felt like we might actually get a THB. It’s totally okay to be worried and I encourage yiu to continue to be your own best advocate in terms of additional scans and continuing PIO. I didn’t feel strong enough to get a Doppler but it might help you alleviate worry to be able to check the baby’s HR if you’ve had a significant bleed. 

Were rooting for you and hope you’ll be joining 2nd tri soon!!

leilee101

@northbeach3 thank you so much for chiming in. I’m so sorry you had to deal with such a scary event as well, but so glad that everything has turned out ok. That really seams to be the trend for this so that gives me hope. 

My OB is willing to let me come in for scans as often as I want, and my RE said I could continue PIO through 12 weeks if it made me feel better. My husband brought a Doppler home the other night so once baby is a little bigger that will help, too. I can’t wait fo get reassurance from kicks.. I can’t believe you are already about to cross over to the 3rd tri!

mayflower513

@leilee101 I hope everything’s ok!

bpietronicco

I was diagnosed with an SCH.  Had bleeding at 14 weeks- big gush and clots and then it stopped. They think maybe the sch draining but didn’t really know.   I am now almost 31 weeks and just had a gush bleeding with clots yesterday- spent the day and night in the hospital and couldn’t find where blood is coming from- they predict probably from behind the placenta but no proof.  

Good luck with your pregnancy!!

Tulips29

I had 2 bleeding scares during my pregnancy (7 weeks and 15 weeks). 7 weeks was more like spotting and 15 weeks was heavy bleeding. It turned out I had placenta previa and the baby was kicking it, making me bleed. It was scary, but luckily turned out OK in the end. I'm hoping everything turns out well for you as well! 

leilee101

Thanks so much for sharing all your stories, it def helps. I had another bleed overnight so I have been laying all day and have an appt this afternoon for exam and ultrasound. I am going to ask them again to look HARD for SCH, also ask about placenta. I’m also going to have them check for polyps during the exam. 

Doesnt help that I’m supposed to stop PIO tomorrow! Feels like my security blanket .. my very sharp security blanket 

leilee101

Just wanted to update that SCH was finally visualized today on ultrasound. Baby is still perfect and does not seem to know or care what’s going on. The clot was about 5cm in size, which dr said is “moderate sized.” He also said the bigger the baby gets, the less the risk. I am 11 weeks today, guess I’m just going to continue to take things day by day.

kristimh80

@leilee101 So glad they were able to see it! Hopefully, it helped calm your nerves knowing what it was / is and that baby is looking good

northbeach3

i know it's weird to cheer an SCH, but i found it much more reassuring to have a source for the blood.  i don't remember the size of mine, but if yours is "moderate" then i'd expect more spotting for a bit.  my second gush was at 12 weeks and had daily light spotting until about 18 weeks.  but then it just disappeared!

you're almost out of the woods! babe is doing his or her thing! we're rooting for you.

leilee101

@northbeach3 yes my doctor said expect more bleeding, and not to be surprised if a "golf ball size clot" comes out. ummm ok. And yes I am relieved to have an explanation, just hoping for it to go away now. Thanks again for sharing, it makes it so much easier to know how many people have dealt with this nonsense and are having perfectly otherwise healthy pregnancies 

cashewchicken

@leilee101 It’s unfortunate that you have SCH, but I’m glad that now you know where all the bleeding comes from. I totally understand your frustration, I was so upset that I had to deal with the bleeding scare on top of infertility. Hopefully your SCH will resolve soon and that you get to enjoy the rest of your pregnancy!

Momifbysea

Hello and first @leilee101 congrats! I just wanted to echo @mbradfo2 and ask if they found placenta previa? I had a heavy bleed scare around week 14 -toilet filled with blood- and they diagnosed SCH and complete centralized placenta previa. No bleeds after that until a couple days ago. I’m now 27w5d and in hospital 4 days due to a previa related bleed. I am so sorry about what you’re experiencing as it is hard especially when you’ve worked so hard to get to this point! I’ll be thinking of you!

bkatp

@leilee101 one of our SEP fet groupmate also has unexplained bleeding and later was diagnosed with such at around 11 weeks. Hope everything works out fine for you as well.

leilee101

@Momifbysea that's so scary...I hope everything has resolved and baby is ok! They did not say much about my placenta, just said they would see a pooling of blood in the uterus. They did note that it looked like old blood (not sure how they can tell?). I have another ultrasound scheduled for this Monday so hopefully they can give me more details, I'm honestly just glad they found some type of explanation because I felt like I was going crazy.

@bkatp Thank you !

Griffin5413

@leilee101 - hope everything looks good on your u/s today!

leilee101

@Griffin5413 thank you so much for thinking of me! My SCH shrunk! It was 5cm a couple weeks ago and it was 2cm today, and close to the cervix which is probably why I have been bleeding so much. Finally starting to feel positive about this pregnancy ❤️

mbradfo2

@leilee101
Sounds like everything is going smoothly and your bouncing bean is happy