Bleeding During Pregnancy: Treatment, Cost and Side Effects

Bleeding during the first trimester is a very normal happenstance and there is nothing to be worried about. But then the first trimester is also when most miscarriages happen or are prone to happen, there are signs that can settle the score for you. Mostly the bleeding occurs such that it feels like a light period and women usually mistake it as such. Symptoms that follow the bleeding and do result in dire consequences such as a miscarriage are intense cramps and passing tissue. Bleeding in the later trimesters are a sign of danger as it could be due to uterine ruptures or the umbilical cord blocking the birth canal. But then even premature labour causes a “blood show”.

Further reasons that can cause vaginal bleeding range from ectopic pregnancy which is quite rare to vaginal infections like herpes. Ectopic pregnancy is when the fertilised egg grows outside of the womb and implants itself in the fallopian tube. If allowed to grow unchecked may lead to the fallopian tube bursting and threaten the life of the mother. The symptoms for this include bleeding, light-headedness, and painful cramps. There is also molar pregnancy which mimics the symptoms of pregnancy but is actually tissue growth in the uterus.

Some of the common conditions include changes in the cervix, cervical and vaginal infections or STDs like gonorrhoea, chlamydia or even herpes. Cervical changes that can occur are during a pap smear or while indulging in sexual intercourse whereby there is contact with the cervix which is already being subjected to extra blood flow due to the fact of pregnancy. Such bleeding is of no concern and just resting will help.

Bleeding in the first trimester is not too worrisome but if you are scared then approach your doctor as soon as possible. Bleeding in the later stages of pregnancy is a cause for alert and you should definitely meet with your doctor. Take mild pain medicines if required and try not to have sexual intercourse while bleeding, you can resume when the bleeding stops.

If it is a miscarriage in which case it will be painful and you will experience heavy bleeding, there is no treatment for it as such. Your mental state will have to be kept in check as women who have miscarriages tend to suffer from depression in the long run. The best way to approach a miscarriage is to surround yourself with positive influences so that you can get up and try again. Miscarriages by no means mean that you cannot get pregnant again and carry a child to full term. Bleeding can also be caused due to imbalances in progesterone levels so contact your doctor to get a test done so you can start taking the proper medication to balance your hormones.

Women with negative blood groups should get injected with anti-D immunoglobulin so as to avoid blood incompatibility complications in later pregnancies. Folic acid taken in capsule form helps the placenta attach itself more firmly to the womb and helps it function better reducing the chances of a miscarriage. Folic acid also helps in the formation of haemoglobin and fending off anaemia.

Pregnant women who are experiencing bleeding during pregnancy.

Anyone who is having timely menstruation cycles and is not pregnant

There are no known sides effects to the treatments as they usually involve resting, hydrating and the intake of medication that do not negatively affect your body.

No such guidelines need to be followed, but some time should be taken off before trying again after a miscarriage, according to the official WHO guidelines it is 6 months. Avoid using tampons and douching. If there is heavy bleeding in the later stages of the pregnancy then after the child is born it is advisable for the woman to take as long as a gap of 12 to 18 months as the body is tired and exhausted and if there has been bleeding then there is enough weakness which needs to be paid attention to so as to improve the health of both the mother and the baby.

This depends on the mental health and physical strength of the individual. For small first trimester bleeding a one should be recovering within a week or so, but if there is a miscarriage, it depends on the individual and however long they feel necessary. For later stages of bleeding recovery can take up to over a year.

Hormone tests like progesterone tests cost somewhere around 600 to 700 and the injections, depending on the dosage start from 190 and can go upto 300. Mild pain medications come very cheap at around 50rs but pregnancy and post pregnancy care can be a costly affair starting from 30,000 going up to even 90,000

The treatments are situational and they help avert the situation or make it better, so it can be said that the treatment is permanent.

Home treatments include consuming folic acid in the form of green and leafy vegetables, fish and eggs and the intake of a concoction of guava leaves with star apple leaves. This solution will help your blood clot faster thereby stopping your bleeding within hours.