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Pregnancy

Brown Discharge

21 replies

duck32 · 25/06/2007 13:21

I am 11 weeks pregnant and have started experiencing Brown discharge. I only have it when I wipe myself. I have called my local early pregnancy unit and they have told me not to worry. I have got my 12 week scan on Friday and am really nervous about it now. Has anyone else suffered from the Brown discharge and can tell me what it could be.

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Azure · 25/06/2007 13:26

Brown discharge can sometimes indicate old blood, which should not be of such concern as red (new) blood. If it increases or changes to red contact your epu to see if you can get an earlier scan. Take care in the meantime.

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jenjingles · 25/06/2007 13:29

hi duck 32 i had this three times earlier on in this pregnancy and was told it was probobly either implantation discharge or old blood , had scan and all was fine pls try not to worry and if you are really stressing over it go to your local unit and i'm sure they'll see you. good luck.

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duck32 · 25/06/2007 13:31

Thanks for the advice Jenjingles and Azure

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daisyboo · 25/06/2007 13:34

Duck32....sorry you've been getting this, but it is good that it is old blood rather than fresh. This sort of discharge is quite common in pregnancy and can be due to many things from left over implantation bleed to bruising to the wall of your uterus. It isn't necessarily a sign of anything ominous, so try to keep calm. I know its difficult, but if you can take things easy this week and try not to worry. It's good that you only have a few days to wait.

By the way I had some spotting early on in my pregnancy and gave birth three weeks ago to a lovely healthy girl!

Good Luck!

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lou2311 · 25/06/2007 13:51

i am 10 weeks - or so i thought!
i started having brown discharge last weds but no pain. This is my first pregnancy, so was a bit panicky. I phoned miswife who booked me for a scan in EPU. went in with DH and was told i was having a probe scan so needed to empty my bladder (having sat bursting in the waiting room!) so went in and sonographer said - So, nice full bladder? aaagghhh! she had wanted to do the on top of tummy kind. good start. so had scan and saw baby. she told me i was not as far along as i thought, and i needed to come back in 10 days for the other kind of scan. however - (sorry for rambling) they told me the heartbeat was slower than average and that i needed to 'not worry too much till I came back'. easier said than done, but i am just trying rest as much as poss, and see. still having discharge but no change in colour or amount. so just hanging in there like everyone does. any advice i'd be grateful

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duck32 · 25/06/2007 14:02

Thank you Daisyboo and congratulations on the birth of your baby girl xx

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BettySpaghetti · 25/06/2007 14:08

I had this (brownish discharge on wiping)when pregnant with DS -I was told that it was most probably cervical erosion due to changes in my cervix during pregnancy. Posed no risk to the baby.

Good luck

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daisyboo · 25/06/2007 14:09

thanks duck.

Lou....sorry to hear this is a worrying time for you, but the fact that a heartbeat has been seen is a very good sign. Did she say how many weeks she thought you were. How sure are you of your dates? I know that I ovlate very early in my 25 day cycle so always have my date moved by around a week from my LMP date. As i mentioned earlier the brown discharge could be old blood from implantation. There are lots of women on here who have had experience of this sort of thing and have had healthy happy pregnancies so try to stay positive. Not sure about the slow heartbeat though...maybe someone else will be along with advice soon!

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lou2311 · 25/06/2007 14:22

hi Daisyboo,
my last period was april 16th and usually ovulate around 18 days after. did a test at 40 days which was first positive and another 3 days later again positive. My cycle is all over the place but average about 34 days. my mum has said to me that both my brother and i were small babies, and she was told she was wrong about her dates and in fact was right. we were both 2 weeks late. who knows!
thanks for reassurance tho!

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lou2311 · 25/06/2007 14:23

thanks bettyspaghetti - so many things it can be!

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daisyboo · 25/06/2007 16:13

let us know how you get on over the next few days!

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jetgirl · 25/06/2007 20:19

I had this with my first pregnancy, a week after being knocked over by a cyclist so immediately thought the worst. GP was very reassuring said it was probably nothing, very common etc, but could tell I was terrified so referred me for a scan immediately. Everything was fine, but it does feel scary doesn't it? Duck and Daisy, let us know how everything goes, will be thinking of you xx

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jetgirl · 25/06/2007 20:20

Whoops, I meant Lou, not Daisy (put it down to pregnancy brain!)

Daisy - congratulations!

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nervousmummi2be · 08/04/2010 20:32

im 7.5 weeks pregnant...my first pregnancy...i noticed some brown discharge when i wipe im really nervous now about miscarrying...is it possible to get old blood at 7 and a half weeks?? please help...any comments is greatly appreciated

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Olivetti · 08/04/2010 20:38

Nervousmummi2be - I had brown discharge when I wiped at 7 weeks. Like you, I was really worried, but my EPU did an internal scan and all was fine, nice heartbeat. Am now 9 + 2, so not out of the woods, but fingers crossed. Def possible to get old blood, I would try and get early scan to put your mind at rest. xx

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Happyeastender · 09/04/2010 09:21

Hi Lou

I had quite a lot of brown discharge (probably more than you're experiencing by the sound of things) at about the same time or slightly earlier than you - and it carried on for a good week or so. I spoke to my doctor about it at the time and he said not to worry at all, that it was perfectly normal. I even had a bit of spotting after that as well, but all went well at my 12 week scan, so I really wouldn't worry. Good luck!

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Happyeastender · 09/04/2010 09:24

Sorry, getting my names all wrong, didn't realise Lou posted years ago! But Nervousmum - my message applies to you as well

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rlat · 09/04/2010 14:41

Hi all,
After trawling through hundreds of forums, I've finally taken the plunge and joined. I wish I could have an answer to the questions raised by everyone, but I too am unsure of what brown discharge can mean.I am 5 weeks pregnant and, as of yesterday, am experiencing very light brown discharge. This is only in my underwear, not when I wipe, but unlike a lot of you on here, I have been experiencing a general dull ache/pain on both sides of my stomach.

This is not my first pregnancy, I MC at the beginning of March at 7wks. That started with very dark discharge all the way through to bright red blood, but it did not start as early as this. I have not had any period inbetween my MC and this pregnancy.

I cannot begin to tell you the heartbreak I endured the first time round and I don't know if I could cope going through this again. I have already booked a midwife appointment for next week, so hopefully I'll get some info then.
Is there hope?

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auburnlizzy78 · 09/04/2010 20:13

rlat - I had some bleeding at five weeks and a similar pain, but it came to nothing. I was completely terrified (first pregnancy) and rang my GP straight away. She referred me for a "reassurance scan" at the hospital which I had a week later. If I was you I would not bother with the midwife - she won't examine you/scan you/and can only guess at what it might be.

Alternatively, go to your local Early Pregnancy Unit at your nearest hospital (eg. St Thomas' in London), tell them you've been bleeding and have pain, and ask them to scan you. If you can stand to wait until six weeks you MIGHT be able to see a heartbeat on a scan by then, or at least any obvious problems (empty sac etc) should show up.

If it's not red blood it's probably ok, some theories say it's your body trying to have a period and there's no harm to the baby, just your hormones getting confused. I wish you all the best, let us know what happens x

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auburnlizzy78 · 09/04/2010 20:21

Oh, and I had bleeding at 11 weeks too (four weeks ago), really bad but stopped quickly, and again, all was fine. I went straight to casualty at St Thomas' and they referred me upstairs to the EPU. But other women were walking in off the street and coming straight up to EPU, so I'm not just guessing with the advice above. Not saying you won't have a long wait as they have to try to fit everyone in, but it's worth the wait for the reassurance. If they see the pregnancy in your uterus and pick up a heartbeat too (if it's not too early in the pregnancy) then this is a very good sign that all will be well.

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Anasmamma · 09/04/2010 21:28

I had the same thing with this pregnancy. I spotted (very pale brown/ pink discharge) from about 3 weeks plus 3 right the way to 6 plus 4 when it suddently stopped. Scan at 6 weeks plus 1 showed sac and heartbeat. The EPU said that they weren't concerned by brown blood as it is old blood. Implantation is a gradual process and can last until 7 weeks (reckon this is what happened with me). Had another bleed at 14 weeks with clots etc, which was v scary. I've bled with all my pregnancies though (ironically bled least in the one I lost at 10 weeks). Some of us are just spotters.

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