Miscarriage Help - How Much Bleeding?

[OVO1410]

Hi, I'm guessing I'm 5+4 but can't say for certain as I got pregnant immediately after coming off of the mini pill so no LMP to go by. Yesterday afternoon I started having continuous period-like pain and there was a small amount of pink blood when I wiped. I went to the toilet a few times after and there was nothing there. The pain then got so bad in the night that it woke me up. I went to the toilet and it felt like blood gushed out of me. The water in the toilet was dark red and there was loads of dark red blood when I wiped. I was expecting this to continue today but there has only been a small amount of brown blood when wiping and the pain has gradually got less throughout the day. At no point has there been enough blood that it's actually been on my pad, it's only ever been on wiping. I spoke to my GP and she said that there's no point going to EPU as they won't scan me due to how early on my pregnancy is. She said to manage the pain at home and take a HPT in a week. She also told me to rest in bed as the pregnancy could still be viable. I just wondered if anyone had experienced similar? I already have two DC and have not had a miscarriage before. I remember my DM miscarrying when I was a teenager and it lasted over a week. It seems silly to say but I don't feel like I have bled enough? Surely a miscarriage shouldn't be shorter than a normal period? I would love to hear if anyone has been through similar. TIA

Sounds very much like a 'chemical pregnancy' due to how early on you are. There is nothing an EPAU will do, best thing to do is monitor the bleeding, if it settles down do a PT in 2 weeks which should be negative, sorry for your loss.

Sorry to hear this OP. I assume you did actually have a positive pregnancy test before the bleeding started? Even if you were 5+4, its only a week or so longer than a normal cycle (depending how long yours normally is?). Every MC is different, and in general, the farther along the pregnancy, the longer you bleed- but again, each can be very different.

If the pain is one sided, getting unbearable despite analgesia at home or soaking 2 pads an hour, 2 hrs in a row, then got to A&E. best of luck OP. Some people have gone on to have a healthy pregnancy, so unfortunately its a waiting game to see what might have happened.

I am so sorry it does sound like my second miscarriage at 7 or 8 weeks from lmp.

I started cramping on the Friday evening, as you described, little bit of pink blood, lots of blood around 2am which as you describe almost felt like it was gushing out of me when I sat on the toilet. And was bright red. I had blood on the towel Saturday morning, almost like the end of a period and then over the weekend I had a few dark red almost brown clots.
By Sunday night/Monday morning (for lack of better terminology) my body had cleared out.

If I remember rightly one of my friends bled for a week like a normal period.

I am sorry and I wish you all the best.

Thank you so much for the responses.

@elouera I have no idea how long my cycles are as I've been on the mini pill for 16 years so I don't have periods. I always get pregnant immediately upon stopping taking it and then go back on it a few weeks after giving birth. I got my first positive HPT 12 days ago and did a few over the course of a week, just to see the lines getting darker and the digital ones progressing (which they did).

@cheeseycheeseycheesecheese I'm sorry for your loss. I feel reassured that someone else has experienced the same. I was mostly worried that if I hadn't bled enough I wouldn't have lost everything I was supposed to and how would I know without a scan? If the pregnancy test is negative in a week or two and I'm no longer bleeding then can I just assume everything is okay? I was thrown by the doctor saying the pregnancy could still be viable as I don't see how that's possible with that amount of blood loss.

Thank you @OVO1410
I would assume so, I waited 2 weeks retested, got a negative result, had my next bleed and was lucky to successfully get pregnant with ds the following month.
They made no mention of it potentially being a viable pregnancy when I spoke to my GP.
I'm sorry I can't be of any help there.

I completely stopped bleeding yesterday and then started again today, really heavily with mild contractions. I didn't realise a miscarriage could be so stop-and-start

Oh @OVO1410 I've just seen this, I'm so sorry, I hope you're ok this weekend?

Iam 5+4 and started bleeding today , very light bright red blood , no cramps or pain , had a mc before which was completely diff , I’ll try speak to the midwife tomoz but it’s so hard as I know they won’t do anything till I’m 6 weeks plus, totally gutted today

@Kelsie13 sorry to hear this is happening to you. Did you speak to your midwife? Are you still bleeding now?

@cheeseycheeseycheesecheese I've been bleeding on and off for 10 days now, mostly brown blood. I haven't passed any clots or anything but I'm assuming you can't bleed for 10 days and still be pregnant. Last couple of days my boobs have started really hurting and I've started to feel sick when I wake up. Seems cruel to develop pregnancy symptoms now when the pregnancy has already ended I caved and did a pregnancy test today, hoping it would be showing just a faint positive so I know I'm heading in the right direction. Instead I got an immediate extra strong positive, barely any colour in the control line as it was all in the test line. I just want to stop bleeding, get my negative test and be able to move on

Hi , yeah miscarried on Monday , midwife said won’t do a scan because of all the Covid stuff going on , just manage at home!! Been through it before so know wat to expect but doesn’t make it easier , just not meant to be this time !

Do you remember how long it took you to get a negative pregnancy test last time? I'm still getting immediate strong positives on day 10. I'm getting impatient for this to be over now so I can move forward and try again.

It can take a few weeks , it’s just wen the hormone level drops , it’s a horrible experience I was told to just check weekly , if it goes on for more than 4 weeks I’d maybe contact the midwife or doctor

I've now been bleeding for over two weeks but really stop and start, only when wiping and no clots. GP and hospital both said it's not a miscarriage, go to your booking appointment and 12 week scan as usual I couldn't wait for that so I had a private scan done today. I thought I was 7+4 but the sonographer put the foetus at 9+4 with no heartbeat I'm not bleeding enough to miscarry, it's like my body won't let the baby go. I've got to go into hospital on Thursday to have another scan and then discuss options. Does anyone have any experience of this?

@OVO1410 I'm so sorry 😔 the hospital definitely should have scanned you. Care has been so bad with everything going on. I've also had a missed miscarriage, was supposed to be 8+3 at my scan last Wednesday but was measuring 7 and no heartbeat. I went the medical management route yesterday. Sending love 💕

Thank you for posting and so sorry for your loss 💕 What does medical management involve? I've been told that my local hospital will not do a surgical procedure to remove the baby because of covid19.

@OVO1410 that’s awful , I bled for 3 days and I’ve been told to just wait for my 12 week scan too , I can’t wait another 5 weeks so I’m booking a private scan too . Don’t feel it’s fair to just make you wait

What does medical management involve? I've been told that my local hospital will not do a surgical procedure to remove the baby because of covid19.

You usually get given a pessary to put inside your vagina (they inserted it in hospital both times when I had it, they may possibly give it to you to do at home) and it brings on the miscarriage a bit later at home.

Sorry you're going through this OP

@OVO1410 for me I got given the medication orally. 800mg of misoprostal. I had it at 12.30pm yesterday and the worst of the whole ordeal was over by 6.30pm. But I have to be honest it was horrendous.. For me anyway! Though there are loads of accounts that people have gone through it with just as much bleeding and pain as a period. I'm still bleeding heavy today with clots but yesterday afternoon was on a whole new level, I thought I was going to die.

@OVO1410 also I only chose this route because surgical was off the cards with covid for me too and the thought of waiting potentially weeks to pass it naturally just didn't appeal to me. Though I don't think I'd do the medical management route if this happens again.

So sorry OP. I've had 2 medical managements with the baby measuring 8/9 weeks each time. You get 2 pills to put inside you and that makes you miscarry - I inserted them at home in the morning as I wanted it to be over and done with during the daytime. Make sure you ask them for a codeine prescription and have paracetemol and ibuprofen too - you can take all 3 at once every 4 hours as they all work in different ways. I inserted the pills at home. It was painful at times but bearable (probably because of all the painkillers). For some reason, maybe because it was quite thick - most of the bleeding stayed inside me and gushed out on the loo along with some clots and lumps (sorry, TMI). It's not pleasant at all obviously but wasn't horrendous. A hot water bottle or hot beanbag thing helps a lot too.

It took a few hours for the cramping/bleeding to start for me each time and the worst bit was probably 6-8 hours after inserting them. I watched lots of TV to distract me. By the time I went to bed that night, I was feeling like I didn't need the next dose of painkillers. I did wake up in the night with some cramping though and had to take more painkillers. I felt OK by the day after with just a little bleeding.

Hope it goes OK for you.

Thank you so much for the information. That's really helpful. Do you mind me asking if either of you have DC already? I'm just wondering how the pain compares to labour. I already have two DC and I gave birth to them both naturally, one with gas and air and the other with nothing at all. I cope really well with labour pain but I think that's because I see it as a positive thing because it's bringing the baby. Obviously this won't be the case this time so I'm worried I won't cope with it mentally and I'm scared about my DC being in the house while it's happening

Thank you @starlight39. I'll ask at the hospital if 6-8 hours is the usual timeframe and maybe I'll time it so it happens once my DC are in bed (if possible)

@OVO1410 this was my first pregnancy unfortunately so can't help with the labour pain comparison but I imagine you'll find it somewhat similar to early labour pain. I have endo and PCOS and have really bad periods that require tranexamic and mefenamic acid with tramadol so thought I'd be well prepared but nope 😂 hit me like a tonne of bricks! I'm beginning to think I was very unlucky in my experience with it all 😟

@Starlight39 I'm starting to think I should probably have gone with my gut that something was incredibly wrong during the peak time and gone to hospital.. I really am traumatised by it and currently still sat with a hot water bottle on my lower back from my cramping bowel 😩 I will definitely be telling them tomorrow when I'm in to get checked how bad it was and if it's normal