Thank you Gina, I was hoping this post would be helpful. Just to let you know, the reason I even came back on here is because I’m pregnant again and have just been diagnosed with another subchorionic hemotoma (SHC) so was doing a Google search! Clearly, if an old post has popped up for me, there’s not enough info on this topic and it’s going to pop up for a lot of other women!
What I can tell you is that SCH is the main cause of bleeding in pregnancy. I wish I knew that when I searched “bleeding in pregnancy” last time so I could have prevented it! The UK has a different attitude towards Bleeding than the US and every other country as far as I can tell. Sadly, Here, they tend to be laissez faire about it, where the others put you on immediate bed rest or modified bed rest until the bleeding subsided. At the very least Pelvic bed rest should be taken (no sex, heavy lifting over 10lbs, exercise).
Let me explain: A SCH is a blood clot between the uterus and placenta. It can start small early on and happens in about 11% or pregnancies. You don’t want it touching the placenta or it can disattach and prevent baby from getting nutrients and oxygen. You also don’t want it to start bleeding out too much because otherwise the body thinks your giving birth and starts opening the cervix to spontaneously abort! In the UK, they advise you to go about your business. Even after having multiple ones, their preventative advice is to take one baby aspirin per day and progesterone suppositories (such as in my case afteR demanding it this time). The idea is that the aspirin will thin the blood from the clot and it will “bleed out.” But like I said before, bleeding out can open the cervix - hence the progesterone prescribed which keeps the cervix closed. So that’s ONE method.
In the US and Europe, the idea is that you dont want to bleed out because of the risk on the cervix opening. And you don’t want to move because moving is what ruptures the tiny blood vessels around the blood clot - so it never has a chance to heal and keeps getting bigger and bigger! So the advice is to bedrest. By Resting, the membrane around the SCH begins to heal itself and the watery blood starts to coagulate. Once it coagulates, it’s reabsorbed back into the body. So no risk of opening the cervix.
From other forums, the complete list of what you should do:
- bedrest immediately
- don’t take aspirin or vitamin e as it thins blood (check your prenatal vitamins)
- drink LoADdS of water - it helps the body reabsorb the blood. don’t dehydrate by drinking alcohol
- take 30cc HOMEOPATHIC arnica Montana pillules 3 x per day - it helps reabsorb the blood
- eat loads of fresh Vitamin K - kale, spinach are the best (this coagulates blood)
- drink 1000-2000 mg of Vitamin C tablets dissolved in water (this strengthen the placenta). You can’t OD on Vit C.
- Throw chia seeds on your food to up your Iron content
- dilute pure cranberry juice with water (I put mine in with the Vit c tablet water). The salicylic acid prevents infections and strengthens the immune system.
- some doctors put you on antibiotics to ensure you don’t get an infection from an open cervix. The other thing I’ve learned is that you shouldn’t take baths or swim to prevent this. As a reminder, I had an infection that the midwives didn’t even consider an issue. In the end, it was that infection that weakened my placenta to the point of breaking my water.
- don’t have sex or orgasms. Sorry, but Too hard on the uterus and will break the blood vessels
- Bedrest until 7 days after the bleeding is gone and , rescan. From others, I’ve heard it takes 2 weeks for a significant reduction. In my case, even when I was on bed rest in the hospital with the HUGE SHC, it mostly went away after 7 days, So I KNOW, even with my unfortunate outcome That bed rest is effective.
- take the progesterone. That’s one thing that is easier prescribed in the UK, so take it. Even if you’re bed resting, there’s no harm in taking 200mg suppositories twice a day to ensure the service stays closed.
Now, obviously have a look on other boards, but it’s shocking how common this is and how little professional knowledge and information is out there on it. It’s unacceptable that women should have to turn to other women to get help. It’s unacceptable for midwives, sonographers and nurses to blow off bleeding in pregnancy as “just one of those things.” It’s unacceptable for them to advise that we all just run around while we’re hemorraging internally. Even this time around a Senior nurse in the Early Pregnancy unit told me that “there is NO Issue” getting on multiple long haul flights 3 days after bleeding at 6.5 weeks. Unacceptable. I’ve cancelled those flights thanks to another private doctors advice and I’m laying in bed. Oh yes speaking of….
- let your partner know he’ll be looking after the kids, the cooking and the cleaning!
