Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Flip

Original poster

Am I having a miscarriage

23 replies

Hoping2bemumma · 21/04/2020 17:40

I’m sorry for the graphic post but I am 5 weeks pregnant following IVF and this pregnancy means everything to us.
Last night I had sharp scratch light cramps that lasted a few hours.
I just went to pop in a progesterone pessary and noticed some red blood on the applicator stick. About one hour later when I wiped, I had brown blood and some stretchy mucous? Or more like a membrane.

Any ideas? Hoping this is all ‘normal’ but I have a terrible feeling about this.

OP posts:

NoCallerID · 21/04/2020 17:49

Mine wasn't IVF so I'm not sure if there's a difference!? I've had lots of cramping, so bad that I didn't think an embryo would be viable in this environment. If the bleeding has stopped now and only old blood and mucus come out then try not to worry. I have no experience with bleeding in early pregnancy but it is very common.

Darkstar4855 · 21/04/2020 18:02

I had brownish discharge and occasional bright red loss of around a teaspoon from 5-7 weeks. Baby was fine. Fingers crossed for you.

zscaler · 21/04/2020 18:06

There are lots of reasons why you might have some bleeding in early pregnancy, it definitely doesn’t mean something has gone wrong. Give your doctor or maternity services a ring to put your mind at rest, but it’s almost certainly nothing to worry about

Original poster

Hoping2bemumma · 21/04/2020 18:42

Thank you so much. I was hoping to attach a picture but couldn’t work it out. The mucous looked a bit, sort of membrane like. I’m terrified it’s the sac.
Do you have any idea how quickly blood turns old and brown?

OP posts:

Mc3209 · 21/04/2020 18:45

Could you have scratched yourself inside with an applicator? I have no clue what those applicators look like, but if it's long enough I guess it's possible..

CoffeeIsMyOnlyJoy · 21/04/2020 18:46

Dark brown blood is old blood, so less worrying than 'fresh' red blood. Your cervix is more sensitive during pregnancy and can be prone to bleeding. My midwife said only be concerned at a tablespoon of red blood.

A 'stretching' cramp is really common during early pregnancy, it's your uterus stretching!

Early pregnancy can be really shit. One day at a time

MrsC2018 · 21/04/2020 18:47

I'm 7+6 with an IVF pregnancy and have bled on and off since 5+3. Different amounts of blood, and different colours from red, pink and brown. It's terrifying and I constantly think it's all over but I've had 2 scans that have shown me the heartbeat and they tell me all is well with baby. Lots of women have bleeding and although some end in ectopic or miscarriage not all do. Another poster said to me that if you see red blood in pregnancy then it's 50% that it will be a miscarriage. I really hope it isn't for you, if the bleeding gets heavy then perhaps your EPU will see you, otherwise you can book a private scan from 6weeks as I did.

Another thing to think about it changing to the back passage for the progesterone as it can irritate your cervix and cause bleeding that way?

Good luck x

CoffeeIsMyOnlyJoy · 21/04/2020 18:48

Oh, and from descriptions I have heard a passed yolk sac is pretty obviously a sac. Mucus will just be mucus.

Original poster

Hoping2bemumma · 21/04/2020 18:50

Thank you everyone, I feel so touched to have had so many responses. And it’s really reassuring to hear from you all.
I’ve definitely noticed a difference between sharp cramps and more of a dull stretching cramps, but trying to trust that they are both ‘normal’.
I’m hoping maybe I scratched myself with the applicator and then an hour later that’s what the brown blood was - although it still doesn’t explain the membrane thing.
I suppose I just need to keep my calm over the next few days and hope for the best.
Thank you again to everyone

OP posts:

georgialondon · 21/04/2020 18:51

I've had this twice. On the first occasion it did turn out o be the start of a miscarriage. On the second occasion everything was fine. Only time will tell. Hopefully it's all fine for you.

Littlebb2020 · 21/04/2020 19:18

Hi op I had ivf too and had the cyclogest pessaries I bled all the time up till 10 weeks when I stopped the pessaries. First it was pink then I had brown then it turned red, I was petrified. I’ve also had lower back ache and a heavy ache in my lower abdomen. It might be the pessaries making you bleed. I also had a scan at 6 weeks because I was so worried then the ivf clinic scanned me at week 7. In now 13 weeks and everything is going well. I really hope it isn’t a miscarriage. But it’s very common to bleed in pregnancy after ivf x

Original poster

Hoping2bemumma · 21/04/2020 19:30

@littlebb2020
Thank you so much for your message. Congratulations to you. I can imagine how terrifying your journey has been, but that’s such brilliant news that everything is looking good. I will keep you in mind as I ride this wave!

OP posts:

sarahc336 · 21/04/2020 19:34

Sorry to be graphic but during a miscarriage you deliver quite large clots that look like you'd expect them to look like if pregnant, it's not mucus so please don't worry that you've delivered anything keep an eye on things but at the min I don't think it's a massive concern as lots of others have already mentioned xx

Littlebb2020 · 21/04/2020 19:46

Yeah I second what Sarahc said. I used to get hysterical when I bled and I asked my sister who has had a mc and she said it was painful and I’d know if I was miscarrying. Honestly the one morning I woke up with low back ache and I was bleeding and thought that was it and I cryed down the phone to the midwife she arranged a scan at the epu ( this was after 2 scans I had had already!) and again everything was fine.
I’m not going to sugarcoat it though bleeding can definatly go either way, but if it’s not large amounts or if it’s just when you wipe I’d say it’s more likely to be the pessaries. I’m in a support group on fb for pregnancy after ivf and it seems like most ladies on their have had bleeding at one point or another and it was down to pesssaries, their a fuckin nightmare! X

Original poster

Hoping2bemumma · 21/04/2020 20:03

Great, I’m going to stay positive and put it down to having jabbed myself with my applicator, which would make sense since it was fresh blood on the end of the stick.
After that, the brown blood and membrane thing must have been where the blood dried up quickly afterwards and maybe I scratched a little something off the surface (or something!)
I have a week tomorrow until my first scan, which is 6 weeks +1 day. Early last week I’d be so anxious but the last 5 days I’ve started trusting my body, so it just feels typical that once I relax and try and enjoy it this has happened.
But so much reassurance here- there’s one thing that’s for sure and that’s that this baby will be so loved, so I’m really rooting for it. It’s made it through a lot of COVID uncertainty and odds. We didn’t have any additional frozen embryos, so it’s always been about this one and I have everything crossed it sticks! X

OP posts:

Littlebb2020 · 21/04/2020 20:43

Mine was my only day 5 embryo left out of 13 eggs collected, I had none to freeze so all my hopes were pinned on it too! Tbh I was expecting to need another round. So was very suprised and very anxious and still now that I’ll actually have a baby. I take it day by day, since I got to 12 weeks I have relaxed a little but the anxiety is always their. Good luck for your scan please let me know how you get on! X

Umnoway · 21/04/2020 20:47

I had a miscarriage at 5 weeks last year and it started off with pink mucus when I wiped, then developed into bright red blood with clots within a few hours. When I passed the sac it was obviously a sac, sorry to be gruesome but it was tiny and grey in colour.

I wouldn’t worry about a tiny bit of spotting, it’s really normal in early pregnancy. I had some early spotting in two of my successful pregnancies.

Babytobe · 21/04/2020 21:02

Hi OP, I have had two recurrent miscarriages within 4 months. Both were very different experiences to be honest. If you are worried contact your midwife or Dr. Most likely all is fine but it will put your mind at rest. And a restful mum is a healthy mum. Take care of you

October2020 · 21/04/2020 21:04

14 weeks now with an IVF baby, I've bled like crazy the whole way through. Finally stopped (touch wood) at 12+5.

It could be a miscarriage, but without pain it is unlikely. Bleeding in IVF pregnancies seems (based on my extensive googling) to be much more common, especially with the pessaries which are not very kind to your insides!

Original poster

Hoping2bemumma · 24/04/2020 19:37

Hi ladies
Just to update you, I didn’t have any further bleeding so think it could have been a scratch from the pessary. Though I’ll never know, it seems most likely.
Wondering whether I might be able to check something else with you- yesterday I had terrible nausea all day and today not a single bit, I feel completely normal. Is it to be expected that nausea/ sickness can come one day and be gone the next?
Thanks so much in advance :)

OP posts:

sarahc336 · 24/04/2020 19:46

Yes this is quite common, mines come and gone a lot in this pregnancy, enjoy The better days

Sheera1 · 24/04/2020 20:13

I had a miscarriage 3 yrs ago at almost 12 weeks. Was a missed miscarriage. I had a smear of bright red blood and had felt a bit crampy that day. Gave EPAS a call and went in for a scan and was given bad news. What I would say is that when it passed I was woken through the night with contractions that ended up 1 to 2 mins apart and serious painful like labour contractions. At the peak when I was going to go to hospital it was so painful there was a big rush and it passed. The pain stopped almost immediately.

Hope this helps as I was unprepared for it and I have a 10 year old and went through labor. They always write as if an early miscarriage is just like a period. It is not!

MariaDingbat · 24/04/2020 23:13

I had some spotting at 6 weeks and was using progesterone pessaries. It was brown and pink that night and just brown the next morning then stopped. I was told by the doctor that the pessaries can irritate your cervix and cause spotting. Plus it seems to be normal to spot at week 5-7 accusing to the NHS? I hope you get a good outcome!

Flip