Getting a scan at EPU due to bleeding - what’s normal?

[Cafeaulait27]

I’ve mentioned this on the May due thread as well, I’m 8 weeks and saw a tiny baby with a heartbeat at a private scan 2 weeks ago. I had a little brown discharge before that and then since the scan it’s been Light brown discharge and sort of Yellow discharge. Yesterday at about 5pm I wiped when I went to the toilet and there was bright red blood on the tissue that was mixed with clear discharge. I couldn’t stop crying with the shock and text my midwife and called triage.

Triage just said to put a pad in and monitor it. I eventually plucked up the courage to ask if I could be scanned. She gave me the number for EPU but said they won’t be open til Monday, and she didn’t say they would scan me she just said to call them for advice on Monday if I was still bleeding.

My midwife text back and said that it could just be one of those things, to monitor it and go to A&E if it gets worse. She also said if things don’t settle to call EPU on Monday.

I’m worried sick, and really want to push for a scan on Monday as I want to know what’s going on in there whether the bleeding carries on this weekend or not. I don’t even have a date for my 12 week scan yet but I don’t want to have to wait until then to find out if the baby is ok or not 🙁

I felt like the triage person had been told not to mention scans until I said it first. I was trying and kept saying ‘I really would like someone to check it’ and she just said nothing back, it wasn’t until I said ‘can I have a scan ‘ that she gave me the EPU number.

Is this because of coronavirus maybe?

I really think if I’ve been bleeding then they should do something? Surely I shouldn’t have to just be in limbo worrying and not being seen by anyone until my dating scan?

I really just want everything to be ok with the baby, but if it’s not I feel that I have to be brave and face it sooner rather than later so we can start trying again 🙁

Does anyone have any experience with this, or any advice on how to approach it with EPU on Monday?

Thank you

@Cafeaulait27 they found a 3mm foetus on Wednesday so it had progressed from Sunday but the heartbeat was slow. I told them not to sugar coat it and they said not to get my hopes up. I go back on Wednesday for another scan to see what's going on.

I understand the waiting is really hard when you can't think of anything else.

I'd definitely push for answers if you're still bleeding by Monday but hopefully it stops xx

I’m sorry to hear that @rumples and I hope it all works out ok for you. Is it your first pregnancy? Fingers crossed for you.

Thank you, I will push on Monday, I think I will regret it if I don’t try to do everything I can (although I know I can’t affect the outcome).

I’ve just had the letter through for my dating scan - it’s on 28tb October which isn’t too far away. I hope the bleeding stops and I can just look forward to that to focus my mind and feel hopeful. Xx

I went there on two occasions. 1. Bleeding on and off after my period. It wasn't stopping, the pregnancy test was positive (shock, surely no one tests straight after the period). So they saw a sac but no embryo, later on it was diagnosed as anembryonic. 2. I was def pregnant, just no symptoms. Smth didn't feel right. 8 weeks and anembryonic again. They kept scanning every week to be 100% sure. Everyone was so so kind and attentive and professional. But for them it would have been an incredibly dreadful experience. There are reasons for bleeding early on, some are completely innocent. Some need medical treatment. What's your Rh? Any troubles with blood clotting? I wish you all the best! God help your little one!

@NavyBerry I’m so sorry that that happened to you, but glad you received good care.

Sorry what is Rh? Still learning all the lingo!

As far as I know, no issues with clotting at all.

Thank you so much, I’m praying all the time for the little shrimp xx

Thank you. I meant Rh blood factor. Are you negative by any chance?

@NavyBerry ah I see! I’m not sure actually yet, I only had my blood tests done on Thursday and haven’t heard about the results. What does it mean if you are negative? Do they usually tell you the results of all the blood tests? Thanks XX

They'd have probably picked it up if you were. It can result in a blood conflict with the baby. One of my friends is negative, her husband is positive. She had a terrible bleeding at 7 weeks but the moment they started the therapy all was good. So there are just different things that can cause it and some can be treated very well. I hope all is going to be fine!

@NavyBerry ah ok, thanks for explaining! Yeah hopefully they will let me know if there is in issue with that.

I haven’t had any more red blood since this morning, so that’s good. I still have brown discharge, been happening on and off since week 5 really. Whenever I tell triage or the midwife they don’t seem concerned with it.

I really hope I can update this thread with good news soon. Xxx

Hi @Cafeaulait27 hope you’re doing ok. Try and push for a scan at the EPU which is whatnot sounds like you’re going to do. I think the rules since Covid have changed with regard to just walking in - my hospital has a walk in EPU which is amazing and I went in at 7 weeks with light pink bleeding (just before lockdown) and they did my bloods and a scan there and then, I saw the heartbeat and all was fine.
I’m currently 38 weeks and had a couple of funny discharge type things after that and then light pink bleeds at 21 & 22 weeks which was from a cervical polyp. There can be lots reasons for bleeding in pregnancy that are not the worst so try and be positive and I hope you’re able to get your scan on Monday.
When I had my early miscarriage the bleeding starting brown and they gradually progressed to red and heavy with cramping and clots, I knew what was happening....if you’re not in pain and the bleeding has slowed it all could well be totally fine. Xxx

@theresaplaceforus I thought something was up due to covid, I’ve seen loads of old threads saying people have had some spotting and gone for a scan, but now they just don’t seem to want to do it at all. I’m going to try to insist as much as I can.

Thank you so much for replying - and I really hope you’re right. Red blood is not pleasant ☹️

For some reassurance I had bleeding throughout two of my pregnancies.

It was awful but both babies were find and they never did find the cause.

At one point it was so bad I could feel it coming out (sorry tmi) and I actually dreaded going to the loo.

I pushed for scans both times and I think sometimes, because it can be common, they don't realise how worrying it is.

But they did scan me and everything was fine.

I hope you manage to get a scan on Monday and they can put your mind at ease xx

@silverstorm101 thank you for the reassurance that is wonderful to hear, glad it worked out for you.

I haven’t had any red blood since Saturday morning now, so it was just Friday evening when I wiped and Saturday morning (which I reckon was left over from night before) nothing on the pad apart from a couple of light brown marks.

I’ve still had light brown and a bit of dark brown discharge when I wipe, and it smells a bit metallic like blood. I’ve had light brown discharge on and off since I found out at 4-5 weeks, usually coinciding with either sex or the private internal scan I had which showed the heartbeat at 5+6 ish.

I feel happy it seems to be settling down. I guess now it’s unlikely the epu will see me but I will still try.

I could pay for another private scan, but part of me wants to wait and hope until my dating scan on 28th October. I think I am probably a bit scared to go for a private scan and find out bad news there, I kind of want to keep the hope alive longer (which feels a little cowardly) and also kind of want to find out under the care of NHS if it has happened rather than a private clinic which is pedalling scan picture keyring sales...

I guess I just want a few more weeks of hoping things might be ok! And I guess I don’t really want to spend another £80 to be told horrible news 🙁 I just hope The shrimp is ok in there.

Just on the back of the private clinic thing...

I know someone who had a baby boy who had serious condition with lungs filling in the womb and this was missed by the nhs scans... this was picked up at the private clinic who then did what they had to to get the person referred to the right place.

My experience of private has been better and more detailed, I find nhs rushes and EPU scans I felt like they don't really want you there they just check and that's it.

Private scan told me that the bleed internally I had had gone and checked thoroughly, including baby size, heartbeat, position, fluid etc .

I believe private to be better but I know each to their own and it does depend on which you use of course!

Iv always found the interim scans ( private) reassuring knowing all is ok in there and as each week goes on the better it feels as these early weeks are so scary!!

I hope all is ok for you though, I don't think I could wait until 12 weeks but I can see why you want to ☺️

Hope you're okay today OP. Spotting and light bleeding is completely normal this early on as things stretch and grow. I had some light bleeding recently and it was because the placenta was growing over my cervix, then I bled again as the placenta moved away and upwards a few weeks later.

Every EPU is different so it's hard to know what yours will do. When I lived in Manchester, they would do internal examinations and look for bleeding and to see if your cervix was open before even considering a scan but where I live now, you call the EPU and leave a voice message, they call back and ask some questions and arrange a scan for that morning for you straight away.

The EPU have told me that pain and enough bleeding to fill a pad is when you should worry and spotting is completely normal.

Hope you get some answers soon xx

@Natalie5112 thank you, yeah I agree, I actually had a great experience with my private scan. I had some questions that I emailed over a few days later and the sonographer called me and text me to reassure me then. And all there equipment and training was amazing.

I think really I’m making excuses because I’m terrified of going and it being bad news ☹️ xxx

@ShalomToYouJackie thank you that is really reassuring to hear. I feel like because I only bled for a short time and not much, it should be ok but it’s so hard in the early weeks isn’t it to not worry.

I think I need to have a think after I’ve spoken to the midwife / EPU tomorrow and decide whether I want to get a scan or not.

Thanks everyone xxx

It's so difficult! The not knowing is the absolute worst and I know anxiety levels must be through the roof.

I found the scans at the private 10 times clearer the ones at the EPU were very grainy!

I had one at the EPU at 6 weeks 2 days and then I had a private at 8 weeks and 3 days and I have a private one for 12 weeks so my partner can come with me as we are still waiting for a date for the nhs booking and scan! They say there is a huge back log because of COVID! I feel like there is no one to turn to or ask for advice! And I don't want to be over dramatic about various things and ringing the hospital 🤦🏽‍♀️

It's going to be hard not to book another scan between now ( 9 weeks) and the 12 week one!

Trying to keep busy but it's so difficult!! The days feel long and slow!

Please keep us updated! All routing for good news!

I had a missed miscarriage before my daughter who is now 7 and it was honestly the most traumatic thing... waking up to blood when pregnant is one of the worst fears for us all I think! We immediately think bad news and is very hard to think anything otherwise!

X

Hey everyone just an update - I called EPU this morning as still getting brown discharge and have been for 2 Weeks in addition to the red on Friday and Saturday.

EPU were lovely and said I could come in for a scan on Thursday morning, and that I can bring one person with me. I was really expecting to get fobbed off!

I am now really scared of getting bad news at the scan, but hoping for good news and I am glad that at least I will know what’s going on on Thursday.

They just said they’ll do the scan to try to find out where the bleeding is coming from, she was so nice and didn’t sound worried. She also told me to do a pregnancy test today and call them if it was negative.

But now I feel really emotional and scared that it could be all over on Thursday ☹️

@Natalie5112 thank you so much for your support, it is such an anxious time xx

Just another update, the woman on the phone at EPU said to do another test and if positive still come to the scan, but if negative to call them. So I did one just now (all they had at the shop near me was expensive clear blue weeks indicator ones) and I got Pregnant and 3+ which is the highest weeks it can show.

I know tests can be misleading as hormone levels can remain high even if something has gone wrong, but this has relaxed me a little bit so that I might be able to get through the next few days while I wait for the scan on Thursday.

Sorry to hear this and giving you a handhold. I had bleeding in all of my pregnancies and remember the all-consuming anxiety of not knowing what‘s going to happen. One pregnancy ended in MC and one was totally fine (DD now 2yrs). Bleeding is surprisingly common and many health professionals are very blasé about it. I got the impression that for every 10 women they see only 1 or 2 turn out to be serious so that‘s why they can sound quite callous with the wait and see approach.

Bright red bleeding can be caused by sub chorionic hematoma, a pocket of blood near the placenta. A friend had a gushing bright red bleed (soaked through clothing) during her pregnancy and everything turned out fine. I have also heard of breakthrough bleeds where you hormones cause spotting around the same time as your period.

Really hope you get good news on Thurs!

@CoffeeDay thank you so much for your reply and well wishes. Wow that is a lot of blood! I have had brown discharge for 2 weeks which no one seemed bothered about, but on Friday I had bright red just when I wiped, and then first thing Saturday the same when I wiped. Since then I’m back to brown. It’s to hard to wait not knowing what it means. I sort of feel a bit relieved because I don’t think I’ve passed any tissue (I’m sure I would know if I have) and I did see a heartbeat on an internal scan at 5+6 but I know anything can happen ☹️

Thank you for the hand hold - it’s going to be a long wait til Thursday but I will update either way. Xxx

Just got some red again when I wiped after having a wee ☹️☹️☹️ This is so scary, what does it mean ☹️ Why is it red again.

@Cafeaulait27 just sending you some positivity and a hand hold, the waiting is the awful.

Just to tell you my experience I had a miscarriage last year and it started with niggly pains then I had a massive gush of blood that soaked through my clothes, I went to a&e, they checked incase of possible ectopic and I was sent away to wait for a scan later in the week, at that scan I had a sac but it was empty and they wanted me to wait 2 weeks for another scan to make sure. I had bleeding on and off the whole time where I needed to use a pad.

I'm currently pregnant again and had a bleed at 5 weeks, I really thought it was a chemical pregnancy, but the bleeding stopped within a day and I then had a bit of blood each morning when I wiped, I had a scan at EPU and saw a heartbeat but also a cyst which could have explained the bleeding, anyway I had my 12 week scan last week and so far everything is fine.

So try not to worry, rest if you can and ask on here if you have any questions, everyone is different but as a pp said it seems some bleeding in pregnancy is quite normal. I hope the week passes quickly for you

Just to try and help if possible, I have had almost exactly the same experience as you describe, had some brown discharge and then also red blood upon wiping. Had it last week at first and was seen at my EPU because I have an underlying condition that makes me quite high risk, fortunately they saw baby and a heartbeat but couldn't see any cause of the bleeding. It started again this weekend so I went back in today and they could see the baby had grown, but also a small pool of blood outside the sac, she said it's a subchorionic bleed and a common cause of bleeding in early pregnancy. They say it's fine and will only need to go back if I am bleeding enough to fill a pad. Fingers crossed it's something similar for you. Personally I couldn't wait until Thursday and if money isn't an issue I'd try to get a private scan tomorrow just to stop the worrying. Sending you lots of luck xx