4 weeks pregnant & spotting for 10 days

[welawoman]

I started spotting on day 19 of my cycle. Tested on day 21 and got bfp. I thought the spotting was implantation bleeding but 10 days later I’m still spotting! I’ve taken about 10 hpts and they all continue to be positive.

The spotting is not accompanied with cramping but I feel extremely bloated, with some twinges and an occasional ache in my lower abdomen on the left side.

I saw my GP and got an hpg blood test of 81 on day 23, then only 100 on day 25. My GP said it was really really early and to just see how things go/wait for a scan in week 7. The waiting is pure torture.

This is my second pregnancy, the first ended with MC in April at 7 weeks so I’m extremely anxious. I did not have spotting like this in my first pregnancy - I was fine, except for a bit of mild period pain like cramping until it all ended suddenly.

Given the brown spotting and low hcg rise, I’m concerned this could be ectopic but I had stage 3 endometriosis surgery in November and the surgeon said my tubes were both clear and free of adhesions.

Has anyone had spotting really early in pregnancy that continued for a long time? What happened?

This sounds horribly similar to my experience. Unfortunately mine was an ectopic pregnancy, but was not picked up until it ruptured and I had to have surgery.

I had a positive test around 4.5 weeks. I started spotting at 5 weeks, coupled with stomach pain, mainly on the left. An out of hours dr said it was too high to be ectopic and gave me antibiotics for a kidney infection.
4 days on, I was still bleeding. (Enough for a pad, but not like a proper period). Rang the GP who (over the phone) said it was a miscarriage and if I was still bleeding in 10 days, take a pregnancy test and call back if still positive.
I kept bleeding. I didn't have one sided pain, but I felt incredibly bloated. I had a lot of pressure around my bum - felt like I just needed to poo and it would feel better!
Still tested positive and it took them another 3 days to refer me to EPU. Those last 3 days, I felt so bloated and in quite a lot of pain. By the time I got there, I had a 6cm growth on my fallopian tube, which had ruptured and filled my stomach with blood. I was rushed straight to theatre to have the ectopic and my tube removed.

I don't want to scare you - I'm sure yours isn't the same, but given my experience, please don't take no for an answer... keep pushing and insist you get an early scan to rule it out. Or pay for a private scan. I wish I had - it might have saved my tube.

All of that said, an ectopic isn't the end of the world - lots of people still fall pregnant very easily with just one tube. (I fell pregnant again the first month I was cleared to try!)

Good luck - keep shouting and get some reassurance xxx

Thank you so much @SillyBry and I’m so sorry for trauma you experienced with your ectopic. In the past 24hrs I thought the spotting stopped but then it came back. I’ve self requested another blood test and will do that shortly. Depending on the result of that I’ll go back to my doctor. My stomach ache feels like gas pain but I’m still worried. I’m only 4 weeks, 1 day pregnant so I think it might be too early for a scan but I really don’t know. I’m in New Zealand and it is hard to work out what help is available to me and how the system works. Will wait and see a little bit longer. So stressful. I wish I could just know either way. I’m so envious of friends of mine who get pregnant for the first time, assume they will have a baby and go on to have one as expected. I guess once you’ve experienced pregnancy loss, you never get that blissful feeling again.

Hi - I know this post was a while ago but how did you get on? I'm exactly in the same boat and scared about ectopic. I am being seen by the EPU but theyre just repeating hcg blood tests at the moment and im so scared the spotting/light bleeding hasn't stopped