Subchronic hematoma - positive stories

[HappyGoLucky31]

Hi all,

I’ve done a thread before about a week ago in relation to early pregnancy bleeding. Am basically in a bit of a state …

Am currently 8 and a half weeks pregnant give or take. Had some bleeding (old brown blood) on and off between weeks 5 and 6 weeks but it stopped about a week ago. Had two early NHS also to confirm pregnancy was still okay and those were fine but they diagnosed a blood clot in uterus on both.

Fast forward ten days later currently on holiday in Tenerife 🙈 and last night experience bright red, vivid gushing from down below. Went to a Spanish hospital who checked my cervix which was closed and went back this morning (after having passed a huge clot and thought it was the end) for a scan and you could see baby with heartbeat but again the clot. They were surprised that my Midwife service let me go on holiday (they knew I was flying out) and also hadn’t prescribed me progesterone, they since have.

I just looked up a horrific statistic that stated if a hematoma is diagnosed early on, before 7 weeks the miscarriage rate is about 19% 😬 whereas a diagnosis after 8 weeks is 3%.

I’ve since stopped bleeding 🤞🏻and have managed to get my chronically constipated and traumatised self to do a poo - thank the lord for lactulose and suppositories because the pressure has been intense.

Also have a weird sensation up my vag when I pee, akin to a urine infection.

sorry for the ramble but please tell me you have a story about a SH with a happy ending. Had a miscarriage before my 3.5 year old DS, feeling so traumatised by the possibility of it again.

also cutting our 10 day holiday down to 5 by coming home tomorrow, sad for my boy who loves it but it’s the right thing.

thanks in advance xx

Had it with my 17 year old twins. Was told that I couldn't do anything about it and to just carry on, no progesterone given.

I was about the same weeks along, no earlier for sure.

All worked out ok but I did bleed brown blood till about 14 weeks.

Also had the red gush and clots passing.

Hope things work out for you x

I had a SCH that resulted in bleeding from 6-9 weeks. I read up frantically at the time and the range of estimates in studies around the consequences of SCHs was huge (I think the range I found was 3% to 50% ending in miscarriage!) but I also didn't think the quality of the studies that found bad outcomes was particularly high (and I have some expertise in research design) so in the end I decided there was insufficient evidence to get stressed about it and anecdotally so many people have had SCHs that resolved and everything was fine. As it was for me - SCH was gone by 12wk scan and kid 1 is now 15 months old. Conversely I had an MMC before kid 1 where right up until I had the surgical management at 9+1 I would have thought everything was perfect, lots of symptoms, no bleeding. So symptoms, even as dramatic as a SCH, don't mean much at the end of the day.

On progesterone, there is some evidence that pessaries reduce risk of miscarriage in women with bleeding who have had a past miscarriage but the big effects don't kick in until 3+ past MCs. So yes you probably should have got it prescribed with the earlier bleeding, but I did have to ask specifically about it, I think awareness of the evidence is still filtering through the various professions. That said, it probably only helps where the mechanism of bleeding is related to progesterone insufficiency? Not sure how that links to SCHs. But it's good you've been prescribed it now.

I had it and had 3 huge bleeds before 9 weeks, nobody mentioned to do anything differently and I wasn't given anything to take.

The rest of my pregnancy was thankfully uneventful and I have a healthy 2 year old.

Mine was seen at a private scan at 7weeks - just a tiny blip and nothing to worry about. By 12 weeks it was 58mm and I had a massive gushing bleed at 13 weeks. Another scan showed it had grown to 66mm. I was just told to rest and take it easy and no sex incase it aggravated it. Another big bleed at 15 weeks but it had started to shrink.
Baby is now 7months ☺️
I hope everything goes ok for you

I had bleeding after bleeding, from 4 weeks to 24. The SCH was bigger than my Dd and positioned above her so the risk of " Dislodging" her was huge.

I've just watched her achieve the half way point in her pilots licence training this weekend and she's away to start driving in 2 months. She's 16. Hope all goes well for you OP

Hi all, thanks so much for your stories and your happy endings. :)

@EddieVeddersfoxymop that must have been truly terrifying at the time but so lovely about DD starting to drive soon, made me emotional. This is such a weird thing to say but I am an English teacher so forgive me - but if you ever get the chance, look up the poem ‘Catrin’ by Gillian Clarke. Something you said about her growing independence reminded me of it and it might resonate with you :)

I am still bleeding lightly on and off today. Just so hard not to be alarmed by the sight of blood but I suppose it is par of the course with a clot.

thank you again guys, will keep you updated :)

Thank you OP for the recommendation- I will investigate! I nearly went to uni to study English but chose a differnt field in the end.

The daily bleeding was so hard to cope with, so I hope you are hanging in there. I had bright red bleeds and then days of endless murky brown before the whole cycle repeated.

Yes, she's driving soon but it's the pilot licence that gets me more emotional really. It takes balls to learn to fly, and to be a girl in what is still a man's world makes it even tougher for her. She was practising failed engine landings in fields at the weekend!

Good luck and check in, fingers crossed for you

I had one from about 6 to 10 weeks. Huge red bleed at 6 weeks that I thought was the end of things! Consultant gave chances of miscarriage 50/50. By 10 weeks it was all clear and he is now my lovely 8 year old!

Edit: I decided to go on bed rest for the first trimester when I found out!

I had a large SH with my eldest, now 8 years old. A couple of big gushing bleeds around 11 weeks and then bleeding for around 6 more weeks. I was also put on progesterone. I am in the UK, I was under a private specialist due to multiple miscarriages and blood clotting illness. The progesterone was to stop (and can prevent) uterine contractions. I was told the bleed was from being on blood thinners when the placenta implanted and some residual blood pooling.

Best of luck OP.

@HappyGoLucky31. This happened to me at 12.5 weeks while I was on holiday. I was convinced it was the end! Came straight home for a scan as I didn't want to be dealing with french bureaucracy and insurance etc. diagnosed an SCH of 3cm the same day. Had a little more bleeding after the initial gushes for a week or so. Clot still there a week later, but 2 weeks after that it was gone, and fingers crossed no problems since. I Googled everything... don't do that! I did find a great podcast episode though that really helped me calm down about it. Will find it out...

https://healthfulwoman.com/podcasts/first-trimester-bleeding-and-subchorionic-hematomas-with-dr-mackenzie-naert/

I had a SCH with my DD, 7th round of fertility treatment. I was sat in a work meeting (wfh) when I felt a massive gush. By the time I raced to the bathroom, it had soaked through underwear and trousers. I was completely convinced I'd lost baby. Called fertility clinic and they couldn't scan me until the next day, so had an anxious overnight wait. Next day in the bathroom at the fertility clinic right before my scan I was passing little clots. Went in for the scan, and there was the heartbeat flickering away (this was at around 6 weeks) with a massive SCH. Had a scan a week later at fertility clinic and everything still ok. Was told there was nothing they could do (was already on progesterone due to fertility treatment) and just to wait and see. I didn't do any more scans until my 12 week NHS dating scan, by which point the SCH had completely resolved. The rest of my pregnancy was straight forward, and have healthy nearly 2 yr old. Currently 29 weeks pregnant and had some bleeding during first trimester again this time, but no SCH seen on scan.

Wishing you the best of luck

I had an SCH with my daughter who is now 6 months.

It started when I was 8 weeks with a huge gush of blood and some cramping so I was convinced I was miscarrying but I was seen at my local EPU a few days later and everything was fine and they couldn’t see anything causing the bleed. I continued bleeding - I would get bouts of bright red gushes and then it would slow down to light pink/brown spotting and then a gush again.

I then had a private scan at 10 weeks and they saw the SCH which was almost the size of the baby but I was told it was fine and not to take any extra precautions (resting,avoiding sex etc.) At the 12 week scan the bleed seen in the previous scan was gone but I had a new one.

I think I continued to bleed until week 14/15 when it stopped completely. 20 week scan was clear and showed no more SCH and the rest of my pregnancy was uneventful.

Sending lots of love to you. I remember how scary it was at the time x

I had a huge SCH with a big clot at 14 weeks and pregnancy was fine, now holding a 2 week old! I also thought it was the end it was a horrific amount of blood and the clot was the size of my palm. Hoping your SCH has now passed and pregnancy all ok🩵

Hi lovely people,

thank you so much for your replies.

im sorry for bumping the thread but i am absolutely fed up on the brown discharge. No more bright red bleeding since my post but just everytime I wipe, discharge (which bits in it and sometimes tissue). Would love to wipe and see nothing.

I am 9 weeks as of yesterday and have my next scan Friday but honestly feel like I can’t wait.

having a sch just adds another layer of uncertainty.

@HappyGoLucky31 I have had brown watery discharge since I found out I'm pregnant so have been pretty much waiting for miscarriage for the last 12 days, yesterday the bleeding turned a dark red/brown and thickened slightly so I thought it was game over, however this morning it's gone back to the previous type! I'm wondering if I could maybe have something similar? Or my body is just really slow at picking up a miscarriage which could be the case as that happened a few years ago. I'm only 5.4weeks so chances of this working out are slim. Do you have another scan soon? X

@HappyGoLucky31 sorry just saw your scan is Friday.. these dates feel forever away don't they

I had had a slight bleed at around 6+3 and scanned, everything fine. Then I bled bright red blood for hours with massive clots the length of my middle finger, was told to collect everything that came out (had pad in knickers) ended up in EPU again, this time I was 7+3.

The consultant gynaecologist I saw (middle of night as couldn't stop bleeding) said the clots were all blood and nothing else. I was scanned 2 days later and Ds2 was still in there but my SCH was described as large due to the size. I was put on complete bed rest at home, no walking, no sex, no orgasms, no lifting my toddler onto the bed etc just due to the size of the SCH that had formed over 2 days and the amount of blood I lost.

Ds2 is now a strapping 18 year old but I will never forget the fear. If you can, rest as much as possible. I had a normal pregnancy after the 20 week scan showed everything was okay and carried to term.

Hi lovely,

I’m sorry to hear about your bleeding. It’s the most stressful thing. The only thing I would say is it could be delayed implantation bleeding seeing as you have had it for nearly two weeks and are only 5 weeks OR it could definitely be a hematoma. It could also be the other thing you said but usually that is accompanied by cramps and all you have had is bleeding so I think there is definitely hope ❤️❤️

please contact the EPU, you have a right to their care and to know what is going on. They might not be able to scan you right away - maybe in a few days or so but it gives you something to work towards. My EPU have always spoken to me at least - on the phone or email if I can’t be seen on the day.

Let me know how you get on :)

Thanks so much lovely, love to hear all the positive stories :)

when I was told there was a clot there - I was about 5 weeks too, they didn’t give any instructions about bed rest, no heavy lifting and now I feel like a fool because I have had intercourse in the last month (although not since the heavy bleed of course) and am constantly picking my lump of a 3 year old off the floor 🙈🙈 I definitely would have been more careful.

Friday can’t come soon enough. Hopefully the sch is on its way out

When I was 6 weeks I woke up from really bad cramping and had a gush of red blood, EPU done a scan and pregnancy was in the right place and had a heartbeat but they could see the bleed on the scan. I was told my body would reabsorb the bleed or I would bleed again, if I do I can come back. didnt bleed again & went for a private scan about 3 weeks later and the SCH was gone & all has been well so far i’m 13 weeks. EPU didn’t seem concerned nor give me any instructions like bed rest, it’s only when I googled it that I started to panic.

BUT I searched like crazy on here and there were a lot of positive stories, so stay positive! Brown blood is supposed to be old blood so that could just be the bleed finishing up? Hang in there and best of luck with your scan xx

Hiya
I had one with my 10 year old was around 6/7 weeks pregnant. Passed a massive clot size of my hand all was ok. I'm now currently 6 weeks and have one now, passed clot Thursday night and bright red blood. Some of it is still there which hoping my body will just absorb x

Thank you for this thread,it's giving me reassurance, looking ahead to my next scan on Thurs 8weeks+1 and praying my large hematoma has shrunk or magically gone away

The bleeding is so concerning,I had a small bleed just before 6 weeks and a gushing huge bleed at 7+1 followed by 5 hours of agonising cramps, could not see any other outcome other than the worst, epu the next day said to prepare myself for the scan as everything I described sounded like miscarriage but baby was still there fighting away with a great heartbeat

I've been low level bleeding mainly on wiping since then but it's dark and I'm taking that as a good sign, im worried but trying to take it a day at a time, fingers crossed for my next scan on Thursday

When is your next scan? Let us know if it's resolved itself! I'm hoping it had for you x

Hope the scan went well OP

I had one that bled at 6-7 weeks - they're more common in ivf. Currently they're demanding porridge on the warmest day of the year.
Wishing you lots of luck x