4 days of on/off bleeding at 5 weeks, scan tomorrow. Anyone had this?

[Annie1222]

Hi all,
I’m hoping for some experiences (good or bad) because I’m honestly emotionally exhausted.

I found out on Tuesday that I’m pregnant (completely unexpected, I’m nearly 39). Since Wednesday I’ve had four days of on/off bleeding and mild cramping. The bleeding has been:

• mostly brown
• sometimes pink
• sometimes red when I wipe
• hardly anything on a pad
• seems to come when I’m up/moving and calm down when I rest
• dripped into the bowl once today but it was pinky red.

It’s never been heavy enough to soak a pad or need changing, it’s just on wiping.

The cramps have been mild and come/go. No severe pain.

I’ve got a scan tomorrow morning at the Early Pregnancy Unit (I’ll be around 5 weeks), but I’m struggling not knowing what’s happening.
Has anyone had:

• bleeding like this and everything been okay?
• or had similar and it sadly was a miscarriage?
• what did your EPU see at your 5-week scan?

I’m just desperate for some real-life experiences while I wait.
Thank you in advance xx

I have had bleeding like this for an ectopic pregnancy, a miscarriage and a (hopefully!) successful pregnancy (currently 32w). I think with hindsight it was cervical irritation as usually happened after I’d been exercising or after I’d opened my bowels.

I did find a paper of several hundred women with bleeding in early pregnancy which basically said if the bleeding is light without pain you essentially have the same risk of miscarriage as any pregnancy (lots of the studies are skewed by the people who have bleeding heavy enough to visit A&E but I ignored studies that weren’t reassuring 😂)

Wishing you the best of luck with your scan 🤞🙏

Firstly congratulations and thank you so much for replying, this was really helpful to read.
I’ve had four days of this strange stop/start bleeding and it’s been driving me mad with worry. Mine has also been worse after moving around, being on my feet or after going to the toilet, so the cervical irritation idea is actually reassuring.

I’ve had no heavy bleeding or strong pain, just mild cramps that come and go.

Your comment really helped calm me a bit. I’ve got my scan first thing in the morning, so fingers crossed. Thank you again for sharing your experience ❤️

I had similar in my last pregnancy. Sub chorionic hematoma. I bled on and off and it finally stopped after the first trimester. Baby was fine and is now 4.5 years old. Best of luck.

Thank you so much for sharing this.
The stop–start bleeding has been throwing me because it isn’t heavy or painful, just on wiping and sometimes brown, sometimes red.
Hearing your SCH experience really helps me understand how unpredictable early bleeding can be. Fingers crossed all is ok. 🤞❤️

Exactly like the first poster, I’ve had an ectopic, a mmc and a (currently) healthy 9 week pregnancy as of two days ago. Bled in all three, have bled the most with my current pregnancy, have had a bleeding ovary, a sub chorionic hematoma and probably cervix too as I’m on cyclogest. I’m now not worried too much every time I bleed as it fits a pattern. Once I’d bled over several days without it escalating my fear of active miscarriage reduced. In my actual mc, it escalated into an unmistakable mc. In ectopic it was really really light.

@aLogLady Thank you so much for sharing all of that, it really helps to hear how different bleeding can be in each pregnancy.
It’s reassuring to hear that your miscarriage felt unmistakable, because mine hasn’t behaved like that. I’ve been stuck in limbo for days so your comment really helped calm my mind a bit. ♥️