Brown discharge during pregnancy in the early and late stages (33 photos): without pain, causes of light and dark brown discharge, brown and spotting brownish, in the late stages

For many expectant mothers, experiencing brown discharge during pregnancy can be concerning. It’s critical to realize that this symptom is common and can arise at any point during pregnancy for a variety of reasons. Vaginal discharge can vary in consistency and color, with brown discharge frequently signifying the expulsion of old blood from the body.

Brown discharge is a common symptom of harmless bodily changes that can occur at various stages of pregnancy. But, it’s crucial to keep a careful eye on this symptom and get medical help if it’s accompanied by other symptoms or if you have any concerns. Knowing what could be causing the discharge can help reduce anxiety and guarantee the health of both you and your infant.

Contents

Features
Norm
Threat of miscarriage
Hormonal insufficiency
Ectopic pregnancy
Placenta previa or its detachment
Other gynecological problems
After IVF
What to do?
Useful tips
Video on the topic
Why are brown discharge during pregnancy dangerous?
1329 Brown discharge during pregnancy
Why is there brown discharge during pregnancy?
Spotting discharge at 5 weeks of pregnancy with a saddle-shaped uterus. Is this normal or pathological?

Features

It is important to not undervalue discharge. The cervix’s epithelial cells secrete vaginal fluid. They can reveal a great deal about the health of the expectant mother and fetus at various points during the pregnancy. During the first 8 to 9 weeks of pregnancy and right after conception, a woman’s discharge is typically quite minimal or nonexistent. This is the result of progesterone, which is responsible for the body’s primary long-term gestational preparation.

Vaginal secretion increases starting in the tenth week of pregnancy and becomes thin and abundant by the end. This is how vaginal secretion is influenced by the hormone estrogen. The goal of the female genital tract’s secretory function is to preserve a balanced, healthy microbiota. After the uterine cavity exits, the baby will be born via the sexual pathways first. Their health affects the baby’s health.

Pregnancy-related normal discharge is described in the medical literature as being light, odorless, or having a faint sour-milk smell. Other alternatives to the norm are also taken into consideration, but only in specific situations and at specific intervals. Brown discharge is not unique. They may be a normal variation of vaginal secretion or they may signal potentially dangerous complications. The discharge has a brown tint due to red blood cells. This indicates that one kind of blood discharge is brown discharge.

Norm

Early on, when a fertilized egg is being inserted into the uterus, a small amount of blood in the discharge may be normal. We refer to this phenomenon as "implantation bleeding." It happens when the endometrium’s integrity is compromised by blastocyst attachment. A variation of this type of spontaneous bleeding could be light brown discharge in small amounts, about 8–9 days after the anticipated conception (or, for computational convenience, after ovulation). On a daily basis, brownish smearing discharge on a pad or underwear is not chronic. Usually, it disappears after a day or two. This kind of phenomenon is not concerning.

In addition, such an early sign of pregnancy does not appear in every woman. You should know that the appearance of dark brown discharge with clots before a delay can hardly be considered a sign of implantation. Rather, we are talking about a hormonal imbalance, in which menstruation began ahead of schedule. During the first 2-3 months of pregnancy, yellow-brown moderate or scanty discharge can be a consequence of global hormonal changes. Progesterone raging in the body of the future mother usually gives the vaginal secret a yellowish tint, brown “notes” in it can manifest due to a high or low level of progesterone, due to the vulnerability of the reproductive tract due to the looseness under the influence of hormones. Normally, such discharge appears without pain, it does not contain inclusions and impurities, streaks of blood, does not bother the woman. Usually, they stop after the body of the expectant mother has fully adapted to the new situation and circumstances.

Later on, a woman may notice the appearance of streaks of brown discharge, one or two weeks ahead of the anticipated delivery date. Usually, they are followed by a rather striking mucous clot or the small-scale release of mucus. In this instance, we are referring to the mucous plug discharging, which closed the cervical canal during pregnancy and kept anything foreign and hazardous from entering the uterus, the growing baby’s home.

The plug’s discharge signals the start of labor. Additionally, it doesn’t require care.

A typical variation is also a small brown discharge following sex or a medical examination. Their cause is the heightened susceptibility of a pregnant woman’s genital tract. Progesterone causes them to loosen up and become more susceptible to even small mechanical impacts. Typically, this discharge lasts no longer than a day and is not accompanied by any uncomfortable feelings or extra symptoms. They do not grow, do not contain clots, and their quantity varies in a descending order. These three factors together allow brown discharge to be regarded as typical. Unfortunately, everything else is purely pathological.

Threat of miscarriage

Early on, miscarriage is frequently threatened in conjunction with brown discharge. It is easy to identify a potentially dangerous condition when a woman observes a general decline in health in addition to a change in the color of her vaginal discharge. There may be severe episodes of vertigo, and lower back and abdomen pain is nearly always experienced.

The pain syndrome can manifest as a sharp, stabbing pain or as a leaky, aching pain. But "pain and brown discharge" should warn the expectant mother and compel her to see a professional physician as soon as possible.

Because of the ovum’s detachment, blood appears in the discharge. Between the fetus’s membranes and the uterine wall, a blood-filled gap develops. When there is a small retrochorial hematoma, the discharge is usually pink-brown and not very abundant. When there is a significant detachment, the discharge is red-brown, abundant, and contains clots. Threats can arise for a variety of reasons. These include uterine structural abnormalities, fetal genetic diseases that are incompatible with the developing embryo’s ability to grow, infectious and inflammatory diseases of the genital tract and reproductive organs, insufficient hormone production, unhealthy habits, extreme stress, and excessive physical activity.

The developing miscarriage is characterized by increased discharge over time, the appearance of cramped lower back pains and in the cervix area, as well as pulling pains with an “echo” in the area of the anus. Brown spotting turns into a more saturated color, the consistency becomes thinner until liquid scarlet blood with blood clots begins to flow out. Such a metamorphosis usually indicates that a miscarriage has already occurred, and fragments of the fetal membranes and the embryo come out along with the vaginal discharge. What this really is and at what stage the threat of miscarriage can only be understood by a doctor. Therefore, if the characteristic symptoms described above appear, it is imperative to call an ambulance. In 95% of cases, pregnancy can be saved with timely treatment.

Hormonal insufficiency

Hormones "control" the flow of menstrual blood each month. Menstruation starts when progesterone steadily declines in the second half of the cycle and estrogen concentration rises. Pregnancy-related menstrual-like discharge is not a typical occurrence. This typically occurs in the initial months following conception as a result of low progesterone.

Of course, there are rare situations in which menstrual bleeding during pregnancy can be considered normal. This happens if a woman has produced two eggs instead of one in the current cycle, and ovulation occurred twice with a difference of several days. In this case, the first egg was not fertilized, it died and descended into the uterus, and the second was fertilized and went to the uterus for implantation. Bloody discharge will come on the day of the expected menstruation, but such periods will differ significantly. First of all, there will be little discharge. After a few days, scanty and incomprehensible periods will stop and will not recur for the next 9 months. People used to say about this phenomenon that “the fetus is washed”, but in practice this does not happen often.

The discharge from a hormone imbalance or insufficiency in the body looks like little pale brown blotches on linen or a thin, daily sanitary gasket. They might get a little stronger or go away entirely before coming back.

It is imperative that a woman visits a physician to undergo a hormone test and start hormonal maintenance treatment. These medications will restore the proper balance of hormones in the body and ensure safe childbearing.

Ectopic pregnancy

If the fertilized egg, for a number of reasons, cannot enter the uterine cavity and implant where it should, it can attach itself in the fallopian tube or move lower and attach itself in the cervix. This is possible if a woman has difficulty with the passage of the egg through the tubes due to the narrowed lumen of the tube. The cause may be inflammatory diseases of the tubes, appendages, ovaries, as well as endometriosis, the presence of tumors in the uterine cavity, in the fallopian tubes. If the transfer of the zygote, and subsequently the blastocyst, is disrupted, then the development of the embryo outside the uterine cavity is possible. An ectopic pregnancy may not make itself known until a certain period. There will be a delay, the tests will show a second strip (slightly paler than with a uterine pregnancy, but this is not a mandatory sign). And only when the embryo becomes quite large, the pathology can manifest itself.

If the fertilized egg is attached somewhere that nature did not intend for it to be, it will inevitably be rejected. In the best scenario, this process will start before the fertilized egg-attached organ sustains significant damage. Rejection is accompanied by intense abdominal cutting pain and a lot of brown discharge that soon turns bright red. In the worst scenario, a woman may die from a fallopian tube rupture that causes significant bleeding into the abdominal cavity. Ultrasonography can accurately pinpoint the precise location of the fertilized egg’s attachment as early as week five or six of pregnancy.

Women who have a history of ectopic pregnancies, as well as miscarriages, inflammatory gynecological diseases, surgeries on the reproductive organs that may have left scars and adhesions, should visit a doctor as soon as possible with a positive pregnancy test and have an ultrasound to rule out abnormal attachment of the fetus. With an ectopic pregnancy, there is no other option than removing the ovum. With rarer and more dangerous types of such pregnancy – cervical and isthmic pregnancy, it is usually not possible to save the uterus. With a tubal ectopic pregnancy, if there is no rupture, it is most often possible to save the tubes, and the woman will subsequently be able to become pregnant and give birth to a child.

Placenta previa or its detachment

Brown spots or discharge of all shades of brown may indicate placental abruption in women whose placentas (or chorion, their predecessors) are located low. The severe brown discharge associated with both complete and incomplete placenta previa is the most dangerous. The "baby’s place," which is at the base of the uterus and totally blocks the opening to the cervical canal, is where complete placenta previa is found. About two thirds or less of the cervical canal’s entrance is closed when placenta previa is incomplete. A woman with such a pregnancy pathology may experience severe bleeding from any adverse effect, including everyday stress.

Any type of chorion (placenta) previa prohibits jumping, shaking during transport, bending forward, sex, abrupt movements, and physical activity. Some women continue to have sporadic bleeding until giving birth.

A woman needs to exercise extreme caution if a diagnosis, such as low placentation, has already been made and verified by ultrasound data. The woman still runs the risk of having her placenta detach even if there is no such diagnosis and it is located normally. This can occur from a fall, particularly if you have an abdominal injury, have experienced a sharp spike in hormones, have experienced severe emotional shock, have lifted heavy objects, or are taking certain medications that are not advised on pregnant women.

During detachment, vaginal discharge is typically fairly heavy, though pain is not always experienced. The discharge’s shade can be used to estimate how long the issue has been there. Always bright and scarlet is fresh blood that has just separated and come out. The blood will have brown hues of differing intensities if, following detachment, it has remained in the area between the "baby’s place" and the uterine wall for some time.

What to do?

Never should a pregnant woman self-diagnose if brown discharge appears. The information above is not meant to be a manual for diagnosing oneself; rather, it is merely reference material for self-education. For this kind of vaginal discharge, there are many pathological possibilities but few physiological norms. A woman should see a doctor right away for this reason alone. The exact cause of the blood impurities in the genital tract secretion can be determined with the use of ultrasound scanning, vaginal smears, blood, and urine tests.

If the discharge is scanty and not accompanied by pain, you should contact a doctor at a women"s consultation at your place of residence. If the brown discharge is abundant, with clots, pain syndrome, then you should go to bed, exclude standing or walking and wait for an ambulance team to be called immediately. You need to tell the visiting doctors the pregnancy period (from the first day of your last period), describe all the symptoms in detail, including even the most, in your opinion, insignificant ones, and also tell about all previous pregnancies and their outcome. All this information will help doctors quickly assume the cause of the bleeding and take you to a gynecological hospital or emergency department of a maternity hospital with the most accurate formulation of the problem. Every minute can be crucial, it is necessary to help doctors understand you correctly.

If brown discharge is repeated episodically, you should tell the observing obstetrician-gynecologist about it so that he can give the most complete and accurate recommendations regarding the lifestyle of the expectant mother, daily routine, work and rest, the possibility of having sex, and also prescribe the necessary supportive treatment depending on the cause. If there is a threat of miscarriage due to low placentation, antispasmodic drugs are prescribed that relax the muscles of the uterus, preventing its tone, as well as vitamins, drugs to improve uteroplacental blood flow and mild herbal sedatives. If placental abruption occurs after inpatient treatment, a woman may be prescribed hemostatic drugs. In case of hormonal problems, lack of progesterone, certain dosages of hormonal drugs are recommended, which completely compensate for the deficiency in the body.

Useful tips

it is worth monitoring the nature of the discharge daily throughout the pregnancy;
it is necessary to use only thin sanitary pads, tampons cannot be used during pregnancy;
it is necessary to take a responsible approach to issues of intimate hygiene in order to prevent inflammatory processes due to its violation;
it is not necessary to change sexual partners during pregnancy;

It is imperative to adhere to all of the doctor’s advice regarding medication administration and lifestyle changes.

it is necessary to take good care of your reproductive health, avoid too harsh and rough sex, injury to the genital tract and cervix;
it is necessary to regularly visit the antenatal clinic and undergo all the required examinations and tests;
You should quit smoking, do not drink alcohol or use drugs during pregnancy;
avoid stress, conflicts, do not lift weights and limit physical activity that can provoke the threat of termination of pregnancy.

Possible Causes	What to Do
Implantation Bleeding	Usually harmless, but consult a doctor for reassurance
Cervical Irritation	Can occur after a physical exam or intercourse; check with a healthcare provider
Infection	Could be a sign of an infection; seek medical advice
Miscarriage	In rare cases, it could signal a miscarriage; contact your doctor immediately
Ectopic Pregnancy	A serious condition requiring urgent medical attention

While brown discharge during pregnancy can raise concerns, it’s not always a cause for alarm. Many women have some discharge or brown spots while their bodies adjust to the changes brought on by pregnancy. Implantation bleeding, which is frequently slight and innocuous, may be the cause of this.

But it’s important to be aware of any additional symptoms you might be experiencing. Make sure everything is going according to plan by getting in touch with your healthcare provider if the discharge is accompanied by cramps, pain, or severe bleeding.

Always feel free to discuss any worries you may have with your doctor. Throughout your pregnancy, they can guarantee your health and the health of your unborn child by offering reassurance or conducting additional research if necessary.

Although it frequently has benign causes, brown discharge during pregnancy can be a worrying symptom for expectant mothers. It usually happens as a result of the cervix and vaginal walls changing naturally as the body gets used to being pregnant. Nonetheless, it’s imperative to keep an eye on the quantity, hue, and length of the discharge and speak with a medical professional to rule out any possible problems, like infections or complications. The health of the mother and the unborn child can be protected by being aware of the situation and promptly seeking medical advice.