This is a list of ailments and conditions that may affect you or your family at certain stages of life. Here you will find information such as the symptoms, and the best way to relieve the situation until a medical professional has been called.
Always take vaginal bleeding in pregnancy seriously, even if you are not in pain. Spotting or staining in early pregnancy is quite common and may be mistaken for a period.
Contact your doctor, midwife, or the hospital labour ward immediately, if you have severe pelvic pain or vaginal bleeding in late pregnancy. This may be the start of antepartum haemorrhage (heavy bleeding before birth), and may happen because the placenta is separating from the wall of the womb. Occasionally, bleeding occurs internally, and severe pain is the only symptom.
If you are bleeding:
Contact your doctor or the labour ward if you are alone. Otherwise ask someone to make the call for you
If you are at home, go to bed and keep warm and quiet
If you are away from home, find somewhere to rest until help comes
Keep bloodstained clothes and don’t flush away blood clots until the doctor or midwife has seen you
Don’t have anything to eat or drink unless your doctor agrees – you may need a general anaesthetic for surgery
About one pregnancy in five miscarries, usually during the first three months. However, it is possible to bleed quite heavily and not miscarry. This ‘threatened’ miscarriage won’t harm the baby.
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