^
A
A
A

Brown discharge during pregnancy at different periods

 
, medical expert
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
 
Fact-checked
х

All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.

We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.

If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.

Symptoms of brown discharge during pregnancy in recent times are not so rare. And if we consider that in most cases this symptom indicates a more or less serious pathology, it is important not to overlook the trouble and in time to ask for help. Especially if, in addition to secretions, there is a deterioration in the general condition of the future mother.

Poor ecology, constant stress, bad habits, poor nutrition, exacerbated chronic diseases and infections cause a threat of miscarriage or premature birth. In this case, quite often it happens that a woman does not even suspect about the existing health problems and deviations in the child’s development, and the brown discharge becomes the first sign, an alarming bell, which cannot be ignored.

Brown discharge before pregnancy

Not every woman can boast of a regular menstrual cycle, but almost all relatively healthy representatives of the weaker sex have full 3-7 days menstrual bleeding once a month, which is a clear confirmation that a woman is not pregnant. But the absence of red or brown discharge in the allotted time is an alarming factor, especially if the delay is 2 weeks or more.

True, pregnancy can be judged not only by the absence, but also by the presence of  brown secretions, the symptoms of  which in this case are not so clearly expressed in the absence of any signs of indisposition. For example, the secretions have a rather light shade closer to beige or pink, have a smearing character and slightly stain a pad or underwear, without increasing their intensity with time, are limited to a single case. While the monthly usually go for a few days, gradually acquiring a scarlet color, rich color, and daub is usually observed only at the beginning and at the end of menstruation.

In women of reproductive age, brown discharge instead of menstruation is a sign of pregnancy, and the result  of the pregnancy test is  positive in most cases. Unless, of course, this is not about the inflammatory-degenerative process in the female reproductive system, after all, smearing secretions are also characteristic of pathologies such as cervical erosion, fibroids, cyst, cervical dysplasia, etc., which can also flow covertly without pain and discharge.

Confirm or refute the diagnosis of "pregnancy" will help gynecological examination, after which the woman will either be offered to be registered in the antenatal clinic, or will be prescribed treatment of the identified pathologies, if the discharge is not associated with conception.

trusted-source[1]

Brown discharge in early pregnancy

The first trimester of pregnancy is considered the most important and alarming period, because it is at this time that almost all the organs and systems of the future man are laid. And at the same time, most miscarriages occur during the first three months after conception.

Up to 4 months, the embryo is not yet a way to make movements that the expectant mother could feel. It will be later that she will listen to every move to understand how her growing baby feels, what he is doing, whether everything is all right with him. In the meantime, you have to rely only on your well-being (although many do not want to think about him and in connection with early toxicosis of pregnant women) and some external signs in the form of brown discharge symptoms that can report if problems arise.

But brown discharge in the early stages does not always indicate pathology, and in the first trimester is considered a variant of the norm. Whether it is a question of attaching an amniotic egg in the uterus or regular secretions triggered by hormonal changes, if the smear is not accompanied by pain and other suspicious symptoms, there is nothing to worry about.

Consolidation of the amniotic bubble is accompanied by a small one-time bleeding, which usually occurs 2-3 weeks after conception. And with hormonal causes of bleeding, they are regular (on the same days as the monthly ones before pregnancy), but scarce and short (not more than 3 days). In any case, if we are not talking about pathology, there is no significant increase in bleeding. Usually, everything is limited to brown-beige daubs, much less often it comes to rare streaks of blood, which may be somewhat alarming.

The more intense the discharge, the more alert they can be in pregnant women. And it is not by chance, because any discharge from beige or pink to red or almost black color indicates bleeding caused by rupture of blood vessels. And the stronger the bleeding, the greater the loss of blood and the worse the condition of the expectant mother. Not for nothing, even with abundant menstruation, a woman begins to feel weakness, dizziness, fatigue, despite the fact that menstruation in women of childbearing age is considered a normal physiological phenomenon.

One-time brown discharge in the morning and at night during pregnancy can hardly be considered a serious cause for concern at any time. But it’s still worth a visit to the doctor, and he is unlikely to scold the future mother for her caution. After all, no one can say with certainty that this will not happen again a few days or weeks later.

Even insignificant brown discharge in some cases can be evidence of impending misfortune: the threat of miscarriage associated with the detachment of the ovum or the fading of the embryo, ectopic pregnancy, vesicles, various infectious-inflammatory and neoplastic diseases.

It must be said that in this case brown discharge during pregnancy is rarely the only symptom of the pathological process. So, with the threat of miscarriage, there are almost always unpleasant pulling sensations in the lower abdomen, mucus and blood streaks appear in the secretions. Many women complain of sudden nausea, not associated with eating. In some cases, even emetic urges may occur, which somewhat confuses a woman, hinting at possible poisoning. Especially if a woman is not even aware of her delicate position, which happens quite often in the early stages.

Identical symptoms can also be observed during a blistering attack. But with this pathology, headaches, high blood pressure can join the usual symptom complex, and specific tests show an increased level of human chorionic gonadotropin - a hormone produced by the germinal layer of the placenta and signaling about the peculiarities of the course of pregnancy.

When ectopic pregnancy brown discharge becomes more saturated. Dark brown discharge, characteristic of her, should alert the woman, especially if they are accompanied by drawing pains on one side of the abdomen.

trusted-source

Brown discharge on later dates

In the second trimester of pregnancy, the main organs and systems of the embryo are already laid and partially formed. Now begins the period of active development of the body of the baby. His organs begin to work independently and acquire new functions.

This is a relatively quiet period, because the impact of negative factors on the development of a child is not as noticeable as in the first 3 months. Nevertheless, the appearance of strange secretions from the genitals of a pregnant woman in the 2nd trimester is considered the most dangerous, because it almost always speaks of pathology.

Brown discharge during pregnancy in the later periods, in the 2nd and 3rd trimester, and even at the end of pregnancy may have various causes that differ from those that could have occurred in the 1st trimester. There is usually no longer talk about hormonal factors, and the process of attachment of the ovum is far behind.

In the 2 nd trimester, when it is not yet a question of preparing for childbirth, doctors consider the placenta or placenta to appear as causes of the appearance of symptoms of brown discharge during pregnancy. With the detachment of a child's place a large role is played by the degree of its separation from the uterine wall. In case of mild partial detachment, a woman may notice only brown thickening and slightly perceptible abdominal discomfort associated with hypertonia of the uterus.

After placenta detachment, brown discharge usually appears already at the second stage, when their body is clotted. Prior to this, there may be more severe bleeding with the release of red blood, which practically does not happen with a slight detachment. A small hematoma is usually formed at the site of tissue damage, which may increase with time and provoke further tissue detachment.

 Doctors associate the brown discharge in hematoma during pregnancy with the release of congealed and discolored blood, i.e. With the resorption of the resulting bruise. In this case, a daub of light brown color can be considered as a positive symptom indicating tissue regeneration. However, it does not exclude the appearance of repeated tears, bleeding, hematoma formation, etc..

Repetitive bleeding is also characterized by placenta previa, the excretions in which are caused by just the detachment of the tissues of a child’s place. Recurrent bleedings that occur every time a placental tissue tears from the uterus speak of this pathology. Bleeding may be of different color and intensity. A slight detachment and resorption of hematomas are accompanied by brown secretions without other symptoms. If a large portion of the placenta or the entire organ of bleeding is rejected, it will be abundant, and scarlet-colored spots will appear on the pad.

The same heavy bleeding can occur on the eve or during the birth itself, which is why doctors prefer to resort to cesarean section. It must be said that in this case, the child is not harmed by the blood that is pouring out, but by the breakdown of blood circulation caused by the separation of the placenta, as a result of which the baby lacks oxygen and can die in the womb.

Placenta previa and detachment are pathologies that can disturb a woman at any stage of pregnancy. It is just that in the first trimester, the pathology usually has an asymptomatic course and the problems increase as the child grows up to the very birth. But with bleeding and daubs a woman first encounters usually in the second trimester.

At the very end of pregnancy, brown discharge may appear for another reason. Their appearance is associated with the discharge of mucus plug, so such secretions have a mucus-like consistency regardless of whether they appeared on the eve of the birth or a few weeks before the onset of the labor process. Brown discharge during pregnancy before childbirth is a normal physiological discharge, and their color is associated with the preparation of the uterus for childbirth, which does not always occur completely bloodless, but is not accompanied by heavy bleeding.

Brown discharge in multiple pregnancies and twins, despite the high incidence of the symptom in different periods of pregnancy, still continue to bother women. This is especially true of those who are faced with a similar for the first time. Mommies can complain about brown and sometimes quite abundant red discharge at any time. For some, they appear periodically throughout pregnancy.

It is believed that if the discharge is not abundant and is not accompanied by pain in the lower abdomen and lower back, discomfort, worsening condition of the future mother, unpleasant smell or pus discharge, then it is not necessary to worry much. It is necessary to come to terms with this unusual symptom, but do not forget to regularly visit the gynecologist and inform him of all suspicious symptoms.

But the appearance of pulling pain in combination with brown discharge during multiple pregnancies may indicate that only 1 fetus develops normally, while the second has slowed down or stopped in connection with the detachment of the amniotic egg or placenta. In the early period it is not always a reason for abortion, because usually normally developing and growing fetus simply pushes its stranded twin.

Brown discharge during the second pregnancy (as well as subsequent ones) may have the same reasons as in nulliparous. The difference is noted only in the time of the appearance of the symptom on the eve of the birth. During childbirth, the cervix of the uterus is strongly stretched and during subsequent pregnancies, its early opening may occur, with the result that the mucus plug slips out 2 or more weeks before delivery.

The frequency of occurrence of a symptom depends on how the previous pregnancy went. If a woman had an abortion, she was cleaned after a miscarriage, or the doctor had to resort to a cesarean section, the probability of pregnancy complications, accompanied by the appearance of brown and red discharge, increases.

The scar tissue formed after aggressive mechanical impact has a low elasticity and is subject to tearing at any tension. It is not surprising that during subsequent pregnancies, women may occasionally experience small or abundant hemorrhages from damaged vessels that complicate the course of the pregnancy.

You are reporting a typo in the following text:
Simply click the "Send typo report" button to complete the report. You can also include a comment.