Consequences and complications of brown discharge in pregnancy

Usually, the symptoms of brown discharge during pregnancy do not go unnoticed by women, even if it is beige spotting without any other suspicious manifestations. Pregnant women are mostly very worried about the baby in their womb, so it seems to them that such a symptom can harm the fetus. They can be understood, because the brown color of the discharge is given by blood, and menstruation and any other bleeding from the vagina during pregnancy are considered something unusual for this period.

Bleeding is always associated with damage to blood vessels, i.e. with trauma to delicate tissues permeated with a network of vessels. Such injuries are not uncommon when the amniotic sac is attached to the uterine wall or before/during labor, which is associated with changes in the endometrium and pressure on the uterine muscles. All other injuries are not considered normal, and their consequences can be most unfavorable.

The expression " threat of miscarriage " itself indicates that a woman can lose her child if she does not pay attention to the warning symptoms. But often, rest, taking hormonal medications (progesterone preparations) or installing a pessary are enough to save the child from being born early, when he is not yet capable of life outside the mother's belly.

In case of an ectopic pregnancy, which can also be signaled by brown discharge, there is a threat to the woman herself. There is no longer any talk of saving the fetus. But such an abnormal pregnancy not in the uterus, but in the fallopian tube, as the child grows, can quickly result in a rupture of this very tube and severe bleeding. Bleeding is life-threatening for a woman and becomes a fairly common cause of death for expectant mothers, and a rupture of the fallopian tube, which cannot be reconstructed, can become a problem if the woman wants to give birth to another child (there is a risk of problems with conception).

The signal that the child has stopped developing in the womb is very important for a woman, because it is not always accompanied by a miscarriage or premature birth. Sometimes the dead fetus, together with the detached placenta, remains in the uterus, where it rots, and harmful toxic products enter the mother's blood, poisoning her body and worsening her health. A purulent process can begin in the uterus, which in severe cases requires removal of the organ.

In most cases, a hydatidiform mole also requires surgical termination of pregnancy. An exception is multiple pregnancy with a partial hydatidiform mole. But even in this case, the pregnant woman will be under constant medical supervision until the very birth. The fact is that sometimes the "clusters" grow into the wall of the uterus, causing a violation of its properties and tumor processes.

Everything we wrote above is more typical for early pregnancy, when both normal and pathological discharge can appear with equal probability. In order to understand how dangerous brown discharge is during pregnancy, you need to pay attention to how long it lasts. Single discharge lasting no more than 2-3 days is considered normal, even if it is repeated throughout the first pregnancy once a month. But discharge lasting more than 5-7 days should definitely alert a woman, and it does not matter whether other symptoms have appeared or not.

In the second trimester of pregnancy, any colored discharge not associated with taking medications can be considered pathological and the sooner the diagnosis is made, the better for the expectant mother and her child. In case of placental abruption and placenta previa, the symptoms of brown discharge during pregnancy allow you to suspect pathology in time and, if possible, prevent complications. Usually, detachment occurs gradually. But the greater the tissue rupture, the more it affects the child's condition, because due to impaired blood circulation, the baby does not receive enough nutrients and oxygen necessary for its vital functions.

If you take all measures and stop placental abruption, you can gain time and extend the pregnancy until the baby is ready for "independent" life. If the pregnancy is more than 32 weeks, stimulation of the labor process is required, because in this case the child has a better chance of surviving and being born healthy than remaining in the womb and being exposed to hypoxia.

By ignoring the symptoms of placental abruption, a woman risks losing the baby and dying herself if severe bleeding occurs. The same can be said about presentation, which affects the technique of pregnancy management and the choice of delivery methods. For example, doctors prefer to deliver such patients by cesarean section, which prevents complications such as heavy bleeding and uterine rupture. And before the birth, the expectant mother will have to take good care of herself: rest more, lie with a raised pelvis, avoid constipation and heavy work, try not to be nervous, etc.

Brown discharge combined with increased uterine tone is considered harmless only on the eve of childbirth, since it is they that signal the imminent onset of a joyful event. In other periods of pregnancy, they should be treated as a symptom of disorders fraught with the loss of the child, and therefore requiring urgent intervention by specialists.

It is important to understand that often hushing up the problem leads to complications that in the future become an obstacle to conception and birth of the next child. A successful resolution of an ectopic pregnancy and hydatidiform mole leaves a woman with a chance to become a mother in the future, although she will have to wait at least six months for the body to recover. But a ruptured fallopian tube and inflammation of the inner lining of the uterus can become a serious obstacle to conception.

Is brown discharge dangerous during pregnancy?

Even experienced doctors cannot give a clear answer to this question, because there are several reasons for the appearance of such a symptom, and among them there are both physiological and pathological. Doctors are especially meticulous and attentive when caring for pregnant women, because they understand their responsibility for the life of not just one, but two (and in case of multiple pregnancies, three, four or more) people.

It is clear that in such conditions they prefer that a young mother seeks advice even about the most harmless symptoms, rather than keep quiet about serious problems. It is unlikely that an obstetrician-gynecologist will condemn a mother who pays attention to brown discharge, even if it is not associated with a disease. After all, the cause of the symptom can only be understood after examining the patient. So, in order to avoid dangerous consequences and complications, it is better to play it safe and clarify the cause of brown discharge than to torment yourself with worries and concerns and only complicate your situation.

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