Does bleeding in pregnancy mean that miscarriage is inevitable?

Many women experience bleeding in early pregnancy but then proceed to have a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby. Some women may have intermittent bleeding throughout the pregnancy and still have a healthy baby. Any bleeding in pregnancy should be investigated and this is usually by ultrasound scan to determine if the pregnancy is viable (going to continue) and to identify if there is any indication of where the bleeding is coming from. In very early pregnancy it may be difficult to determine if the pregnancy is viable and a blood test to measure the levels of hCG may be offered too.1 This is mainly done to rule out the possibility of ectopic pregnancy. Traditionally women have been advised to rest although there is no evidence that this makes any difference to the eventual outcome and it may be that you want to continue as usual, the choice is yours. Unfortunately for you this is just a time for waiting; timing of further scans is usually determined by the findings of the initial scan and the symptoms you are experiencing.

¹ The investigation and treatment of couples with recurrent miscarriage: Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists: Clinical Green Top Guidelines no.17, May 2003