Pregnancy Spotting - The Top 6 Most Common Causes Of This Scary Condition!

The fear that captures your mind when you notice spotting early in your pregnancy is one which is tangible. This is a very common condition that occurs among pregnant women even though this knowledge will not lessen your fear at the moment. Contrary to general opinion, the fact that you are spotting does not conclusively indicate an impending negative pregnancy issue like miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy. Nevertheless, knowing the most common causes of this condition can help allay your fears and give you more control over your actions or reactions. This article will discuss 6 of the most common causes of pregnancy spotting.

1. The most common cause of spotting during early pregnancy is implantation bleeding. Implantation is a term used to refer to the embedding of the embryo into the wall of the uterus. Most often than not this condition causes light spotting to occur. This spotting is referred to as implantation bleeding.

2. Another cause of pregnancy spotting is due to sexual intercourse. This may be a result of an irritated, infected, or sensitive cervix. Now that you are pregnant, your cervix is now engorged with blood and becomes more sensitive than usual. If you engage in vigorous sexual intercourse, the cervix might be bruised by the penis causing it to bleed.

3. While not all spotting indicates that there is an impending issue that is grievous, it may actually be indicative of something unfortunate. This is especially true if this spotting is occurs during the first trimester - which is a term describing the first 12 weeks of your pregnancy. If this is the case, you may actually be experiencing the beginnings of a miscarriage; statistics indicate that about 12% of all pregnancies result in miscarriages. This should not scare you, on the contrary you should notify your health care provider immediately.

4. Pregnancy spotting can also be caused by an infected urinary tract, or an infected pelvic cavity. Once you notice this spotting, you should make an appointment with your doctor for a full checkup so that you can attack this infection early.

5. Another common cause of this condition is referred to as placental abruption. This term refers to the detachment of the placenta from the uterine wall either before labor or during labor.

6. Another unfortunate reason why you may notice pregnancy spotting is if you are experiencing ectopic pregnancy. The fertilized egg (embryo) is supposed to embed or implant itself in the walls of the uterus; that is the ideal situation. If this does not happen, and anything else occurs, that is, if the embryo embeds itself inside of the fallopian tube, then you are said to have an ectopic pregnancy. 60% of pregnancies end up being ectopic in nature.