Brown discharge during pregnancy
Causes of brown discharge during pregnancy
There are several reasons for brown discharge during pregnancy, but only one of them is absolutely harmless and is not considered a deviation from the norm. In the early stages of pregnancy, a woman may notice faint, spotting discharge that appears due to the attachment of a zygote, a fertilized egg, to the wall of the uterus.
In the case of the appearance of light brown discharge during pregnancy, which is not accompanied by pain or other unpleasant sensations, you can count on the absence of pathology, but confirming this fact with the gynecologist will be quite out of place.
Any other discharge that has brown shades at any time during pregnancy is an indication for examination by a gynecologist. The presence of a brown tint in the discharge indicates that they contain blood, which should not be during pregnancy.
Discharges of a brownish or bloody color may have an admixture of other shades that characterize various pathologies.
Shades and their meaning
- Light brown discharge during pregnancy is the most dangerous. Such discharge may appear when there is a risk of miscarriage, a dead or ectopic pregnancy, and cervical erosion.
- Dark brown discharge during pregnancy may be the norm, but only in the early stages, at another time, regardless of their abundance and consistency, they can indicate erosion of the cervix, detachment of the placenta, fading of pregnancy
- Yellow-brown discharge during pregnancy, as a rule, report the presence of some kind of sexually transmitted disease
- Brown-red discharge during pregnancy most often appears in the presence of infectious diseases of the genital organs of women and trauma to these organs or the fetus.
Mucous brown discharge during pregnancy, as a rule, indicates a lack of the hormone progesterone in the body of a woman. This hormone promotes the attachment and development of the fetus to the wall of the uterus and maintains the mucous balance in it.
With a lack of progesterone, pregnancy pathologies can be observed, accompanied by brown mucous discharge.
Symptoms and effects of brown discharge during pregnancy
Brown discharge can appear during pregnancy without harming the fetus and its mother. This is possible during the movement of the egg and small hormonal disruptions in the woman’s body.
Mucous brown discharge during pregnancy, accompanied by pain in the lower abdomen, nausea or vomiting, can lead to fetal pathology or spontaneous abortion.
Yellow-brown discharge during pregnancy can lead to the fact that the child is born with an infectious disease or fetal abnormalities on the background of the disease. Discharge with red blotches, indicating ectopic pregnancy, can lead to various consequences, up to death.
What to do in case of brown discharge during pregnancy
If any dark brown discharge occurs during pregnancy, the woman should not be inactive. First of all, it is necessary to call an ambulance team, especially if there are any signs of a pregnancy pathology, for example, pain in the abdomen.
Doctors should be awaited in a horizontal position, that is, comfortably sitting in their bed. Before lying down, you should wash yourself and place a gasket or diaper.
It’s better to lie down without underwear, because, firstly, a pregnant woman can become worse and she will not be able to free herself from the underwear for examination, and secondly, an elastic band on her underwear can tighten her stomach, which is extremely undesirable during pregnancy in general, and with its pathologies especially. If the woman’s condition is serious, then it is necessary to invite someone who can wait with her for ambulance with her, hand over the documents to the doctors and describe the current situation.
If the discharge is scarce and there are no more unpleasant symptoms, then the pregnant woman herself can go to the gynecologist’s appointment, but always accompanied by a competent person. A woman needs a guide because the discharge may increase, and her health worsen.
Diagnosis of brown discharge during pregnancy
The appearance of brown discharge during pregnancy, as a rule, indicates any disorders and diseases in the body, which means that this disease must be identified and cured. Diagnosis is complex according to the recommendation of a gynecologist engaged in pregnancy management.
- A smear is taken to study the vaginal microflora, to identify its disease
- Blood and urine undergo laboratory tests to determine the presence of viruses in them, the level of hormones and the detection of various diseases
- Ultrasound – an ultrasound is almost always prescribed when red-brown discharge appears during pregnancy.Necessary for the study of the internal organs of the mother and fetus for pathology
- External examination allows you to detect damage or abnormal behavior, for example, the opening of the uterus, genitals of a woman
- Colposcopy is necessary for a more thorough examination of a woman’s organs.