VAGINAL BLEEDING IN EARLY PREGNANCY

Abstract

Bleeding is a common complication of pregnancy, with 10-15% of women reporting some bleeding during the first sixteen weeks of pregnancy (Ananth and Savitz 1994). In general, bleeding is considered arisk factor for adverse fetal outcomes, including spontaneous abortion, preterm birth and low birth weight (Batzorn et al. 1984). However, recall bias may explain some of these findings. In addition, Moreover, the timing of bleeding is difficult to determine retrospectively, and studies sometimes group all bleeding during one trimester or half trimester of pregnancy (Ananth and Savitz 1994; Everett, 1997).