Peri-Gestational Bleeding: Causes, Symptoms & What to Expect

Question
I am 7 weeks pregnant, and just wasn't feeling right. I went to the E.R and was told that I had a peri gestational bleed. What exactly is this cause I haven't seen any blood as of yet? I've had 5 misscarriages could this mean that I'm going to have another one expecially when the baby's heart rate was at 102? Please help me the E.R doctor didn't know what to tell me.

Answer
Dear Kimberly,

Another name for a perigestational bleed is a subchorionic hematoma. A subchorionic hematoma is simply a collection of blood within the layers of the developing placenta or between the placenta and the uterine wall. A subchorionic hematoma is a common reason for 1st trimester bleeding. Vaginal bleeding affects 25% of all women during the first half of pregnancy and is a common reason for 1st trimester ultrasounds. The incidence of subchorionic hemorrhage is 1.3% of all pregnancies. In pregnant patients with 1st trimester vaginal bleeding, the incidence increases to almost 20%.

You may have simply caught your hematoma before there was actually any vaginal bleeding because you "weren't feeling well" and went in to the ER and they happened to see it on ultrasound. In the presence of a live embryo, subchorionic hematoma is the most common sonographic abnormality. In women whose ultrasound shows a subchorionic hematoma, the outcome of the fetus depends on the size of the hematoma, the mother's age, and the fetus' gestational age. Rates of miscarriage increase with advancing maternal age and increasing size of the hematoma.

The subchorionic hematoma often regresses and is reabsorbed by the body, especially if it is small or moderate in size. Large hematomas, which strip at least 30-40% of placenta away from endometrium, may enlarge further, compressing the gestational sac and lead to further complications. You will really need to wait and let your OB doctor see the ultrasound report for an accurate evaluation. But for now, there is no use in worrying yourself further about it. The stress is not good for the pregnancy either. Just try to take it easy (physically) and relax as much as you can until you are able to see your OB about this.

I hope this information has helped you and answered your question. I wish you well.

Brenda