Understanding Heavy Bleeding: Causes, Symptoms, and When to Seek Medical Help

Question
Hi...I am 31 years old with a 2-year old daughter.  The first day of my LMP was April 3rd.  I have had 33-day cycles for the last few months.  My waking temperatures have stayed above 97.7 (high for me) for the last 15 days.  I took a pregnancy test Saturday evening, 5/6 and Sunday morning, 5/7, and both were VERY positive.  However, last night before bed, when I wiped after urinating, there was a little bit of brownish fluid on the tissue.  During the night last night when I went to the bathroom, there was a little bit of brown spotting on my panties.  As today has gone by, the blood has become more bright red and more in quantity.  I don't have any cramping, but my lower back is a little sore.  I exercise pretty regularly, so I'm not sure if the lower back pain is from that or not.  My question is:  what is considered "heavy bleeding"?  I'm reading that I should be concerned about "heavy bleeding".  I'm going in for a urine lab test tomorrow at Kaiser Permanente, but the wondering is driving me crazy!  :)  Can you help me out?  Oh...and I had a few dizzy spells last week.  Is that a side effect of pregnancy?  I've never heard about that before if it is.  :)  Thanks in advance!  :)  Pinky

Answer
The best time to take a pregnancy test is seven days after missing your next period.  If you normally have a 32 day cycle, and your last period started on April 3,  you were due for your next period on May 5. Therefore the best time to take a pregnancy teset is if you do not get your period by May 12. In early pregnancy it is quite normal to have some brownish staining. This is usually "old bood" coming from the uterus as the fetus is growing. If you have lots of blood along with cramping, it could be the start of a miscarriage. I would suggest taking two blood tests for pregnancy (Beta HCG)  48 hours apart. If there is a doubling of the results in 48 hours, it indicztes a viable pregnancy. If there is a halving of the results in 48 hours it indicates a miscarriage. The earliest symptoms of pregnancy are breast tenderness, fatigue, and nausea. It is also common to have dizziness.