Uterine Hematoma: Causes, Symptoms, and What to Expect

Question
My daughter is 10 weeks pregnant and at about 4 weeks she started to spot, we weren't too concerned because I know that can be nornmal. But about 8 weeks she started bleeding heavy. I took her to the E.R. and at that time she was told she had miscarried but the next day when she followed up with her Ob/gyn she found that the baby was ok and that there was a heartbeat. She was told that there was a large amount of blood in the uterus sitting above the amniotic sac. She has been bleeding a lot on and off for 2 weeks now. She was told to call the office when it gets heavy or go to E.R. if its after hours so we have now made 2 trips to E.R. and have been told to watch it that she could miscarry. We were never given a name for what whe has but after reading your letters from other women, we started to understand it more. My question is can this hematoma be something other a chorionic hematoma? She does have cramping with it and that concerns me. Should she stay on bedrest or has that been proven to help. If she doesn't miscarry can we expect the bleeding to stop soon? We havent been given much info from the doctor and have tried to get into a high risk OB/gyn but was told she needed a referrel. Her doctor just says we have to wait it out and nothing can be done. This is very hard for me because I work in the medical field and feel helpless and in the dark on the subject. Any info you could provide would be greatly appreciated.             Thank you..Kim B

Answer
If the bleeding is caused by a subchorionic hematoma, it will not interfere with the baby and should dissipate on its own within a few weeks. A subchorionic hematoma is merely a sequestration of blood within the folds of the developing placenta. However, from your description, I am not sure that the bleeding yuour daughter has is due to a subchorionic hematoma since they saw the blood in the uterus above the amniotic sac. If there is any disruption of the sac or abruption of the placenta, it can lead to miscarriage. Right now, what she has is called a "threatened abortion". In these cases, 50% goes on to miscarry and 50% goes on to have perfectly normal pregnancies. I would recommend bedrest whenever she bleeds and to refrain from intercourse, straining, heavy lifting, etc. This does not need a high risk doctor (perinatologist). It will declare itself shortly. As long as there is good fetal growth and a good heartbeat, there is hope. Nothing can be done at this time. I would follow it with serial sonograms (every two weeks). Good Luck.