Placenta Bleeding in Early Pregnancy: Causes & What to Expect

Question
Good Morning,

I am currently 12 weeks pregnant due Sept 7th. The last date of my menstrual period was Dec 1st. Last Thurs I started to bleed and it wasn't light..I was even passing clots. My husband and I were sure I had a miscarriage. When I saw the Dr. Fri, they did an internal ultrasound and the baby was still there with a heartbeat of 167bpm. It was about 2 inches and looked great. They said the problem was that my placenta was bleeding..maybe a blood vessel disturbed and it is lying close to my cervix (the lateral part of the placenta). I also still have a blood clot in that general area. They said I may pass it or it could cause me to go into premature labor and there is a chance of a miscarriage still. This is my first child and we want to be sure we are doing all we can. I am pretty nervous and really want this baby more than anything. Last week when I saw one Dr. they told me to be on bedrest for 2 weeks...then I saw another Dr. yesterday and he said to go about my business...the problem I am having is, the only difference between last week and this week is that the clot has gotten a little bit smaller. There is still a risk so I am not sure what to do. I work in sales for an insurance company and it tends to be stressful. I feel more comfortable taking it easy in bed, especially because the clot has gotten smaller since then. I am looking for suggestions and if you have heard of this type of issue before. I am still bleeding little by little, mainly brownish in color...Last Sat I had passed two more small clots and then the other night my pad had some blood on it, more than usual.

What would you suggest to me at this point? Have you heard about this happening alot? I am 25 years old and have been pretty healthy..non-smoker, no previous miscarriages, no abortions, I do have asthma..but other than that, I'm a pretty healthy adult.

Thank you in advance for your help. It means the world to me.

Warmest Regards,

Heather Watkins  

Answer
It sounds like you merely have a subcnorionic hematoma, a blood clot that is formed during the development of the placenta and that has no effect on the pregnancy or on the baby. The clot should continue to become smaller and smaller and you will eventually stop bleeding. You can continue your routine activities, but I would avoid sex or heavy lifting until you completely stop bleeding.  I doubt that you will go into premature labor, although there is always a 15-20% risk of miscarriage in every pregnancy (whehter you had a subchorionic bleed or not). If you feel like resting in bed, do so. If you feel up to working, you can also do whatever you feel comfortable in doing. It will not cause any harmful results nomatter what you do.