Experiencing bleeding at any point during pregnancy can be scary. But keep in mind: There are times when finding discharge that resembles blood is a typical part of pregnancy.
But what about pinkish-brown discharge? Is this dangerous for you or your fetus?
Here are six possible reasons you might be experiencing pinkish-brown discharge during pregnancy.
Implantation bleeding
If you’re very early on in your pregnancy and actively looking for symptoms, you may notice some light spotting around week 4.
This can be implantation bleeding, or the bleeding that occurs when the fertilized embryo burrows into the highly vascular lining of your uterus.
Cervical irritation
During pregnancy, your cervix, which is the bottom of your uterus and the part that opens and stretches during labor, is highly vascular. This means it has a lot of blood vessels, so it can bleed easily.
If your cervix is irritated during pregnancy, it may cause some brownish-pink discharge. This can happen at any point during your pregnancy. It may be caused by sex, a cervical check by your doctor, or an infection.
Ectopic pregnancy
In rare cases, brownish-pink discharge can be caused by an ectopic pregnancy. This is when a pregnancy occurs outside of the uterus, most commonly in the fallopian tube.
The brownish color occurs because the bleeding is older blood, not bright red (new) blood. An ectopic pregnancy is a life-threatening emergency.
Go to the emergency room if you notice bleeding along with any of these symptoms:
- extreme dizziness
- shoulder pain
- fainting
- lightheadedness
- abdominal or pelvic pain that comes and goes, especially on one side
Miscarriage
Any bleeding during pregnancy can be an early sign of miscarriage. In general, bleeding that results in a miscarriage is also accompanied by other symptoms.
If you notice brownish-pink discharge, be on the lookout for other symptoms, including:
- cramping
- increased bright red bleeding
- gush of fluid or watery discharge
- abdominal pain
- lower back pain
Unknown reasons
Many times, there’s no obvious reason for bleeding during pregnancy, especially during the first trimester. A 2019 study found that as many as one-fourth of women reported some kind of bleeding during the first few months of pregnancy. Although researchers speculated that the bleeding was an early sign of the placenta not developing properly, they aren’t sure of all of the reasons bleeding can happen.
Call your doctor if you experience other symptoms, or if you’re concerned.
Mucus plug
You may be losing your mucus plug if you’re further along in your pregnancy, (anywhere from 36 to 40 weeks) and notice an increase in discharge that’s brownish, pink, or even slightly green-tinged.
As your body gets ready to go into labor, it’s common for your cervix to soften and release the mucus plug. This plug helps protect any bacteria from getting into your uterus.
The mucus plug can look like, well, mucous. But it may also be tinged with brown-colored discharge when it dislodges. You may notice the mucus plug come out all at once. Or it may dislodge in smaller, less noticeable “chunks” over the course of a few days or weeks.
If you notice a small amount of pinkish-brown discharge during your pregnancy, don’t panic. In most cases, a small amount of blood-tinged discharge is typical.
Consider if there could be any possible reasons for the discharge:
- Were you checked by your doctor recently?
- Did you have sex in the last 24 hours?
- Are you nearing the end of your pregnancy and might be losing your mucus plug?
If the discharge increases, or if you experience any bleeding with other symptoms, call your doctor or head to the hospital.
Share on PinterestAs a person with a vagina, you get used to vaginal discharge happening seemingly out of the blue. Maybe it means your period is coming, or that you’re ovulating, or maybe it just means you’re human. But when you’re pregnant, every gush of fluid could be important, especially when you’re nearing the 40-week mark. In your third trimester, you may be wondering, is brown discharge a sign of labor? Read on to find out what experts say.
Is brown discharge a sign of labor?
Like so much about pregnancy, the answer to this question isn’t totally universal for every person. “It is quite possible that a bloody or brownish mucoid discharge may be a sign that the cervix is dilating and the mucus plug may be in the process of being expelled,” Kecia Gaither, MD, MPH, FACOG, double board-certified in OB/GYN and Maternal Fetal Medicine, Director of Perinatal Services at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln tells Romper. But if you see some brownish or rust-colored discharge when you wipe or on your underwear, it doesn’t necessarily mean you need to pack your hospital bag and prepare to give birth within a day or two.
“It is not uncommon to experience all sorts of discharge near the end of pregnancy," Megan Davidson, a Brooklyn-based doula and author of Your Birth Plan, tells Romper. "The mucus plug, for example, can begin to come out as discharge when your cervix is starting to change in preparation for birth. I’ve had clients lose parts of their mucus plug for weeks before labor and this is normal.”
What is the mucus plug? It may have a terrible name, but it has a really important function. “The mucus plug is a mucus collection (it looks like a clear, yellow, or brown blob of jelly) that keeps the cervical canal moist and protected, Dr. Lucky Sekhon, fertility specialist and board certified OB/GYN from NYC, tells Romper. “Secretions from the cervix collect and seal the canal with a thick plug of mucus which blocks the entryway to the uterus.” This acts a protectant, sealing the uterus from bacteria, but when it passes it can sometimes be brownish in color.
Is discharge during pregnancy normal?
“An increase in vaginal discharge is common in pregnancy," Natalie Nix, CNM, MSN, Certified Nurse Midwife at Roswell OB/GYN in Atlanta, GA, told Romper in a previous article. "This is how the vagina 'keeps itself clean' in preparation for labor,” she added, but it can still be alarming, especially when tinged with brown that looks a bit like blood. Discharge is usually nothing to worry about, but if it’s accompanied by pain or cramping, or something feels off to you, always check in with your doctor or nurse.
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Other signs of labor
Brown discharge during pregnancy, especially toward the end, may be a sign that your mucus plug has or is passing, but it’s not definitely a sign that labor is imminent. It could just mean that your doctor recently checked your cervix for signs of progress, or even that you had sex recently. "If you’ve recently had an internal exam, the exam can cause cramping, discharge of mucus, and small amounts of bleeding — but this is not necessarily the beginning of labor," Davidson tells Romper.
So what are more definitive signs of labor? These will vary by person and by pregnancy, but “early signs of labor may include back or lower abdominal pain, rupture of membranes, fatigue, diarrhea, vomiting. For any of these symptoms, inclusive of the brown, bloody discharge, it’s best to seek medical attention,” Gaither says. If labor is happening, you may experience contractions that are occurring at regular intervals and feel more intense than Braxton Hicks, Sekhon says. Your water may break like you see in the movies, but it also may not.
So, if you experience brown discharge during your third trimester, it could mean that labor is close, but most likely you still have time to finish decorating the nursery and washing all those adorable clothes.
Experts:
Kecia Gaither, MD, MPH, FACOG, double board-certified in OB/GYN and Maternal Fetal Medicine, Director of Perinatal Services at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln
Megan Davidson, a Brooklyn-based doula and author of Your Birth Plan
Dr. Lucky Sekhon, fertility specialist and board certified OB/GYN from NYC
This article was originally published on Oct. 15, 2019