Will a subchorionic hemorrhage increase my chance of having a miscarriage?
About 15% to 25% of women experience vaginal bleeding at some point during pregnancy. And at any point, it’s really scary, and of course, you wonder “Why?” and “Is it going to affect the baby and the pregnancy?” And when it happens early on, the causes or possible explanations are different than what they would be when it happens after 20 weeks gestation.
When vaginal bleeding happens early in pregnancy, there’s a couple of possibilities. One is implantation bleeding or spotting, which usually happens about 1 to 2 weeks after conception, and for most women, this is around the time of their missed period. So for some, it just seems like an abnormally short or light period. And so if you ever have one of those, it’s a good idea to take a home pregnancy test, and if it’s positive, call your doctor and let them know that you’ve had a positive pregnancy test result but you’ve also experienced vaginal bleeding, because implantation bleeding or spotting is a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning everything else has to be ruled out first before it can be deemed that. Other possible causes of vaginal bleeding in early pregnancy include ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, or pelvic organ problems, and so those are some other things that a doctor will think about and want to rule out before saying it’s implantation bleeding or spotting.
Sometimes blood begins to collect between the uterine wall and the chorionic membrane, and this is called a subchorionic hemorrhage or hematoma. And generally speaking, this is diagnosed after a woman experiences vaginal bleeding. The doctor looks into possible causes and discovers this. And it can increase a woman’s chances of miscarriage. One study showed that about 30% of women with a subchorionic hematoma or hemorrhage went on to miscarry versus 12% in the group that did not have a diagnosis of a subchorionic hematoma. The size and location of the bleed does seem to play a part in how much of a risk it poses to the pregnancy. So ultimately, if your doctor has told you that you have one, I suggest talking with them about it, and based on their knowledge of your circumstances, they’ll be able to give you tailored information and advice about ongoing monitoring, symptoms to watch for, and when to call them back. If you have any more questions in the future for me, feel free to ask them on our Intermountain Moms Facebook and Instagram pages, and recommend us to your friends and family too.