Test Read Positive, but Still Have Irregular Spotting

Congrats! I know this is a late posting, but you sound like you are having implantation bleeding. It is not uncommon nor would it be worrysome. If you are athletic and have been physically active before you became pregnant, there shouldn't be any reason why you can remain so. Good luck!

You need to slow down. This happened to me & it was caused by walking too much. I had a job where I was on my feet all day. Then also walking on the weekend. The weekend one did it. I had a ultrasound & everything was fine, but boy did I freek.

Hope this helps!

I had something like that happen within my first trimester all the way to the end. I spotted off and on so much I had to use a pad. If anything drink alot of water, DO NOT DO ANYTHING strenuous!! No running or jogging! Light walking is okay..try to stay off your feet and get some downtime. Keep in mind now that you're preggers your body is not just YOUR BODY it's now a body for two and think of it this way, you need your body in tip top shape since you are growing a baby (:
If you are spotting a consistency of jelly or a tablespoon of blood go to the doctor immediately! Better safe than sorry!

I have misscarried when that happened there was no blood ever and I never cramped. When I did get pregant again I had a very little spotting and cramping. I was so scared and thought here we go again. But the doctor explained to me that a little spotting was ok and that the cramping was actually the baby making room which might be followed by a little blood. The cramps were about the same as period cramps. To me it sounds like a good sign. I said a prayer for you in hopes that everything will be just as God wanted for your family.

I would call my doctor and explain what's going on. They can have you come in for blood work before your appointment. The bloodwork will test your progestrone level and hCG levels. They should have the results by the time you come in for your appointment, earlier maybe. If your progestrone is low they can put you on supplements until the placenta is formed.

Depending on how aggressive your doctor is, you may have to be pushy. If you want the tests, and they tell you they aren't necessary, explain that you're very worried. Insist on them, if you want them, but it shouldn't come to that. These aren't unusual tests, but they aren't routinely done for every pregnancy.

It probably is just dehydration. That can be a common cause of spotting and cramping. I'm overly cautious about these things, because I've had miscarriages. It's no fun at all, but they're more common than you'd think.

It sounds like you just did too much and/or got yourself maybe a little dehydrated. Last weekend was pretty hot outside, so that can be easy to do. Dehydration can cause uterine contractions, so it's something to play close attention to now that you're pregnant. The spotting was most likely implantation bleeding. Some, not all, women notice some brownish discharge (or as much as a light period) as the fertilized egg implants in the uterine wall. When you had the cramping this weekend, it probably just let more of that out. Listen to your body, though. If you continue to cramp after running, you may need to tone it down a bit. Most active women find that they can stay active throughout their pregnancy, but you really have to listen to your body's signals and not push it.

So...relax, drink lots of water (1/2 your body weight in ounces of water), and take it easy when you can. Good luck with you pregnancy and birth!

Blessings,
H. Hilton
(Licensed Midwife)
www.genesismidwifery.com

Hi R.,

First off...congratulations! Just wanted to tell you that with both of my pregnancies, I had TWO full-on periods that lasted the usual time. I KNEW I was pregnant, but still had them. Dr told me it can happen and we just watched things. Turned out fine. BUT you should ALWAYS, ALWAYS ask your Dr if you are concerned. Make sure you tell the Dr that you are a runner. Exercise is great, but running 5K's might be a little much. Not sure. Also, at 31, they MIGHT classify you as "high risk" which really doesn't mean that much, except they'll watch you a little closer than say, a 20 y/o. I was 25 with my 1st and 36 with my 2nd. In any case, bright red blood/cramps would really be something to worry about. Call your Dr, take his/her advice, relax and enjoy the pregnancy.

i had a similar experience twice - i spotted brown for 16 weeks, but i do have two children ages 26, aand 21. first trimester spotting is never a great thing, but it does not mean doom and gloom either. everyone is different. i suggest you give up the running for a few weeks and see how you feel. and the best advice i can give you - is...trust your own instincts when speaking to the doctor. never let them talk you into a procedure or into doing anything you are not comfortable with. if i had listened to the 2nd ob - my second daughter would not be on this earth.

good luck with everything

Hi R.,
definitely let your obygyn know what's going on. This happened to me and it ended up just being implantation. However my doctor did have me come in to make sure my hcg levels were going up and not down. Also ask your doctor about running long distances. I use to run 4 days a week but really slowed it down when I got pregnant. I think the body starts to act like it's under stress when you run a long time.
hope this helps and good luck.:)

R., congratulations on your preganacy. My only advise would be to stop running those 2 miles ( not run at all) & rest until you see you OBGYN
I wish you & your hubby the best with the pregancy & a lifetime of love & joy with your new baby!!

I had that, as well as a bit of real bleeding, and got put on bed rest for a bit and was advised to slow down a lot, keep my feet up, and so on. I would take it very easy until the appointment. There is a real correlation between your activity level and the bleeding in my experience.

Best to proceed w/ caution. I had brown spotting for over 4 wks before I had my first miscarriage. Sometimes there's nothing to do but wait and see. Definately make an appt w/ your ob for an US if your at least 6 wks along if you haven't already done so. I had 1 miscarriage @ 9 wks and 1 @ 11 wks, and I knew they were both probably coming for weeks at a time. Good luck to you, after those 2 I am now 16 wks along w/ no complications, so even if you lose this one you can go on to have perfectly healty children.

When I became pregnant with my daughter, I had a day or so of real light brown discharge. I remember feeling disappointed because we really wanted the baby. Well, my period never started, and I peed on the stick two days later. It showed the positive sign pretty quickly, and I was only four weeks along. She turned four last week.

You may want to pee on the stick again for your own frame of mind, but your doctor is the one who would know more/what is going on. As far as exercise, your doctor will let you know what to do.

Good luck, I know it's hard not to tell everybody! Enjoy this time where it's truly just the two of you.

It is my understanding that having a brown discharge during early pregnancy can be perfectly normal, however, I do highly recommend you see your ob/gyn, especially due to the cramping, and have your hcg levels tested, if for anything peace of mind.
I also think you should tone down the exercise until you learn more about what's causing the cramping and spotting.
I had cramping and spotting during my second pregnancy, so much so that I went to the ER to get checked out, on the advice of my ob/gyn. It turned out that I had bleeding between the placenta and the uterine wall, and was put on bed rest until the hemorrhage went away.
Best of luck!

I spotted for two days in the few days before I found out I was pregnant. I also had some spotting for a few days around my 6th week and felt sure I was miscarrying. However, when I went in for my first sonogram the OB told me that when implanting, everything probably didn't implant good, and caused bleeding when it finally did. All turned out well and I now have a healthy 9 month old. My OB did tell me to take it easy until we knew nothing was wrong. I know how scary it was to see any bleeding during that time. Hope all goes well for you.

The "severe" cramping is not normal. Although, they passed. The fact that you have spotted brown blood means it is old blood. As long as you aren't cramping anymore and not much red blood, things should be okay. I spotted with both of my pregnancies (quite a bit, I might add) and had minor cramping for months. With my daughter, at 8 weeks I bled so much I thought I was miscarrying. It only lasted a few hours but it was a lot! I happened to have an U/S scheduled the next day and was in there crying, just waiting for them to tell me I was miscarrying. Turns out, when the egg attaches, sometimes a pocket of blood gets trapped between the fertilized egg and uterine wall and it broke loose. Who knew. I wouldn't worry too much about it unless the severe cramps start again. You might call the nurses line at your OB's office to talk it over. They might be able to make you feel better. I hope all goes well for you!!

I had that brown spotting with my first and was told it was my body flushing out the remaining lining that wasn't needed. It made sense to me back then, but now - that sounds weird? Needless to say, it must have been true b/c I have a beautiful, healthy 15 year old daughter! :)
Hang in there...think positive thoughts!

Hi R.,

This early in the pregnancy, there is no way to be sure. I had brown discharge with my first pregnancy. The discharge slowly turned red, and resulted in a miscarriage. With my next two pregnancies, I had heavy red bleeding and had a healthy baby each time! I would suggest going in today and having your hcg levels drawn. You'll then go in again in a couple of days to have them drawn again. Based on the results, they can tell you if the pregnancy is progressing. That way, you don't have to wait until next Friday to know something. Good luck! I wish you all the best.

Don't be too worried. The same thing happened to me and all was okay. I had gone through IUI and was sure I wasn't pregnant when I started spotting when my period should start. Sure enough, positive test. I bled like that, spotting, for the whole week I was supposed to be on my period but everything was just fine. Just take it easy and wait until your appt.

I am happy to tell you I am 37 weeks pregnant and this happened to me. I was also very freaked out. My dr. ordered blood test over the next several weeks, to make sure the right hormones were doubling. He was a little worried, because while mine were going up they weren't doubling like normal. I then got an ultra sound and everything looked good. Now I am ready to pop and everything else has gone well. I totally understand your fear. I just knew I was going to miscarry. Oh, the dr. did say it can be normal. :) So be prepared.

When I was pregnant with my first one, I spotted brown for quite some time. The nurse told me, that a little blood and spotting(brown) is normal. But, if I started to bleed, like I was on my period, I had to go to the ER.

Good Luck.

Hey Sweetie,
Everyone is different but you should talk to your doctor. I had breakthrough bleeding with cramps during my second pregnancy and it turned out to be an ectopic pregnancy. I didn't call my doctor for way too long. I had some breakthrough bleeding during my 3rd pregancy (got pregnant with only one ovary and one fallopian tube that time) and the pregnancy went full term and I had a completely healthy baby boy. Just go ahead and call your doctor. If he doesn't take your concerns seriously, find a better doctor.
Good luck.