Bleeding and spotting during the second trimester, or indeed at any point during your pregnancy, can be somewhat disconcerting. The fact of the matter is that bleeding during pregnancy is never truly normal. If your bleeding and spotting are prolonged or if they are severe, you should contact your health care provider immediately. However, bleeding and spotting during the second trimester does not mean that there is something horribly wrong.

Most often, if you have some light bleeding and spotting during the second trimester, it is due to an issue with your cervix. During pregnancy, your cervix continues to become increasingly sensitive as time goes on. An internal exam performed by your health care provider, or even sexual intercourse, can irritate the cervix, which can lead to bleeding. While this is generally not too serious of a problem, you should still contact your health care provider if you believe that you are bleeding and spotting due to irritation of the cervix.

In more extreme cases, bleeding and spotting during the second trimester can be a sign of a miscarriage. Technically speaking, when a pregnancy ends prior to the 20th week of pregnancy, it is called a miscarriage. After the 20th week of pregnancy, it is known as a stillbirth. Most often, miscarriages during the second trimester of pregnancy are caused by a specific problem with the cervix. When the cervix becomes dilated prematurely and is unable to hold the baby in its place in the uterus, it is called an “incompetent cervix.” In some cases, if an incompetent cervix is noticed ahead of time, the cervix can be given a stitch, which will be removed when it is time for birth.

Bleeding and spotting during the second trimester can also be a sign of premature labor. If your bleeding and spotting during the second trimester is accompanied by contractions, diarrhea, back pain, nausea, or other symptoms of labor, it may be that you are having premature labor. Premature labor is also very serious and must be treated immediately.

As you can see, bleeding and spotting during the second trimester is a serious situation, and you should contact your health care provider if you are experiencing any bleeding and spotting during the second trimester.

Posted in Pregnancy

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