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Questions and Answers

Q. I'm 5 weeks pregnant with my first pregnancy. I went to the bathroom yesterday and found a spot of blood in my underwear. I called the doctor and the nurse told me that if I'm miscarrying then there isn't anything that they can do about it. I'm really scared. What can I do?

A. Spotting in early pregnancy can be very normal. Up to 30-40% of women will spot in pregnancy, and 60% of those women will have healthy, normal pregnancies. Usually the more blood, or the longer the bleeding lasts the more likely you are to miscarry. In your case, you had one spot of blood, which, so far, hasn't returned. This is a good sign. You may be experiencing implantation bleeding. This is where the egg is burrowing into the uterus and a drop or two of blood, sometimes enough to be mistaken for a light period, is shed. This is not a problem. Good luck!

Cyndi Klausing, RN, ACCE, has been a childbirth educator and breastfeeding counselor for over 18 years. She currently works as a newborn nursery nurse and is the mother of four sons.

Cyndi will answer your questions on fertility, pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding and babies. Her advice does not take the place of your practitioner. Personal answers will not always be possible.