Congratulations! Week 6 is when most women discover they are pregnant. This week-by-week newsletter will keep you informed about what to expect for you and your developing baby during your pregnancy. If you have just found out that you are pregnant, you may want to begin by reading the previous articles. Show
How is pregnancy calculated?There can be confusion when discussing the way in which pregnancy is calculated. Since most women do not know when they conceived as it is difficult to know exactly when ovulation occurred, pregnancy is always determined from the first day of your last menstrual period (LMP). Counting from your LMP, your pregnancy will last around 40 weeks. For more information on how pregnancy is measured, please see our information on calculating your dates. What changes are occurring with your body during the 6th week of pregnancy?Some pregnant women may notice that they have gained a few pounds by this point, while others may have actually lost weight. You may begin noticing changes in your breasts including tenderness, darkening of the areolas, and swelling. You may also begin experiencing heartburn, which is common during pregnancy. Some women experience light bleeding during pregnancy. This spotting (spots of blood on your underwear or toilet paper after using the restroom) may be accompanied by light cramping. This is not necessarily a reason for concern. However, you will want to monitor the spotting, and let your doctor know about it at your first appointment. You would also want to consult your doctor if the bleeding becomes heavy like a normal period or if the cramps are worse than normal period cramps. This could be a sign of a miscarriage. What is happening with your baby during the 6th week of pregnancy?Your baby is rapidly growing. The neural tube, from which the brain and spinal cord will develop, is closing along baby’s back. The heart and other organs also are starting to form and the heart begins to beat. Development of the lungs, jaw, nose, and palate have begun. The hand and feet buds have webbed-like structures that will become the fingers and toes. A vaginal ultrasound may be able to detect an audible heartbeat at this time. How big is your baby at six weeks?Your baby is about ¾ of an inch (19.05 millimeters) in length. What should you plan for during the 6th week of pregnancy?Knowing your blood type and your partner’s blood type is important during pregnancy. Each person’s blood is one of four major types:
Blood types are determined by the types of antigens on the blood cells. Antigens are proteins on the surface of blood cells that can cause a response from the immune system. The Rh factor is a type of protein on the surface of red blood cells. Most people who have the Rh factor are Rh-positive. Those who do not have the Rh factor are Rh-negative. It is important to know your blood type because complications could occur if the mother is Rh-negative and the baby is Rh-positive. Tips for making your pregnancy betterSome women complain that their prenatal vitamins make them sick to their stomachs. If you experience this, you may want to take them with food or at night before going to bed. If you continue to have problems tolerating your prenatal vitamins, consult your health care provider before stopping them completely. Tips for mom’s partnerYour partner may be struggling with morning sickness, and you may feel completely helpless. However, you can help mom cope with nausea and vomiting that are common during the first trimester. Suggest these natural options she can try to help ease the discomfort. Other things that you could do that may be helpful include:
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Light bleeding, or spotting, during pregnancy is common and usually nothing to worry about. Spotting is similar to a period but much lighter, and can vary in colour. You may notice anything from red to dark brown discharge. If you have brown discharge this just means the blood is a little older and no more a reason to worry than red spotting. Let your doctor or midwife know if you have red or brown discharge in pregnancy though even if it stops, just in case. Will my baby be safe if I have red or brown spotting or discharge?Your baby is likely to be fine, as spotting or light bleeding is often harmless (NHS 2015a, RCOG 2016a). In the early weeks red or brown discharge, spotting or bleeding is very common. As many as one mum in four with a healthy pregnancy has some sort of bleeding or spotting in the first trimester (Hasan et al 2010, van Oppenraaij et al 2009). Many pregnancies carry on, despite early bleeding problems (Norwitz and Park 2016, RCOG 2016a). Sometimes, though, spotting can be a sign of something more serious, such as miscarriage. This is why it’s always best to tell your midwife or doctor if you have any type of vaginal bleeding, even if it stops. If the bleeding signalled a miscarriage, you’d develop tummy cramps as well, and the bleeding would usually get heavier (Hasan et al 2010, Norwitz and Park 2016). More often, though, spotting or light bleeding stops on its own and the pregnancy carries on as normal (Hasan et al 2010, van Oppenraaij et al 2009). Spotting or light bleeding is likely to turn out to be no more than a worrying blip in your pregnancy (Hasan et al 2010, Norwitz and Park 2016) that you’ll soon be able to put behind you. What causes red or brown discharge in pregnancy?Light bleeding is likely to be caused by the developing placenta. Once you're about six weeks pregnant, there's a step-change in your pregnancy. The placenta takes over from your body the job of making pregnancy hormones (Hasan et al 2010, van Oppenraaij et al 2009) and this is thought to be associated with light bleeding. You're most likely to have spotting or bleeding when you're between five weeks and eight weeks pregnant (Hasan et al 2010). The bleeding is unlikely to last longer than three days (Hasan et al 2010). You may only realise you're bleeding when you go to the loo and wipe, or notice spotting in your pants. You may have heard that light bleeding is caused by menstrual hormones breaking through around the time you would have had a period. Another theory is that bleeding happens when the embryo implants in the womb wall. While you may get some bleeding at the time you’d expect your period, it is unlikely to be anything to do with menstrual hormones or implantation. Most normal bleeding happens about five days after implantation (Harville et al 2003). Aside from the placenta developing, there may be other things going on inside your body that have caused some bleeding:
Inherited bleeding disorders, such as Von Willebrand Disease, that make it more difficult for your blood to clot, can also cause bleeding in pregnancy (Shahbazi et al 2012). What does the placenta do? Our midwife explains how the placenta develops into your baby's lifelineMore pregnancy videos Will I have any tests after early vaginal bleeding or brown discharge?If the bleeding occurred early in your pregnancy, your midwife or doctor can refer you to your nearest early pregnancy assessment unit (EPAU) for further tests. You can also see a doctor at your local hospital (RCOG 2016a). Tests to check how your pregnancy is going may include:
What are the more serious causes of brown discharge or bleeding in pregnancy?Unfortunately, bleeding in early pregnancy can be a sign of a miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy. In both cases, you also usually develop tummy or pelvic pain and cramps (Norwitz and Park 2016). Early miscarriage usually happens when a baby is not developing properly, and the bleeding becomes steadily heavier (Hasan et al 2010, Norwitz and Park 2016). Early miscarriage is a heartbreaking event, but it is common (NICE 2013, RCOG 2016a). It affects about one pregnancy in four (Tommy's 2016). An ectopic pregnancy happens when the fertilised egg implants outside of your womb. Unfortunately, a baby can't grow if this happens. The bleeding may continue, and may look dark and watery (RCOG 2016b). An ectopic pregnancy can make you seriously ill, so you'll need to see an obstetrician at your nearest hospital quickly (Elson et al/RCOG 2016, NHS 2016, RCOG 2016b). You’re slightly more likely to have spotting if you conceived twins. Sadly, sometimes one twin can stop developing and eventually disappear altogether. This is called a vanishing twin (Anderson-Berry 2016), and it may trigger some bleeding (Anderson-Berry 2016, Norwitz and Park 2016). A rare cause of bleeding is a molar pregnancy (Cancer Research UK 2016, RCOG 2010, 2011). A molar pregnancy happens when an egg is fertilised but a baby can't grow, because the wrong number of chromosomes come together. A cluster of abnormal cells grows instead of a healthy baby (NHS 2017). A molar pregnancy must be treated to remove the abnormal tissues (NHS 2017, RCOG 2010, 2011). It is also possible for a blow to your belly, perhaps after a fall, to trigger bleeding (Norwitz and Park 2016). You may be offered extra care if you've had vaginal bleeding. Bleeding raises the chance of complications happening later in pregnancy (Saraswat et al 2010), especially if the bleeding was heavy or carried on into the second trimester (Norwitz and Park 2016). Complications include premature birth, and having a baby with a low birth weight (Norwitz and Park 2016). Your medical team can keep a close eye on your pregnancy and your baby's growth, with extra scans and clinic appointments. Bleeding in late pregnancy is much rarer and more serious than early bleeding. Read more about bleeding in late pregnancy. See these other pregnancy symptoms you should never ignore. ReferencesAnderson-Berry AL. 2016. Vanishing twin syndrome. MedScape. emedicine.medscape.com [Accessed January 2018] Cancer Research UK. 2016. Gestational trophoblastic disease: risks and causes. www.cancerresearchuk.org [Accessed January 2018] Elson CJ, Salim R, Potdar N, et al on behalf of RCOG. 2016. Diagnosis and management of ectopic pregnancy. Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists / Association of Early Pregnancy Units joint guideline, Green-top guideline, 21. onlinelibrary.wiley.com [Accessed January 2018] Elson CJ, Salim R, Potdar N, Chetty M, Ross JA, Kirk EJ on behalf of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Diagnosis and management of ectopic pregnancy. BJOG 2016;.123:e15–e55. Harville EW, Wilcox AJ, Baird DD, et al. 2003. Vaginal bleeding in early pregnancy. Hum Reprod 18(9):1944-7 Hasan R, Baird DD, Herring AH, et al. 2010. Patterns and predictors of vaginal bleeding in the first trimester of pregnancy. Ann Epidemiol 20(7):524-31. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov [Accessed January 2018] NHS. 2015a. Vaginal bleeding in pregnancy. NHS Choices, Health A-Z. www.nhs.uk [Accessed January 2018] NHS. 2015b. Chlamydia. NHS Choices, Health A-Z. www.nhs.uk [Accessed January 2018] NHS. 2016. Ectopic pregnancy. NHS Choices, Health A-Z. www.nhs.uk [Accessed January 2018] NHS. 2017. Molar pregnancy. NHS Choices, Health A-Z. www.nhs.uk [Accessed January 2018] NICE. 2013. Miscarriage. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Clinical Knowledge Summaries. cks.nice.org.uk [Accessed January 2018] Norwitz ER, Park JS. 2016. Overview of the etiology and evaluation of vaginal bleeding in pregnant women. UpToDate 08 Nov RCOG. 2010. The management of gestational trophoblastic disease. Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Green-top guideline, 38. www.rcog.org.uk [Accessed January 2018] RCOG. 2011. Information for you: gestational trophoblastic disease. Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. www.rcog.org.uk [Accessed January 2018] RCOG. 2016a.Information for you: bleeding and/or pain in early pregnancy. Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. www.rcog.org.uk [Accessed January 2018] RCOG. 2016b.Information for you: Ectopic pregnancy. Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. www.rcog.org.uk [Accessed January 2018] Saraswat L, Bhattacharya S, Maheshwari A, et al. 2010. Maternal and perinatal outcome in women with threatened miscarriage in the first trimester: a systematic review. BJOG 117(3):245-57 Shahbazi S, Moghaddam-Banaem L, Ekhtesari F, et al. 2012. Impact of inherited bleeding disorders on pregnancy and postpartum hemorrhage. Blood Coagul Fibrinolysis 23(7):603-7 Tommy's. 2016. Miscarriage information and support. www.tommys.org [Accessed January 2018] van Oppenraaij RHF, Jauniaux E, Christiansen OB, et al, on behalf of the ESHRE Special Interest Group for Early Pregnancy (SIGEP). 2009. Predicting adverse obstetric outcome after early pregnancy events and complications: a review. Hum Reprod Update 15(4):409-21. academic.oup.com [Accessed January 2018] How long should brown discharge last at 6 weeks pregnant?This is typically not concerning, as it usually lasts for 2 to 3 days and resolves spontaneously.
Is brown discharge bad in early pregnancy?Brown. Discharge is usually brown due to old blood leaving the body, which can be an early symptom of pregnancy. Brown discharge during pregnancy is not generally a cause for concern. However, pregnant women who experience dark brown discharge should contact their doctor.
When should I be worried about brown discharge in early 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.
Do miscarriages start with brown blood?Bleeding during miscarriage can appear brown and resemble coffee grounds. Or it can be pink to bright red. It can alternate between light and heavy or even stop temporarily before starting up again. If you miscarry before you're eight weeks pregnant, it might look the same as a heavy period.
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Dark brown discharge during pregnancy 6 weeks
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