Spotting in Pregnancy: What Does It Look Like?

Spotting in pregnancy is usually a small amount of pink, red, or brown blood noticed on toilet paper or underwear, but any bleeding in pregnancy deserves attention to its amount, timing, and accompanying symptoms. Spotting may show as a few marks rather than flow that soaks a pad. Brown blood can reflect older blood, while pink or bright red blood is fresher. Colour alone cannot show why bleeding is happening.

Light bleeding can occur when the cervix is more sensitive, including after sex or an examination. It can also happen in early pregnancy without leading to a serious problem. Bleeding may sometimes accompany miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy, which develops outside the uterus. The pattern matters: increasing flow, clots, tissue, pelvic pain, or one-sided pain needs prompt assessment. A scan, examination, and pregnancy hormone testing may be used to clarify the cause.

Use a sanitary pad rather than a tampon so you can observe the amount and colour. Note when it began, whether it is becoming heavier, and whether you have cramps, dizziness, fever, or shoulder-tip pain. Contact your maternity team, obstetrician, or a medical service for advice, even if the spotting stops. Avoid sex until you have received guidance if bleeding is continuing or painful.

Seek urgent medical care for heavy or rapidly increasing bleeding, severe or worsening abdominal pain, pain focused on one side, fainting, marked weakness, dizziness, shoulder-tip pain, fever, or passing clots or tissue. These symptoms can signal significant blood loss or an ectopic pregnancy and should not wait for a routine appointment. If you feel faint or very unwell, do not drive yourself.

Ask what level of bleeding should prompt an emergency visit, whether you need an ultrasound or blood tests, and whether your blood group affects the care you need. Tell the clinician how far along the pregnancy is, whether you have had a previous ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage, and whether the bleeding followed sex or an examination.