Vomiting blood during pregnancy: what to know

Small streaks of blood can appear after repeated, forceful vomiting because the throat or food pipe becomes irritated. Blood may also come from an inflamed stomach lining, an ulcer, or another source of upper digestive tract bleeding. Pregnancy-related nausea does not make blood in vomit harmless. Your maternity team may need to check hydration, blood pressure, blood counts, abdominal symptoms, and the pregnancy alongside the digestive symptoms. Cancer is not the only explanation; conditions such as oesophageal cancer or stomach cancer are considered only when the wider assessment makes them relevant.

Contact your maternity unit, obstetric clinician, or emergency service promptly and say that you are pregnant and have vomited blood. Note the colour and amount, how often you have vomited, and whether you can keep fluids down. Do not take aspirin, ibuprofen, anti-sickness medicine, or acid medicine without pregnancy-appropriate advice. If you feel faint, have someone accompany you and do not drive yourself.

Call emergency services for ongoing or heavy bleeding, fainting, confusion, severe abdominal pain, chest pain, breathing difficulty, cold or clammy skin, or inability to keep fluids down. Seek urgent maternity advice for very dark urine, little urine, worsening weakness, or reduced fetal movement later in pregnancy. A pause in vomiting does not remove the need for assessment.

Ask whether the blood is likely from irritation or needs a digestive-tract investigation, which fluids and medicines are suitable in pregnancy, and how dehydration will be monitored. Ask which changes in vomiting, pain, bleeding, or fetal movement require immediate return.