Q&A: I'm 6 weeks pregnant and spotting. Is this normal?

First of all, congratulations on your pregnancy! Many women have some bleeding in early pregnancy and go on to have a healthy baby at term. Your most likely outcome at this point is a healthy little boy or girl.

That said, any bleeding in early pregnancy is technically considered a threatened miscarriage until a heartbeat is seen on ultrasound or heard on exam. While it is a good sign that you aren't having pain and the bleeding is light, I am always "a little nervous" too until viability is established.

Call your doctor or midwife during normal working hours to tell them about the light bleeding you have experienced. In very early pregnancy when we don't yet expect to see a heartbeat on ultrasound, we sometimes get blood pregnancy test (hCG) values at 48 hour intervals to see that the hormone level is increasing appropriately. Once you are far enough along to see a heartbeat, ultrasound can help establish that the embryo is growing and developing as it should.

To prevent causing an infection, we usually recommend what we euphemistically call "pelvic rest." This means not putting anything in your vagina—no douching, no tampons, and no intercourse until the bleeding stops.

Bleeding as heavy as a heavy period, fever, or pain should prompt a call to your doctor or midwife day or night. If you haven't yet established prenatal care, you may need to go to the emergency room to be sure everything is OK.

But despite all these warnings, do keep in mind that bleeding in early pregnancy is very common, and most pregnancies with symptoms like yours go forward normally.