1. Surprising Benefits of Sex Slideshow Pictures
2. Take the Quiz: The Human Body
3. Causes of Fatigue Slideshow Pictures

Medical Author:

Benjamin Wedro, MD, FACEP, FAAEM

Benjamin Wedro, MD, FACEP, FAAEM

Dr. Ben Wedro practices emergency medicine at Gundersen Clinic, a regional trauma center in La Crosse, Wisconsin. His background includes undergraduate and medical studies at the University of Alberta, a Family Practice internship at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario and residency training in Emergency Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

View Full Profile

Medical Editor:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

View Full Profile

Bleeding in pregnancy is never normal, though not uncommon in the first trimester and is a sign of a threatened miscarriage. Early on in pregnancy, the concern is that of ectopic pregnancy (tubal pregnancy), where the fetus implants in the Fallopian tube. As the placenta grows, it erodes through the tube and may cause fatal bleeding. Bleeding after 20 weeks of pregnancy may be due to placenta previa or placental abruption and emergent medical care should be accessed. Placenta previa describes the situation where the placenta attaches to the uterus close to the cervix opening and may cause painless vaginal bleeding. Abruption occurs when the placenta partially separates from the uterus wall and causes significant pain with or without bleeding from the vagina.

Depending upon the amount of blood loss, bleeding may occur as an expected result or as a complication of surgery. After cutting into tissue, the surgeon attempts to make certain all bleeding has stopped before the skin is closed and the operation completed. Sometimes, internal sutures can move or tissue can stretch and bleeding may restart. May times, nothing more than observation is needed, however in some situations, the surgeon may need to explore the surgical site for the cause of bleeding and repair it.

Often, the cause of internal bleeding may be a combination of many factors. The potential for internal bleeding depends upon an individual's underlying medical condition(s), medications being taking, and the injury or illness present.

Must Read Articles Related to Internal Bleeding

Aneurysm, Brain An aneurysm is a weakened area of a blood vessel that causes ballooning or bulging. Rapid diagnosis and treatment of an aneurysm can help prevent serious conseq...learn more >>

Blood Clots Blood is supposed to clot to help repair a blood vessel that is injured. Clots or thrombi become a problem when they form inappropriately. There are a variety o...learn more >>

Blood in the Urine Blood in the urine is called hematuria. Hematuria may be caused by infection, inflammation, or injury to the urinary system. Treatment of hematuria depends upon...learn more >>

See the Entire Internal Bleeding Topic Guide »