News Release

More than one day of early-pregnancy bleeding linked to lower birthweight

NIH study cautions that more research is needed to determine if this small difference in weight poses a health risk

Peer-Reviewed Publication

NIH/Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Women who experience vaginal bleeding for more than one day during the first trimester of pregnancy may be more likely to have a smaller baby, compared to women who do not experience bleeding in the first trimester, suggest researchers at the National Institutes of Health. On average, full-term babies born to women with more than one day of bleeding in the first trimester were about 3 ounces lighter than those born to women with no bleeding during this time. Additionally, infants born to women with more than a day of first trimester bleeding were roughly twice as likely to be small for gestational age, a category that includes infants who are healthy but small, as well as those whose growth has been restricted because of insufficient nutrition or oxygen or other causes.

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