It is necessary to immediately notify the attending physician about any facts of bleeding. A diagnosis is required, as miscarriage is not the only cause of vaginal bleeding during pregnancy. With intense bleeding and severe pain in the lower abdomen, you should immediately seek emergency help. Operative ultrasound will help determine what exactly is causing the bleeding:
• threatened miscarriage (fetal heartbeat is noted inside the uterus);
• miscarriage (no fetal heartbeat);
• another cause of bleeding (eg ectopic pregnancy);
• there may be bleeding, for example, from cervical erosion, or from a cervical polyp (a polyp in the cervical canal).
If the ultrasound does not allow to establish how viable the fetus is, then a second examination may be required after 1 or 2 weeks.