What is a Vaginal Hemorrhage?

A vaginal hemorrhage is the heavy and uncontrollable flow of blood from the vagina. It usually develops because of a ruptured blood vessel in the vagina. An individual may also hemorrhage blood from the vagina because of a miscarriage, problem with the uterus, or trauma to the cervix. While a hemorrhage can be treated in many cases, the extreme loss of blood can be life-threatening.

There are many reasons a woman might suffer a vaginal hemorrhage, or extremely heavy bleeding from the vagina. One of the most likely reasons is a ruptured blood vessel or a tear or other type of damage to the vaginal walls. This may sometimes happen because of an episode of extremely rigorous sexual contact. Broken blood vessels or damage to the vaginal walls may also result from trauma caused by placing foreign objects into the vagina.

Sometimes a hemorrhage develops because of a problem with body structures and organs other than the vagina. For example, a person may suffer from vaginal hemorrhaging because of traumatic injury to the cervix, which is the neck of the uterus. In fact, some types of infections may lead to it as well. For instance, hemorrhaging may sometimes develop in individuals who have a condition called cervicitis. This condition is marked by inflammation of the cervix and can develop because of infections, sexually transmitted diseases, and even allergic reactions to contraceptives placed in the vagina.

An individual may also suffer from a vaginal hemorrhage because of a pregnancy-related complication. For example, a miscarriage may lead to hemorrhaging from the vagina. A condition called placenta previa may lead to hemorrhaging as well. Placenta previa is the attachment of the placenta to a lower part of the uterus, which causes the placenta to cover all or part of a woman’s cervix; this becomes a problem as the body prepares for labor and childbirth. As the cervix dilates, the placenta detaches and can cause life-threatening vaginal bleeding.

Vaginal hemorrhaging may also develop because of a uterine rupture, or a tear in the wall of the uterus. It may develop because of physical stress at the location of a uterine scar, such as one that formed after a cesarean section or another type of surgery involving the uterus. It may also occur in women who have excessively forceful uterine contractions, prolonged labors, or pregnancies involving multiple babies.