Q: My wife, 28 years old, is 11 weeks and 5 days pregnant. We did an ultrasound scan and detected retro-placental small 1.0 cm x 0.4 cm liquefied haematoma. The doctor suggested Susten 200 (one per day, vaginal insertion) and Duphaston 10 mg (2 tablets per day). We would like to know the cause and effects of this clot, also would like to know whether we should take this medicine during pregnancy? This is her first pregnancy and all other ultrasound results are good. Kindly advise on medicine and how to overcome this problem?

A:Small clots around a pregnancy in the uterus are not uncommon and usually have no known cause. Occasionally, these can be because of a bleeding disorder in the mother or if the mother is on low dose aspirin therapy. Small clots such as this one have virtually no untoward effect on the developing fetus. Rarely, the presence of the clot may cause uterine cramps which if not treated may result in a miscarriage. Your doctor has prescribed progesterone supplements, which form a standard prescription in such a situation although their utility is not proven. No untoward effects are known. The problem is usually self-limiting and is likely to resolve soon.