Significant vaginal bleeding in the second half of pregnancy is uncommon and complicates fewer than 5% of pregnancies. Small amounts of bleeding or spotting, especially if admixed with cervical mucous, may represent “bloody show” and may herald the onset of labor, either term or preterm. Vaginal spotting from a friable cervix may reflect recent intercourse or digital examination. In very unusua...

Case Report A 24-year-old primigravida was first seen for obstetric care at 13 weeks' gestation. Initially the pregnancy progressed without apparent difficulty, but the fundal height was found to be somewhat small for dates at 38 weeks' gestation. A sonogram obtained at that time showed a 33-week-sized fetus, with all measurements being concordant and no sonographic evidence of intrauterine gro...