MISCARRIAGE

MISCARRIAGE

A miscarriage, or spontaneous abortion, is an event that results in the loss of a fetus before 20 weeks of pregnancy. It typically happens during the first trimester, or first three months, of the pregnancy.

Miscarriages can happen for a variety of medical reasons, many of which aren’t within a person’s control. But knowing the risk factors, signs, and causes can help you to better understand the event and get any support or treatment you may need.

 SIGNS OF MISCARRIAGE

The symptoms of a miscarriage vary, depending on your stage of pregnancy. In some cases, it happens so quickly that you may not even know you’re pregnant before you miscarry.

Here are some of the symptoms of a miscarriage:

heavy spotting

bleeding in the female private part

discharge of tissue or fluid from your private part

severe abdominal pain or cramping

mild to severe back pain

Call your doctor right away if you experience any of these symptoms during your pregnancy. It’s also possible to have these symptoms without experiencing a miscarriage. But your doctor will want to conduct tests to make sure that everything is fine.

MISCARRIAGE TYPES

There are many different types of miscarriage. Depending on your symptoms and the stage of your pregnancy, your doctor will diagnose your condition as one of the following:

Complete miscarriage: All pregnancy tissues have been expelled from your body.

Incomplete miscarriage: You’ve passed some tissue or placental material, but some still remains in your body.

*Missed miscarriage*: The embryo dies without your knowledge, and you don’t deliver it.

Threatened miscarriage: Bleeding and cramps point to a possible upcoming miscarriage.

Inevitable miscarriage: The presence of bleeding, cramping, and cervical dilation indicates that a miscarriage is inevitable.

Septic miscarriage: An infection has occurred within your uterus.

*MISCARRIAGE CAUSES*

Genetic or chromosome issues

Examples of these chromosome abnormalities include:

Intrauterine fetal demise: The embryo forms but stops developing before you see or feel symptoms of pregnancy loss.

*Blighted ovum*: No embryo forms at all.

Molar pregnancy: Both sets of chromosomes come from the father, no fetal development occurs.

Partial molar pregnancy: The mother’s chromosomes remain, but the father has also provided two sets of chromosomes.

Underlying conditions and lifestyle habits

poor diet, or malnutrition

drug and alcohol use

drug and alcohol use

advanced maternal age

untreated thyroid disease

issues with hormones

uncontrolled diabetes

infections

trauma

obesity

problems with the cervix

abnormally shaped uterus

severe high blood pressure

food poisoning

certain medications

MISCARRIAGE PREVENTION

Not all miscarriages can be prevented. However, you can take steps to help maintain a healthy pregnancy. Here are a few recommendations:

Get regular prenatal care throughout your pregnancy.

Avoid alcohol, drugs, and smoking while pregnant.

Maintain a healthy weight before and during pregnancy.

Avoid infections. Wash your hands thoroughly, and stay away from people who are already sick.

Limit the amount of caffeine to no more than 200 milligrams per day.

Take prenatal vitamins to help ensure that you and your developing fetus get enough nutrients.

Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables.

Remember that having a miscarriage doesn’t mean you won’t conceive again in the future. Most women who miscarry have healthy pregnancies later. 

MISCARRIAGE TREATMENT

If there’s still some tissue present in your body, there are a few different treatment options:

expectant management, which is where you wait for the remaining tissue to pass naturally out of your body

medical management, which involves taking medications to help you pass the rest of the remaining tissue

surgical management, which involves having any remaining tissue surgically removed