Miscarriage

Just because you are reading about miscarriage, it doesn't imply that it's going to happen to you. Pregnancy loss is something we all pray does not happen to anyone, more so when it is a much awaited event. Nevertheless the fact remains that it is the most common form of pregnancy complication.

The facts in general..

• When you lose your baby before the 24th week of pregnancy, it means you have miscarried spontaneously.

• After that, the loss is termed stillbirth.

• Miscarriages mostly occur before week 12, just around the time when you expect to have your periods.

• Bleeding is the most common symptom, sometimes it is accompanied by pain

• If miscarriage is inevitable there is nothing much you can do to salvage it. Total bed rest is not going to prevent the tragedy

• If the pregnancy is threatened, bed rest does help some women; the bleeding discontinues and pregnancy resumes as normal

• In other cases miscarriage is certain and what follows is heavy bleeding and cramp like pains

• You may also experience lower back ache and pressure in the pelvic area

• Do not use a tampon or engage in intercourse until everything is sorted out

• Your doctor will conduct an internal examination and check your uterus size and cervix. If your cervix is open, the end is imminent

• At the hospital you will have an ultrasound and then a D&C to empty the uterus contents. This will prevent possible infections from setting in. if the miscarriage happens before the 6th week, D&C may not be necessary

• Keep the clots and tissue in a clean container for examination. Your doctor needs to make a diagnosis on cause(s) and if the miscarriage is complete

Categories of Spontaneous Miscarriages..

• Threatened miscarriage:

Miscarrying is a possibility but not a certainty. Some vaginal bleeding with cramps around the time when you may be expecting your periods

• Inevitable miscarriage:

Vaginal bleeding with cramps due to contractions. If the cervix is open miscarriage is a surety

• Recurrent miscarriage:

Incidence of miscarriage is 3 times or more. It is a sign of auto-immune condition. Antibodies produced causes blood clots in the placenta. Low doses of aspirin is required throughout the pregnancy

• Incomplete miscarriage:

Some of the remnants of pregnancy remain intact such as the placenta or water bag although the miscarriage has already taken place

• Missed miscarriage:

Fetus and placenta die but continue to remain in the womb for months. There are no other tell-tale signs. Symptoms of pregnancy disappear although you don't come to know the fetus has died until later

• Complete miscarriage:

Expulsion of the fetus and placenta from the uterus without any signs. Ultrasound will be required to confirm it.

Causes of miscarriage..

• If it is a first time miscarriage, it is considered a random event. If there are 2 or more miscarriages in a row, the mother's immunity level will be assessed; special blood and genetic tests will also be arranged to get to the root of things

• An early miscarriage occurs before the first trimester is up. The most common reason for miscarrying at this point is the fetus. One reason being fetal abnormality which prevents the fetus from settling into the uterus. The other reason is chromosomal abnormalities which accounts for 70% of failed pregnancies. It prevents the egg from maturing properly. It is Mother Nature's way of disallowing an abnormal fetus from developing further

• The cause can be the mother too. Abnormalities in the uterus such as fibroids and hormonal imbalances prevent the pregnancy from progressing. Cervical incompetence is another heavyweight; the cervix opens up too soon. A good percentage of miscarriages in the second trimester are due to this.

• Infections, both bacterial and viral can also disrupt the pregnancy

• The father can be the cause too. Causes include abnormal sperm and incompatible blood type.

• Previous abortions, miscarriages, laser treatments, and gynecological surgeries can contribute to miscarriage

• Age plays a part; older women are more prone to miscarrying

• Certain medications can cause a miscarriage. Check with your doctor on what is safe; refrain from buying medications off the shelf just because you find it convenient

• Avoid drinking, smoking and drugs

• Certain disorders such as badly managed diabetes, abnormal clotting, hormonal imbalances make it harder to carry the baby to full term

• Spacing your pregnancies too soon. Insufficient time gap is given between pregnancies so your body is not equipped to handle another pregnancy so soon

Possible Treatments..

• In case of a missed miscarriage, the least invasive method where you basically have to wait and see if you require treatment to remove the remnant tissues. The downside of waiting for a spontaneous miscarriage to occur is that it may take up to several weeks before the miscarriage is completely resolved

• Alternatively you may be given medication to cause the retained tissues to be expelled

• If the miscarriage was incomplete, a D&C to clean up the uterus under anesthesia to avoid infections or hemorrhage is a high possibility. D&C becomes impending if blood loss is high, if there are infected tissues in the uterus and if mother's vital signs are not stable

• If incompetent cervix was the cause treatment may involve stitching the cervix shut at the start of the next pregnancy

Post Miscarriage

Give yourself time to heal emotionally and physically. If you miscarried early on don't rush into trying to conceive. Wait till you have 2-3 normal periods. If you had a late miscarriage, you need time to come to terms with the loss. It is normal if you don't feel like having sex for a while. Usually if no reason was given for your miscarriage, the likely factors are your age and the number of miscarriages you have had.