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
