What is a miscarriage?
Miscarriage is a loss of a pregnancy in the first 20 weeks. On average, about 15 percent of known pregnancies end in miscarriage, and more than 80 percent of the time, it happens in the first trimester. If you lose a baby after 20 weeks of pregnancy, it's called a stillbirth.
What causes a miscarriage?
Between 50 and 70 percent of first trimester miscarriages are thought to be random events cused by chromosomal abnormilties in the fertilized egg. Most often, this means that the egg or sperm had the wrong number of chromosomes, and as a result, the fertilized egg is unable to develop normally. In other cases, a miscarriage can be caused by problems that occur during the delicate process of early human development -- for example, when the egg dosen't implant properly in the uterus or when an embryo has structural defects that don't allow it to continue developing. Since most practitioners won't do a full-scale work-up after a single miscarriage, it's ususally impossible to tell why the pregnancy was lost.
What kinds of things put me at higher risk for miscarriage?
Though any woman can miscarry, some are more at risk than others. Here are the most common rick factor:
- Age- The older you are, the more likley you are to miscarry, partly because older women are more likely to have chromosomal abnormalities. In fact, you're about twice as likely to miscarry ar age 40 as you are at age 20.
- A history of miscarriages- If you've had more than two or more consecutive miscarriages, you're more likely than other women to miscarry again.
- Problem with your uterus or cervix- If you have certian uterine abnormalities or a weakened or abnormally short cervix, you may be at high risk.
- Smoking, drinking, and using other drugs- Smoking a lot, drinking too much alcohol, and using drugs like cocanine and ecstasy during pregnancy can all increase your risk of miscarriage. Even more than four cups of coffee a day has been assosiated in studies with a higher risk for pregnancy loss.
YOUR RISK OF MISCARRIAGE ALSO INCREASES WITH EACH SHILD YOU BEAR AND IF YOU GET PREGNANT WITHIN THREE MONTHS AFTER GIVING BIRTH.
What types of miscarriages are there?
Threatened miscarriage- A threatened miscarriage may be presumed when there is a bloody discharge from the vagina during the first half of pregnancy. Bleeding may last for days or even weeks. There may not be any pain or cramping. Pain may feel like a menstrual cramp or a mild back pain. Threatened miscarriage is a common diagnosis because 20% of all women experience bleeding during early pregnancy. Inevitable Miscarriage occurs with the rupture of membranes, dialation of the cervix and passage of blood clots and even tissue. Miscarriage is almost certian in these circumstances. Habitual Miscarriage refers to three or more consecutive miscarriages. They can be of either of the two types listed above.
Some warning signs
- spotting
- Vangial Bleeding
- Cramps
- Pain that comes and goes
- Pain that begins in the small of the back and moves to the lower abdomen
- Loss of Tissue
What should I do if my practitioner tells me I've lost the pregnancy but I still haven't passed the tissue?
If there's no threat to your health, you may choose to let the miscarriage happen on it's own timeline. Or you may decide towait a certain amount of time to see if it happens before having a procedure to remove the tissue. This is called a D&C, which stands for Dilation and curettage.
Whether you miscarry on your own or have a D&C, you'll have mild menstral-like cramps afterwards for up to a day or so and light bleeeding for a week or two. If you begin to bleed heavily, or have signs of infection, or feel excesive pain, call your doctor right away or go to the ER. If your bleedign is heavy and you begin to feel weak, dizzy,or lightheaded, you may be going into shock. In this case, Call 911 right away-- don't try and drive yourself to the ER.
When can I try and conceive again?
You may have to wait a bit. Whether you miscarry spontaneously or have a D&C,you'll generally get your period back again in four to six weeks. Some practitioners say you can start trying to conceive again after this period, but others recommend that you wait until you've been through another menstral cycle so that you have more time to recover physically and emotionally.
It is common to want to do something in remembrance of your baby. Here are some ideas of how to do this.
Write on a stone in your walkway with the due date of your baby or even a baby angel can help there are little trinket that you can by online that are for miscarriages.
If you had a sonogram done before you loss you could frame it and put a little message on it to help.
No matter how you deal with your loss there are always other chances to have children. Just remember, a miscarriage is not your fault.
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