Miscarriage Symptoms, Causes, Treatment and Prevention

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Written by Editorial Team

Editorial Team

With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting.

Miscarriage Symptoms, Causes, Treatment and Prevention

Experiencing motherhood is a blessing for women, but this excitement and happiness will convert into anguish and agony when an expecting woman faces a miscarriage. Miscarriage is spontaneous termination of pregnancy without any effort before the 20th week. According to the research of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), miscarriage is the most prevalent type of pregnancy loss. It is important to understand the miscarriage symptoms.

There are many factors that trigger miscarriage. Some women experience recurrent miscarriages. In that case, it is important to find the root cause and treat it. This article sheds some light on the causes and signs of miscarriage and ways to prevent it.

In This Article

What is a Miscarriage?
Signs and Symptoms of a Miscarriage
What Causes Miscarriage?
Different Types of Miscarriage
Treatments For Miscarriage
How to Prevent Miscarriage?
FAQs

What is a Miscarriage?

Miscarriage is a term that refers to a pregnancy that annuls on its own before the 20th week of pregnancy. This is an accident that arises naturally without any medical abortion or surgical abortions. As per the studies were done by March of Dimes, 50% of pregnancies abolish because of miscarriage. Out of them, some occur before the realization of the woman that she is pregnant.

Signs and Symptoms of a Miscarriage

What Are The Signs and Symptoms Of A Miscarriage

The major signs and symptoms of Miscarriage are:

Brown or bright red Vaginal Bleeding
Pelvic Pain
Severe Cramps
Fever
Abdominal Pain
Weakness
Back Pain
Weight Loss
White, pink mucus
Tissue with clots

What Causes Miscarriage?

Miscarriages are caused due to various factors like:

1. Chromosomal Disabilities

This is not related to the mother or father; this is a problem that halts the development of the fetus and causes miscarriage. This happens mainly in the first trimester.

2. Possibilities Trimester Wise

Possibilities of a Miscarriage Happening in the First Trimester are:

Drug and Alcohol abuse
Hormone Problems
Smoking
Excessive caffeine
Maternal Age
Maternal Trauma
Malnutrition
Obesity
Problem with mother’s reproductive organ
Infection
Obesity
Exposure to environmental toxins
Uncontrolled diabetes

Possibilities of Miscarriage in the Second Trimester are:

Unmanaged
High blood pressure
Lupus
Kidney disease
Thyroid problems
Rubella
Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Bacterial Vaginosis (BV), Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
Sexually transmitted infections like HIV, Chlamydia, Syphilis, and Gonorrhoea
Malaria
Food poisoning
Fibroids
Womb structure problems
Weakened cervix

The risk of miscarriage is higher in women of older age. Women under the age of 35 years have a 15% chance. Women between the age of 35-45 yrs have a 20-35% chance and Women more than the age of 45 years has a 50% chance. Apart from this, a woman who has had previous records of miscarriage has a higher risk of miscarriage.

[Read: Blighted Ovum (Early Pregnancy Failure)]

Different Types of Miscarriage

Types of Miscarriage

In this type of miscarriage, the fertilized egg embeds barring uterus, mostly implants in the Fallopian tube. This situation requires immediate treatment otherwise could end in severe maternal complications.

1. Blighted Ovum

A fertilized egg placed itself into the uterine wall, but does not start fetal development, this miscarriage is also known as embryonic pregnancy.

2. Complete Miscarriage

In Complete miscarriage, the embryo has completely come out of the uterus and causes too much bleeding. This miscarriage can be settled by surgical curettage or ultrasound.

[Read : Everything About Molar Pregnancy]

3. Molar Pregnancy

During this pregnancy, the fertilized egg implants in the uterus develop their growth into a mole or a cyst rather than the normal embryo.

4. Inevitable or Incomplete Miscarriage

In Inevitable miscarriage, the tissue of pregnancy remains in the uterus, but the bleeding and back pain has begun. It is also known as an incomplete miscarriage.

5. Missed Miscarriage

It happens when women do not know about their pregnancy.

6. Recurrent Miscarriage(RM)

The situation when three or more consecutive miscarriages occur in the first trimester. This can affect 1% of couples trying to conceive.

[Read : Recurrent Miscarriage]

7. Threatened Miscarriage

In a threatened miscarriage, bleeding and abdominal pain occur, but the pregnancy continues.

Treatments For Miscarriage

The main treatment for miscarriage is:

To prevent hemorrhaging or infection.
Dilation & Curettage (D&C) is the surgical method to stop bleeding and prevent infection
Consult your gynecologist in case of bleeding and abdominal pain for better consultation.

How to Prevent Miscarriage?

Healthy living and a healthy atmosphere is the main concept to prevent miscarriage.

Regular exercise
Eat healthy food
Never take the stress
Take folic acid daily
Do not smoke or drink alcohol
Detect and treat your disease before pregnancy
Avoid things like x-rays, caffeine intake, recreational drugs, and infectious diseases.
Immediately contact your doctor in case of any signs and symptoms of any prenatal issues.

FAQs

1. How Many Weeks Do You Have To Be To Have A Miscarriage?

You had a miscarriage if you lost your baby before 24 weeks. Miscarriages are most common in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Between 12 and 24 weeks, late miscarriages occur. It’s possible for a woman to miscarry in the first week or two of pregnancy before she even knows she’s pregnant. It may even seem like a late period.

2. Can Stress Cause Miscarriage?

The majority of major medical organizations do not believe that stress is a primary cause of miscarriages. Stress, on the other hand, maybe an indirect risk factor since it impacts the pregnant woman’s mental health and behavior. For example, stress might make you want to smoke or consume alcohol, which can lead to miscarriage.

3. Which Sleeping Position Can Cause Miscarriage?

There is no correlation between the position you sleep in when pregnant and the miscarriage. The fetus is protected by the amniotic fluid and the lining of the uterus.

4. Can Hot Water Cause Miscarriage?

It is found that the probability of miscarriage rose with increasing water temperature setting. Miscarriage risk was doubled for women who used a hot tub or whirlpool bath after becoming pregnant, compared to those who did not use such a facility.

Editorial Team,

With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting.Read more.

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