Miscarriage & Stillbirths

Miscarriage

A miscarriage is the spontaneous abortion of an embryo or fetus before it’s developed enough to survive. This can happen even before a woman is aware that she is pregnant. A miscarriage usually occurs in the first 3 months of pregnancy, before 12 weeks’ gestation. A small fraction of miscarriages less than 1% of them — are called stillbirths, as they occur after 20 weeks of gestation.

Miscarriage is often an upsetting event and with repeated miscarriages, a woman or a couple can find themselves on an emotional roller coaster. Almost anyone who has suffered a miscarriage or stillbirth worries about the risk of having subsequent losses. Recent information indicates that women should look into testing after two losses when it used to be common to wait until three. This is especially important for women in their 30s and 40s. Newer studies indicate a miscarriage rate of 26-40% after a woman has suffered two losses, so earlier testing makes sense emotionally, physically, and in many cases financially as well.

Symptoms of a Miscarriage?

Many women don’t even know that they’ve had a miscarriage, thinking that it’s just a particularly heavy menstrual flow.

Some women experience cramping, spotting, heavier bleeding, abdominal pain, pelvic pain, weakness, or back pain. Spotting is not always a sign of a miscarriage; many women experience it early on in pregnancy. But just to be safe, if you have spotting or any of these other symptoms anytime during your pregnancy, talk with your doctor.

Reasons for Recurrent miscarriage:

Some Reasons for Recurrent Pregnancy Loss can be genetic or Chromosome problems, Hormonal factors, Problems with the uterus, Immune system disorders or Unexplained Miscarriage. There is sometimes more than one reason for recurrent pregnancy loss so investigations need to be complete.

.

The loss of pregnancy can result in feelings of grief. For many, the emotional healing that follows a pregnancy loss takes longer than the physical healing. Your feelings of grief may be different from those of your partner and the healing process may progress at a different speed.

Stillbirths

A stillbirth, which many experts define as the death of a baby after the 20th week of pregnancy, can occur before delivery or during labor or delivery. It is rare and occurs in less than 1% of all births. A stillbirth also is sometimes referred to as intrauterine fetal death or antenatal death.

While there are some known risk factors for stillbirth (such as smoking, high blood pressure, and diabetes), there is no way to predict when stillbirth will happen or who will have one, and the cause of many stillbirths remains unknown.

The first and most common sign of a stillbirth is decreased movement in the baby. Other possible signs include persistent cramping or stabbing pains in the pelvis, back, or lower abdomen, or vaginal bleeding. If you experience any of these symptoms, call your doctor immediately.

Your doctor can use an ultrasound to detect the heartbeat or give you an electronic fetal non-stress test, which involves lying on your back with electronic monitors attached to your abdomen. The monitors record the baby’s heart rate, movements, and contractions of the uterus.

Stillbirth is common. It may affect anyone. There is no way to predict when stillbirth will happen or who will experience it. Stillbirth occurs in families of all races, religions, and income levels.

Always remember that the Recurrent Pregnancy Loss, Recurrent miscarriage or Stillbirths can be cured like any other disease and it does not mean that you cannot have family. If you have been through or experiencing Recurrent Pregnancy Loss, Recurrent miscarriage or Stillbirths, come share your experiences with us.