Inevitable Miscarriage

How do you detect an inevitable miscarriage? Find reliable tests and treatments to prevent this from happening again.

Pregnancy is the most joyous phase of a woman’s life. But, this is also a delicate phase where a small mishap might become fatal for the life inside you. What are the factors that can cause an inevitable miscarriage? What precautions should you take to keep this from happening? Read on.

Before you suspect any signs of miscarriage, here are some common causes of miscarriages:

• Genetic abnormalities: About 60% of miscarriages occur in the first three months of pregnancy while 20% occurs around the second trimester. There’s a high possibility of an inevitable miscarriage if the sperm, egg cell or cell division have irregularities. If a fetus is formed from these irregularities, your body reacts by rejecting it, leading to a miscarriage.
• Infection: During the early phase of pregnancy, you might not know it but you’re fetus is highly susceptible to any infection. Chlamydia, cytomegalovirus (CMV), genital herpes, rubella, syphilis and toxoplasmosis are usually the root cause. If these are not treated early (preferably before pregnancy), then you’re highly at risk for a miscarriage.
• Immune dysfunctions: There are two possible causes under this category: Antiphospholipid antibodies and irregularities in the sperm. Antiphospholipid antibodies create problems in the normal functioning of blood vessels and clotting. It might cause narrowing of blood vessels and create a clot the blood passage between the mother and fetus, resulting to a miscarriage. Sperm cells recognized as foreign by the woman’s body attack the forming fetus during the first trimester of pregnancy. 

Signs and symptoms of inevitable miscarriage include:

• Positive pregnancy tests suddenly turns negative
• Vaginal bleeding (Late menstruation with longer or heavy blood flow)
• Decreasing hCG levels
• Pelvic pain 

A common indication of a possible miscarriage is vaginal bleeding. If you experience this, it’s imperative that you seek immediate help. Your doctor would likely suggest you go through an ultrasound test. This helps in detecting the fetus and fetal heartbeat. If there are no heart tones or fetal mass reflected in the equipment, this might likely indicate a miscarriage.

Any miscarriage needs immediate medical intervention. Most OB doctors might suggest a medical procedure called Dilatation and Curettage (D&C). This procedure requires general anesthesia and have your cervix dilated. Once this is done, your OB will scrape remnants of conception and blood clots that induce further bleeding.

Initially, a prostaglandin is placed inside the vagina to soften and dilate the cervix completely. Once the contraction ceases, pitocin is then initiated to deliver the remaining products of conception. Ask your doctor about this procedure for further elaboration.

Dealing with a miscarriage is not easy. But, you can always hope for a better chance of a fulfilled pregnancy in the future. Talk to your doctor now and ask what preventive measures you could take to avoid another miscarriage.