Missed Miscarriage

Miscarriage is an unexpected termination of pregnancy -- the most dreaded situation a pregnant woman must deal with. Early prevention might just help you prevent this from happening in your life. So, you ask: What are the signs of a missed miscarriage? Are you at risk for a miscarriage?

What is a missed miscarriage in the first place? A missed miscarriage fails to expel remnants of conception. Usually, most miscarriages completely expel the fetal mass out of the womb. In this case, placenta, parts of the fetus and other products of conception are left inside the uterus. This goes undetected for several days or weeks with vague signs of a miscarriage.

Here are five prominent signs of a miscarriage under this type:

• Vaginal bleeding or discharges: Bleeding might initially be brownish in color that becomes bright red later on. Brownish to bright red vaginal discharges have the highest indication that you might be experiencing a miscarriage. Talk to a health care provider immediately if this occurs.   
• Cramping: Remaining products of conception induces contractions in the uterus in an attempt to expel it. Constant contraction causes abdominal tenderness and cramping.   
• Diminishing signs of pregnancy: Some women who experience diminishing signs of pregnancy such as having abrupt negative results on pregnancy tests. Any changes should be reported to your doctor. Others with missed miscarriages still experience signs of pregnancy such as nausea. The reason is that placental matter left in the womb still produces hormones for pregnancy, thus the positive pregnancy results.   
• Lack of fetal mass: If your doctor suspects you of having a miscarriage, she might ask you to undergo an ultrasound. This procedure helps visualize the fetus inside your uterus. In case of a miscarriage, your ultrasound should show parts of the fetus, placenta, tissues and amniotic fluid.   
• No fetal heartbeat: This is a strong indication that you had a miscarriage. In this state, your ultrasound wouldn’t show any heartbeat.   

If you suspect any of these symptoms occurring, you should seek immediate help. A miscarriage is treated as a medical case. Common complications associated with miscarriage are shock (due to too much blood loss) and infection. Doctors are likely to perform Dilation and Curettage to scrape out remaining fetal mass and other remnants of conception.

It is difficult to assess whether you’re experiencing a missed miscarriage right now. The best way to evaluate this is to have your doctor check your condition. Following your pre-natal care gives you a higher chance of preventing a miscarriage. Talk to your OB about miscarriages and preventive measures against this.