Miscarriage and loss

Symptoms associated with miscarriage

By Saurabh K Jain
www.pregnancy-articles.com

Pregnancy miscarriage is the traumatic end of a pregnancy. It marks the natural or spontaneous end of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or the fetus is not capable of surviving. Most expectant mothers seem to get panicky about this mishap during the course of pregnancy. As per medical experts, miscarriages can take place in the first trimester or the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. The period starting from 12 weeks to 28 weeks of pregnancy are the most risk prone. Therefore, pregnant women must be familiar of the symptoms and the causes of miscarriage and be on the alert all the time.

Causes and symptoms of pregnancy loss

Basically the baby’s failure to be developed in the uterus marks pregnancy miscarriage. Sometimes miscarriages can take place without the pregnant woman's even coming to know that she was pregnant. Usually, the bleeding secreted from the vagina is one of the most common and prominent indicators of miscarriage. If you are pregnant and display this symptom, call your physician immediately. You must hurry and call your doctor to prevent losing your baby. Medical experts suggest if a pregnant woman shows vaginal bleeding, she must lie down to protect her pregnancy from coming to an end.

Medical professionals plan measures on the basis of the stage of pregnancy in which the vaginal bleeding takes place. If the bleeding appears anytime after 28 weeks, then it will not necessarily signal a miscarriage, but rather, complications in the placenta. The placenta is considered to be the lifeline of your baby growing inside, so if there are any risks related to placenta apparent through vaginal bleeding, you must contact your doctor at the earliest and get yourself admitted to hospital. Doctors may carry out ultrasound to determine the position of the placenta. You may be retained in the hospital so you may give birth. Often, patients undergo blood transfusion to make up for loss of blood and babies are delivered by either induction or cesarean.

How to prevent miscarriage

Consult with your doctor to find ways to save your baby from succumbing to miscarriage. Most doctors instruct patients to take adequate bedrest for a few days to stop bleeding. Call for another pregnancy test or ultrasound to confirm you are still at a safe distance from the risk of miscarriage. You should always place yourself under keen observation so as to determine whether pregnancy is advancing normally and to ensure there is no abnormality in the baby’s development.

As long as the vaginal bleeding experienced is mild and painless, there is little risk of miscarriage. When you find the bleeding to be heavy and terribly painful, it marks miscarriage. Painful vaginal bleeding indicates that the baby has stopped developing. Consult your doctor to clean out your womb in such a case. Such miscarriages can immensely affect a woman’s mental health and can push her toward depression. It is up to her spouse or partner and family members to give her adequate attention and care to overcome the loss of baby. (See Helping a friend through a miscarriage for more information.)

Pregnancy miscarriage is a severe complication: trauma, accident, or pregnancy complications terminate the pregnancy prematurely. Once you test positive for pregnancy, watch for symptoms of miscarriage (e.g., unusual bleeding). If you experience any unusual symptoms, consult your pregnancy doctor immediately. Ultrasound and other examinations can rule out any such possibility.