What is a Miscarriage ?
What is a miscarriage? Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion has become a common problem in the lives of many women. It can be described as the loss of fetus within the first twenty weeks of pregnancy and various studies have shown that more than 80% of miscarriages take place during the first three months of pregnancy. It can be an extremely alarming experience for a woman and she will go through a lot of physical as well as emotional problems during miscarriage. This problem can be associated with 15% to 20% of all recognized pregnancies and improper development of pregnancy can be described as the most underlying reason behind miscarriage.
Major symptoms of miscarriage
Bleeding is the most important symptom of this problem and light bleeding will get converted as heavy one during miscarriage. Most women experience severe cramps during this condition and abdominal pain can always be associated with miscarriage. Another major symptom is fever and some women experience back pain and weakness as well. When a woman experiences any of these problems it is always advisable to contact obstetric health care provider immediately.
Miscarriage causes
In order to get a clear cut answer to the question, ‘what is a miscarriage‘, people should make a better understanding about the underlying causes of this problem. Chromosomal abnormalities in the baby can be described as the most dominating reason behind spontaneous abortion during the first trimester. Small structures inside the cells, known as chromosomes are primarily accountable for carrying many genes and it is a well known fact that genes play the most important role in determining the physical attributes of a person including blood type, sex, hair color and so on. Another major reason behind the occurrence of miscarriage can be described as infection and extended exposure to high levels of toxic agents and radiation can also lead to spontaneous abortion.
If a woman has some hormonal problems she will be more susceptible to pregnancy loss during the first 20 weeks and uterine abnormalities also play an important role in making miscarriage a reality. Apart from all these causes, various aspects like incompetent cervix, immune system disorders, kidney problems, congenital heart disease, uncontrolled diabetes, obesity, thyroid related problems and malnutrition can also lead to spontaneous abortion. Health practitioners always advocate the importance of avoiding smoking, alcohol, illegal drugs and medications like accutane to be better prepared against miscarriage and various studies have also shown that increased risk for miscarriage can be seen in older women in comparison with younger women.
How to handle miscarriage?
After having created better awareness about what is a miscarriage and its symptoms and causes, people should also realize how to deal with this extremely alarming condition. Going for work immediately after spontaneous abortion is not advisable at all and the patient should take rest for a few days to avert unwanted damage to her physical as well as mental health. Most women experience sadness and anger during this condition and it can become a frightening experience as well. Family members will have to provide strong support during this situation and they should try to avert all types of negative feelings from the mind of the affected person with a compassionate method of approach. A sense of guilt can start creeping in the mind of the patient and if this feeling goes unattended for an extended period of time she may get affected with depression. In such a situation, professional help will become an indispensable aspect as well. Conceiving again should be done by following the advice of a qualified doctor and in normal circumstances; doctors advocate a gap between one menstrual cycle to 3 months. Treatments using progesterone, a hormone needed for implantation in the uterus, can be done during this phase to make women better prepared for the next pregnancy.
How to diagnose and treat spontaneous abortion?
When a woman gets an idea about what is a miscarriage she will be eager to know about the treatment options as well. In order to identify miscarriage, doctors usually perform an ultrasound test and a pelvic exam. With the help of these tests, the doctor will confirm whether the miscarriage is complete and if the uterus is empty further treatment will not be required. In the case of some women, Dilation and Curettage procedure needs to be performed to empty the uterus completely and during this procedure; the remaining placental or fetal tissue will be removed by dilating the cervix. Those women, who always want to avoid surgery, can make use of some medications to remove contents from the uterus as well.
When a woman experiences the symptoms without getting any confirmation about the miscarriage, bed rest will become inevitable and the patient will get admitted to the hospital for observation. Blood tests will be conducted to find out the pregnancy hormone levels and such a method of approach will give a better idea about the progress of the miscarriage. The pregnant woman will be allowed to perform her daily activities if the bleeding stops and the doctor will explore all viable options to protect the pregnancy. In the case of women diagnosed with incompetent cervix, a procedure known as Cerclage will be performed to close the cervix for protecting the pregnancy. If the blood type of the pregnant women is Rh negative, doctor will prescribe a blood product known as Rh immune globulin (Rhogam) and it is being done to prevent the development of antibodies that would affect the health condition of the mother and the baby. If a woman experiences two or more miscarriages genetic tests, blood tests and medication will become inevitable and diagnostic procedures like endometrial biopsy, hysterosalpingogram, hysteroscopy and laparoscopy will be performed to identify the underlying reasons behind repeated miscarriage.
Conclusion
What is a miscarriage? What are the underlying reasons behind it? How to solve this problem? Most women have been searching for convincing answers to these questions. It can be said without any doubt that with the advancements in science and technology, finding solutions to spontaneous abortion or miscarriage has become a less complicated task in these days.