Symptoms of Early Miscarriage : Types, Causes, and Prevention

Coping with Early Miscarriage: Causes and Prevention

Early miscarriage is an unexpected termination of pregnancy that may occur within the first 12 weeks of gestation. Miscarriages are both physical emotional trepidation that affects a woman's body and mind. This type of miscarriage is more common than late miscarriages.

To navigate such a crisis, one should be well aware of its types, symptoms, causes, and treatment options. In this blog, we will cover the signs of miscarriages that must be looked after cautiously within two weeks of pregnancy. Read ahead to know further about this.

Types of Miscarriages

Following are the types of miscarriages women can go through:

Missed Abortion: In this type, the miscarriage has occurred but there are still proper signs and symptoms of pregnancy. Only through ultrasound, a missed abortion could be confirmed that the foetus is dead.
Complete Miscarriage: This happens when all the tissues from a pregnancy are expelled from the uterus, usually leading to severe bleeding, cramps, and the passing of large clots.
Recurrent Miscarriage: Only 1% of couples could experience such a gruelling phase. 3 consecutive miscarriages can take place.
Threatened Miscarriage: A threatened miscarriage is when early pregnancy shows signs of possible miscarriage, but the pregnancy still continues. It's a warning sign, not a certain loss of the pregnancy. Your doctor would closely notice your symptoms throughout the remaining period of your pregnancy.

Early Miscarriage Symptoms

Miscarriage symptoms depend on the type of miscarriage. Some women face subtle signs in case they experience it even before knowing they are pregnant. On the other hand, some may face more severe symptoms.

The common miscarriage symptoms that can occur within two weeks of pregnancy comprise:

● Miscarriage Bleeding

Slight bleeding or spotting is a very common sign with pregnancy and this does not indicate any possibility of miscarriage. But when the bleeding is heavy, there might be a chance of miscarriage.

● Cramping or Abdominal Pain

Pain or discomfort in your lower abdomen or cramps that tend to be more severe than those during your period. You might also feel lightheaded because of the pain and bleeding.

If the cramping comes with heavy bleeding, you should visit your gynae without any further delay.

● Pregnancy Loss Symptoms

Nausea, sore breasts, and fatigue are the common symptoms in pregnant women. If these symptoms disappear suddenly, it could be the onset of miscarriage.

● Passing Tissue

When a pregnant woman starts releasing a greyish sac, it could be the reason of miscarriage has already taken place.

● Missed Abortion

This is very painful because the foetus has been aborted. However, the pregnant mother could not realise the abortion symptoms and continued with the pregnancy symptoms. This is confirmed when the ultrasound shows that the baby's development has been stopped.

● Chemical Pregnancy

Chemical pregnancy occurs before the 5th week of pregnancy. In most cases, women do not know they are pregnant leading to missed periods and spotting.

Causes of Early Miscarriage

Chromosomal abnormalities are the prime reason for 50% of miscarriages. Chromosomes are the tiny structural cells living inside the body. During fertilisation, two sets of chromosomes join and if there are more chromosomes they form abnormalities leading to such early miscarriage. There are some other factors involved in this process which include:

● Infection
● Exposure to TORCH Disease
● Hormonal Imbalances
● Inappropriate Implantation of Fertilised Egg
● Uterine Abnormalities
● Incompetent Cervix
● Irregular Lifestyle Choices
● Severe Kidney Disease
● Thyroid Disease
● Radiation
● Malnutrition

There is no proof that certain reasons like stress, exercise, and medications can cause miscarriage. Miscarriages do not depend on any definite factors. This is emotional digressing and one should stay away from blaming for this miscarriage.

Diagnosis and Tests

There is only one way to confirm miscarriage and that is through ultrasound. If you feel extreme cramps and sudden bleeding during your pregnancy, you should consult with your gynae. Ultrasound checks for a foetal heartbeat and the existence of a yolk sac.
Your gynae may suggest the blood test to measure the hormone, Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG). Placenta produces this hormone and a low level of this hormone leads to miscarriage. Finally, it is the doctor's responsibility to organise the pelvic exam to check the condition.

Management and Treatment

Women facing miscarriages need to go through the surgical process where the foetus will be removed. If any residue is left inside the body, it can lead to certain complications like infection, bleeding, and other complications.

Once the miscarriage is confirmed and the foetal tissues are removed, women need no further requirements. Further confirmation will be made based on the ultrasound report and they can prescribe certain forms of medication to alleviate depression associated with miscarriage. Here are the two ways to treat miscarriages:

● Nonsurgical Treatment

Your gynae, at the initial phase, can ask for waiting to check whether the foetus gets removed on its own. In case of missed miscarriage, doctors prescribe some medications so that foetal tissues get passed down easily. Such options are available for those experiencing miscarriages before 10 weeks of gestation.

When the miscarriage is underway because you have started facing those symptoms, doctors will advise for complete bed rest. Your gynae can suggest hospitalisation for close observation. Once the bleeding stops, the pregnant women can start their normal activities. A cervical cerclage can be performed to check the present condition of the cervix.

● Surgical Procedure

Your provider may conduct dilation of curettage in case the uterus fails to remove the foetal tissues. Surgery is suggested when the pregnancy tenure has already completed 10 weeks of gestation. When the cervix is dilated, any residue of a foetus is scraped off. Pregnant women are given anaesthesia because such a surgical process is painful.

Preventing Miscarriage

This is crucial to keep in mind that miscarriage cannot be prevented. However, there are some of cautionary measures that one can adopt to reduce the risk:

● Check Your Obesity

Eating a balanced diet can help you overcome your obesity. Try to exercise daily so that you can manage a healthy weight. Put a leash on your ill habits like drinking and smoking which can make you obese and later the higher chances of miscarriages.

● Take Prenatal Vitamins

Folic acid helps in foetal development and adding such vitamins to your daily diet could help women overcome such pregnancy-related complications.

● Balance Your Chronic Conditions

Managing diabetes and thyroid would lower the risk of miscarriages. Such underlying conditions can exacerbate the chances of miscarriages further.

● Limit Harmful Chemicals

You need to lower the exposure to chemical substances like heavy metals and other environmental toxins.

● Observe Early Pregnancy Symptoms

Women need to pay close attention at the beginning of their pregnancy. They need to check the symptoms like nausea, fatigue, and breast tenderness. If the symptoms suddenly stop and there is heavy bleeding followed by this, one should rush to their gynae as soon as possible.

Conclusion

Early miscarriages and the emotions accompanying them can be very challenging. Understanding the signs, causes, and symptoms helps one get over such a challenging phase easily. This needs to be acknowledged that not all miscarriages can be prevented. However, by following certain disciplines in life, one can alter such fateful conditions to take place. Miscarriage exerts lots of mental and physical pressure on pregnant women and for that awareness of early miscarriages should be made. Seeking prompt medical attention is the only way to get rid of this complication.

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FAQ

What is a 3-month-old foetus miscarriage?

The first three-month-old miscarriage is known as the first-trimester miscarriage. It is the initial development of the foetus that does not take the full shape to survive.

Which food can cause miscarriage?

There are food items that cause miscarriage such as raw eggs, unpasteurised milk, raw papaya, and pineapple.

What are the 4-month pregnancy symptoms?

Some common symptoms of 4 months include digestive issues, breast changes, skin changes, nasal changes, and so forth.

What not to do after a miscarriage?

Right after miscarriage, one should not engage in sexual intercourse for at least 1-2 weeks. This is better to avoid tampon usage right after the next period. You must also avoid any heavy physical activity and give your body the rest and time to recover.