Resources
What is “miscarriage” and what are its causes? Pregnancy is not all frills and flowers. Sometimes, bad things can happen, some things can go wrong and a miscarriage is one of them. A miscarriage is known in medical terms as “spontaneous abortion” or “SAB”. It is a pregnancy that ends on its own before the fetus can survive, usually within the first twenty (20) weeks of gestation. Miscarriage occurs in about 15% to 20% of all recognized pregnancies and some women dont even know that theyve experienced a miscarriage because the loss occurred early on in the pregnancy. It is possible that the miscarriage happens even before the woman notices that she is pregnant.
To give you an overview, here are the different types of miscarriages that can occur during a pregnancy:
- • Threatened miscarriage – This is the mildest form of miscarriage which occurs in the early stages of pregnancy. There is mild vaginal bleeding but the mouth of the womb is closed which means that no tissue has been expelled from the womb.
- • Inevitable miscarriage -Inevitable miscarriage is characterized by more severe vaginal bleeding together with an open cervix and some abdominal or back pain. Once the cervix is open, miscarriage is “inevitable”.
- • Incomplete miscarriage – An incomplete miscarriage is one which proceeds from the inevitable miscarriage but doesnt push all the products of conception out of the body, hence the term “incomplete”. Some material may still remain in the womb which the doctor should check with an ultrasound.
- • Complete miscarriage – When all the products of conception are fully expelled from the body, including that of the placental tissues, that is considered a complete miscarriage. It is characterized by heavy bleeding, abdominal pain and passing of tissue. However, bleeding and abdominal pain will have stopped as soon as the fetus is expelled. When checked with ultrasound, it should show an empty womb.
What are the causes of miscarriage? The reasons why a miscarriage occurs differ from person to person. There is no definitive cause but there are many underlying factors the most common of which seem to be a chromosomal abnormality or to put it simply, theres something wrong with the fetus chromosomes resulting from a damaged egg or sperm cell. Sometimes, when a couple experiences a number of miscarriages in their relationship, it will be better to test for genetic traits which may be causing the repeated miscarriages.
Other factors which can lead to miscarriage include diabetes, which when mismanaged not only causes miscarriage but also the possibility of birth defects. Collagen vascular diseases are potential triggers for miscarriage because these diseases (systemic lupus erythematosus and antiphospholipid antibody syndrome) cause the persons own immune system to create antibodies that attack itself. Hormonal factors also play a major role in a miscarriage, like Cushings Syndrome, thyroid disease and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Aside from these, the womans own physical anatomical structure may have a problem. Some women may have fibroids that interfere with the embryo implantation leading to miscarriage. Some women can have a tissue bridge called the uterine septum upon which when an embryo implants itself would definitely increase the likelihood of miscarriage.
Pregnancy
STDs
Ectopic Pregnancy and Miscarriage
Family Planning
- Which method of birth control is most effective?
- Facts on Birth Control
- What are the abortion facts that you should know?
- What types of abortion are available?
- How does the abortion pill compare with emergency contraception?
- How much does an abortion cost?
Other Organizations
- What is the difference between other Private Providers and Planned Parenthood?
- Center for Disease Control (CDC)
- The Guttmacher Institute
- Center for Reproductive Rights
- American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)