Losing a baby can be a devastating experience, however early in the pregnancy it happens. It is believed that up to one in five pregnancies may end in miscarriage, and many eggs that have been fertilized don't implant successfully in the womb and continue to grow. Women may not always be aware that they are pregnant, let alone that they have miscarried, as it can happen when you would expect your period anyway and without any other symptoms.
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| Getting Pregnant After Miscarriage |
The fact that so many women do miscarry at some point in their lives doesn't make it any easier to cope when you have lost a baby. Miscarriage is so common that we don't always appreciate how traumatic the emotional impact can be. As soon as women get pregnant, they inevitably begin to look forward to a future with their baby, and those hopes and dreams are lost when they miscarry.
The symptoms of miscarriage
The most common symptom of miscarriage is bleeding. Sometimes this may begin as light bleeding, or spotting, or it may be immediate very heavy bleeding. It is important to remember that some bleeding in early pregnancy is surprisingly common. There may be light bleeding when the fertilized egg implants into the wall of the womb, known as implantation bleeding, or some bleeding around the time a period would have occurred. It is important to take any bleeding in early pregnancy seriously, but light bleeding doesn't necessarily mean that there is something wrong.
The other main symptom of miscarriage is abdominal pain, but again this is common in early pregnancy. Mild aches or cramps can be caused by stretching of the ligaments that hold the womb. If you have severe cramping pains, especially if they are accompanied by bleeding, it does suggest that there may be a problem, and you should see a doctor immediately. If you seek medical attention for a suspected miscarriage, doctors will normally do an ultrasound scan to see whether the pregnancy is still progressing normally, and may also want to do a pregnancy test to check the levels of pregnancy hormones.
Complete miscarriage
A complete miscarriage is the term used when a pregnancy ends and all the tissue in the womb has come away and been discharged. Most miscarriages happen in the first trimester, or first 12 weeks, of pregnancy. If you have a miscarriage after this, it is known as a late miscarriage, and the loss of a baby after 24 weeks of pregnancy is a still birth. This can happen for no apparent reason, although it is sometimes due to problems with the placenta or to an abnormality in the baby's development.
'The last miscarriage I had was at 22 weeks I'd had a scan three days beforehand and everything was fine. I just started bleeding and having cramps at about two o'clock in the afternoon, and by eight o'clock at night it was all over and done with. It was very upsetting at the time, but you can't dwell on it.' Ann, 43
Incomplete miscarriage
Sometimes when a miscarriage occurs, parts of the placenta, sac or embryo may be left in the womb. Bleeding and pain will often continue after the miscarriage, and if this happens you should contact a doctor immediately. It may be necessary to have a minor operation to clear the womb if you have an incomplete miscarriage. This procedure is called an ERPC (evacuation of the retained products of conception), an unpleasantly blunt title. You will have a general anesthetic and the cervix will be opened, or dilated, so that the inside of the womb can be scraped clear.
'At the 12-week scan, they said there was no heartbeat. They gave us all these leaflets, and a couple of days later I started to miscarry. Physically it wasn't too bad, but they said they'd scan me to see how it was going, and they said it was incomplete, so I had a pessary, like an abortion pill, to finish it off" Elaine, 39. To find out more, you can check out Getting Pregnant After Miscarriage.
