Miscarriage: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment and Cost

Miscarriage is the sudden termination of pregnancy which usually occurs before 20 weeks of pregnancy. It is also one of the most common forms of loss of pregnancy. The causes of a miscarriage vary vastly from person to person and may or may not affect future pregnancies. Some causes are even genetic.

Furthermore, gynecological diseases like polycystic ovarian syndrome may also cause miscarriages. More often than not, early miscarriage occurs even before they come to know that they are pregnant. Your body takes a minimum of 2-3 weeks to recover from a miscarriage. In this article, we are going to discuss all that you need to know about miscarriage and miscarriage bleeding.

Commonly speaking, there are five types of miscarriages - missed, complete, incomplete, inevitable, or threatened.

Before a miscarriage completely takes place there are a number of miscarriage symptoms that may occur during this time. Common symptoms that may occur before or during an early miscarriage:

• Vaginal spotting
• Light to heavy miscarriage bleeding from your vagina
• Lower abdominal pain or cramps
• Nausea and vomiting
• Fatigue
• Irregular uterine bleeding
• Uterine contractions
• Lower back pain or pelvic pain

Most of the time miscarriages happen if the fetus does not develop properly. There are several causes of miscarriage. These causes can be either genetic or situational.

• Age: Age is one of the most common causes of miscarriage. Women who are more than 35 years of age are prone to such miscarriages during their pregnancy.
• Previous miscarriages: if a woman has gone through more than three previous miscarriages, it is likely that another miscarriage is about to happen.
• Genetic anomalies: during fertilization, there are several chromosomal changes that an embryo might go through. Such changes may cause genetic anomalies which result in termination of the pregnancy or in other words, a miscarriage.
• Uterine problems: Improper implantation as well as other uterine problems the fetus may not attach to the uterine wall as expected. This can cause miscarriages during pregnancy.
• Other chronic diseases: Diabetes, Thyroid, or any other hormonal disease can also increase the risk of miscarriage.
• Lifestyle conditions: Habits like smoking consumption of alcohol drugs or some other substances may also lead to miscarriages.

Miscarriage is something that is not controllable. More often than not miscarriage cannot be prevented. However, maintaining a good and healthy lifestyle while you are pregnant can decrease the risk of having a miscarriage. Here are some dos and don'ts that you can follow to avoid pregnancy loss.

• Get enough sleep
• Regular exercise
• Eat healthy and nutritious diets
• Add seafood to your diet
• Gain weight smartly
• Don’t consume alcohol/caffeine
• Don’t smoke
• Don’t eat unpasteurized dairy products
• Don’t consume raw meat
• Don’t sit in a hot tub for too long

• Genetic abnormalities or chromosomal disorders: Genetic abnormalities in the foetus sometimes cause miscarriage.
• Uterine abnormalities or structural issues: By preventing implantation or healthy foetal development, conditions like fibroids (noncancerous growths in the uterus) or an irregularly shaped uterus may raise the chance of miscarriage.
• Infections during pregnancy: Some diseases, including rubella, cytomegalovirus (CMV), and other STIs, can put the developing foetus in danger and raise the likelihood of miscarriage.
• Blood clotting disorders or thrombophilia: Blood clotting disorders can cause the foetus to receive insufficient blood, which may cause a miscarriage.
• Maternal lifestyle factors: Smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, drug use, or exposure to environmental toxins can increase the risk of miscarriage.
• Maternal health conditions: High blood pressure or poorly controlled diabetes during pregnancy can raise the chance of miscarriage.

Diagnosis of miscarriage is quite simple. Miscarriage bleeding is commonly the first sign of a miscarriage. During regular checkups, the level of pregnancy hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) is measured. If there are visible abnormalities in the levels, then it can be a risk factor. There are a few other tests that can help in figuring out whether there is a miscarriage or not.

• Ultrasound: Ultrasound is imaging of internal organs with the help of sound waves This is the most common test that can be done in order to detect a miscarriage. The results are very accurate and inexpensive.
• Blood tests: Hormonal levels can be measured in blood tests. The abnormal level of pregnancy hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) during pregnancy can be a sign of miscarriage.
• Genetic screening: As stated above, most miscarriages take place due to genetic anomalies. Genetic screening helps in finding out such anomalies.
• Hormonal tests: abnormal levels of some other hormones like FSH, Progesterone, and Estrogen can also indicate a miscarriage.

Miscarriage bleeding can occur for several days. It may vary from light bleeding to heavy bleeding or just vaginal spotting. If it is a threatened miscarriage, vaginal bleeding with dull cramps in your abdominal area is common. Sometimes, heavy bleeding may also occur which is a result of inevitable miscarriage.

The pain experienced during a miscarriage can differ from person to person both physically and emotionally.

Physically: Miscarriage pain is frequently compared to severe menstruation cramps. While some women may have more severe discomfort, others may experience severe abdominal pain.

Emotionally: Miscarriage can be a painful and traumatic experience on an emotional level. It may result in emotions such as sorrow, grief, guilt, rage, and perplexity. Miscarriage can cause intense emotional suffering that may require support from family and friends, therapy, or support groups to help the grieving process.

Here are some of the complications that may occur after a miscarriage:

• Excess miscarriage bleeding: Excess amount of miscarriage blood loss can be one of the biggest complications after miscarriage.
• Incomplete miscarriage: The leftover tissues may not get flushed out completely, thereby causing an incomplete miscarriage.
• Infection in the uterus: If all the unwanted tissues are not removed from the uterus, they may cause bacterial infections.
• Blockage in the fallopian tube: Miscarriage can cause an infection in the fallopian tube and cause proximal tubal occlusion.
• Asherman Syndrome: It is a complication that occurs after miscarriage surgery. There is a formation of adhesions or scar tissues that may cause future miscarriages.
• Recurrent miscarriages: Due to complications during your current miscarriage, there can also be a chance of future miscarriages.
• Emotional distress: Miscarriages take a huge toll on the patient's mental health. It may cause depression, mood disorder, and behavioral changes in a person.

Some home remedies that can help you get through a natural miscarriage are as follows:

• Use heating bags for too much pain.
• Take pain medications that can help with the cramps.
• Use pads instead of tampons.
• Have enough rest.
• Drink more fluids.
• Eat healthy food like green vegetables and fruits.

However, surgery is sometimes inevitable. If there is an incomplete miscarriage, meaning that leftover tissues are still there inside the uterus, then surgery should be performed to avoid infections.

First and foremost, your body needs to rebuild the lost cells. For that protein is one of the most essential components. Therefore the diet you choose should be highly proteinaceous. Moreover, your diet should also be rich in

• Vitamins
• Iron
• Folate
• Magnesium
• Calcium
• Also a good amount of fluid intake

To prevent complications in the future one must avoid these foods given below:-

• Junk foods
• Low-fiber Starch
• Fatty foods
• Soy products
• Sweets

miscarriage treatment is easily accessible to all and can be availed at any hospital. The treatment requires care and medical assistance. If there is an incomplete miscarriage, a medical surgery known as Dilation and Curettage (D&C) is performed. Some medications can help the miscarriage to proceed naturally.

It usually takes two to three months to recover from a miscarriage. After at least two normal menstrual cycles, you are good to go for another try at pregnancy. However, it also varies from person to person. Some women may take a while before recovering from a recent miscarriage. Also, emotional well-being is important as well.

The price of miscarriage treatment by surgery varies from 20,000 INR to 40,000 INR. Government hospitals may charge less than private hospitals.

No, not really. If you have gone through a recent miscarriage treatment, there is an 85% chance of bearing a healthy pregnancy on the next try. However, it is advisable to let your body heal before going for another pregnancy.

Miscarriages happen naturally. Ultrasounds can confirm if there are any problems with implantation, or if the embryo is not alive. If there are no signs of infection then you should allow the miscarriage to naturally happen. However, women who are facing threatened miscarriage, that is light vaginal bleeding or dull abdominal pain can visit their respective doctors for a regular checkup. If there are any pregnancy tissues left in the uterus after the miscarriage, your doctor can scrape them out to avoid infection.

Miscarriage treatments are almost available for all patients. However, you may have allergies to a particular medicine. In that case, your doctor will prescribe a different one.

Miscarriage treatment usually does not have any side effects. However, some women may develop an infection in the uterus. This infection can cause pain in the lower abdomen, tenderness in the lower abdomen, vaginal discharge, or vaginal bleeding. Some other side effects can be nausea, chills, fever, and fatigue. However, Pristyn Care offers the best facilities that there are and the side effects of the surgery are very low.

After three back-to-back miscarriages, it is fair to say that your uterus is not able to sustain the embryo. However, this is a very common problem that is faced by a lot of women who are trying to conceive. Due to previous miscarriages, your baby may also have a preterm birth during the consecutive pregnancy.