The discussion of a miscarriage is a very difficult one to have. Most women who have one miscarriage usually go on to have an uneventful pregnancy and delivery later. However, women who have more than one miscarriage will require the intervention of a fertility doctor to investigate further.

One miscarriage is not enough to diagnose you with recurrent pregnancy loss. Recurrent pregnancy loss is defined as two or more failed pregnancies. The loss of pregnancies has to be confirmed by a pregnancy test or ultrasound (Yale Medicine).

The most commonly identified causes of recurrent pregnancy loss include uterine problems, immunological factors, hormonal disorders and genetic abnormalities.

If you’ve ever had a pregnancy loss, you are not alone. pregnancy loss is pretty common. About 15 to 20 percent of pregnancies end in miscarriage. Often, pregnancy loss is random and does not mean there is an underlying genetic or reproductive issue. (Yale Medicine)

Approximately 2 percent of women experience two consecutive pregnancy losses, which could still be attributed to chance. However, about 0.5 percent of women experience a third consecutive loss, which might indicate a reproductive problem. Therefore, a full medical examination is recommended after two or more losses. (Yale Medicine)

How To Know When You Are Having A Miscarriage

Signs of a miscarriage (in no particular order) include:

• Cramps and belly pain
• Contractions
• Passing blood clots from the vagina
• Whitish-pink mucus
• Bleeding that goes from light to heavy
• Weakness
• Back pain

None of these signs should be taken lightly during pregnancy

Causes of Miscarriages

The big question right now would be, “what causes miscarriages?” Let’s look at a few causes.

Uterine abnormalities – Some women have miscarriages due to fibroids, endometrial polyps or intrauterine adhesions.

Hormonal disorders – Conditions like PCOS, thyroid disease, elevated prolactin levels and uncontrolled diabetes contribute to pregnancy loss.

Abnormal chromosomes – In about 50% of cases, nature takes its own course by terminating a pregnancy where the embryo has an abnormal number of chromosomes. These could occur at conception or could be inherited from either parent.

Lifestyle factors – Habits such as smoking, drugs, caffeine intake, exposure to tokins, obesity and other potential causes can also lead to recurrent pregnancy loss.

Cervical insufficiency – Another cause of miscarriages is cervical insufficiency, a situation where the mother has a weak cervix and is unable to hold the pregnancy from the second trimester. Signs of cervical insufficiency include pressure, water breaking and some products of pregnancy that may come out of your body without much pain.

To keep the pregnancy, doctors usually treat by stitching the cervix to keep it closed till the time of delivery. This can happen around 12 weeks.

[Medical fact: There are several “types” of miscarriages]

There are different kinds of miscarriages, including:

• Threatened miscarriage – mild bleeding, but the pregnancy will likely progress
• Inevitable miscarriage – bleeding and cramping, miscarriage is likely
• Incomplete miscarriage – when your body does not expel all the products of pregnancy
• Complete miscarriage – your body expels all the products of pregnancy
• Recurrent miscarriage (RM) – losing three or more pregnancies during the first trimester

Dealing With A Miscarriage

It is normal to feel a range of emotions when you are going through a miscarriage. It’s even possible for you to blame yourself and feel you did something wrong. These feelings are normal, but you should not bottle them in – talk to your partner or a counselor about how you feel and take your time to heal.

Can A Miscarriage Be Prevented?

Sadly, the problem isn’t you. The problem was the pregnancy and your body decided to remove it, so there is really not much you can do to prevent a future miscarriage from happening, but if your doctor does some testing and discovers a problem, then it can be addressed and treatment options proffered.

Have you gone through a miscarriage before? We’re so sorry for your loss (or losses) and we want you to know that our team is more than happy to help you on your journey to parenthood.

If you have any questions or concerns, please use the comment section below.

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Source: Yale Medicine, Web MD