Miscarriages: questions and answers

Miscarriage is defined as the loss of the fetus in the womb within 20 weeks of pregnancy.

How frequent are miscarriages?

It is estimated that they occur in 15% (15 out of 100 pregnancies) of known pregnancies.

Sometimes they happen so early that the woman does not have the material time to realize that she is pregnant. Therefore it is thought that they may occur in an even higher percentage.

Most miscarriages occur in the first trimester (within the 13th week of pregnancy). In the second trimester, between 13 and 19 weeks of pregnancy, it occurs in 1-5 pregnancies out of 100 (therefore in 1% – 5% of pregnancies).

What are the causes of miscarriages?

It is not always possible to trace the precise cause of that particular abortion.

The most common causes are:

1)  Chromosome problems . They account for more than half of the causes of miscarriages that occur in the first trimester. Each person has 23 pairs of chromosomes (46 in all) in their cells. One chromosome of each pair comes from the mother and the other from the father. Most chromosomal problems occur when an egg or sperm cell has the wrong number of chromosomes: either too many or too few. A pregnancy begins when a man’s sperm fertilizes a woman’s egg. If one of these two protagonists has the wrong number of chromosomes, the embryo that forms may not be able to survive, resulting in a miscarriage.

2) Smoking, alcohol and drugs : If you smoke, drink alcohol, or use drugs or medications, these can increase the chances of experiencing a miscarriage.

3) Mother’s health . Certain health conditions can increase a woman’s chances of miscarriage. Treating these conditions before and during pregnancy can sometimes help prevent miscarriage.

Among these conditions we find:

• Infections
• Diabetes
• Hormonal dysfunctions
• Thyroid disease.
• Lupus and other autoimmune diseases.

4) You may have heard that taking too much caffeine during pregnancy can cause miscarriages. Caffeine is a substance found in various foods and even in some medicines. Some studies say caffeine can cause miscarriages, and others say it doesn’t. When in doubt, limit your intake to 200 milligrams a day

What factors increase the risk of an embryo with an abnormal number of chromosomes?

The likelihood that an embryo may have an abnormal number of chromosomes increases as the woman ages. After the age of 40, about a third of pregnancies end in miscarriage, and most of these miscarriages are due to chromosomal abnormalities.

What are the signs and symptoms of a miscarriage?

• Vaginal bleeding or spotting
• Cramps similar to those you feel during your period
• Severe abdominal pain

Many women experience these symptoms without necessarily being at risk of miscarriage. However, if you have one of these symptoms, it is advisable to talk to your doctor immediately, who will have you undergo the necessary checks to understand how the pregnancy is evolving. These checkups may include blood tests and ultrasound.

How long does it take to recover from a miscarriage?

Recovering from a miscarriage can take at least a couple of weeks. But often it takes a month or even more. Much also depends on how far along the pregnancy was when the miscarriage occurred. In fact, depending on the weeks in which it was, pregnancy hormones can remain in circulation from one to two months after the abortion. Most women see their periods again 4 to 6 weeks later.

However, it may take longer for emotional recovery after a natural abortion .

The loss of a child, no matter how early it may be, brings about feelings of sadness and grief . Grief can express itself in a wide variety of feelings. You can feel sad and depressed one day and angry the next. One can (mistakenly) feel guilty. You may have a headache, lose your appetite, feel tired, have trouble concentrating or sleeping.

Don’t be ashamed to cry or ask family or friends for support. And find your own special way to remember your child.

Does my partner feel the same way as me?

Your feelings can be very different from those of your partner. Your partner may be hurting, but he probably won’t express his feelings about her in the same way a woman does.

This can create tension in the couple at a time when you need each other a lot. Sometimes men feel the need to be strong for both despite the pain they feel.

What precautions should I take after a miscarriage?

After a miscarriage your doctor may advise you not to have sex or use tampons for at least 2 weeks to avoid infection.

When should I get checked after a miscarriage?

A checkup should be done 2-4 weeks after the miscarriage.

However, it is important to call your doctor right away if any of the following occur:

• heavy bleeding
• fever
• strong pain

What if my blood type is Rh negative and I have a miscarriage?

During a miscarriage, it is possible for the mother’s blood to come into contact with fetal blood cells. If a woman is Rh negative and the fetus is Rh positive, this contact causes her to produce antibodies against the Rh factor. These antibodies react against the Rh factor as if it were a harmful substance and can cause serious problems in a subsequent pregnancy with a Rh-positive baby. For this reason, an anti-D prophylaxis could be given to the mother after a miscarriage . By administering these immunoglobulins to the mother, the formation of maternal antibodies against the baby’s red blood cells is prevented.

After a miscarriage when can you try to get pregnant again?

It is a decision that must be made both with your partner and with your trusted doctor.

You are probably physically OK to try to become pregnant after at least one menstrual cycle after the miscarriage. But many women aren’t emotionally ready to get pregnant that early. Sometimes it takes more time to metabolize the loss of the child from an emotional point of view. Therefore it is advisable to wait more than one menstrual cycle to try to have a new pregnancy.

In some cases, the gynecologist could make you do some tests to understand the causes of the abortion , especially if it is not the first. If so, it is a good idea to finish doing all the prescribed analyzes before trying to get pregnant again.