Health Tips

Also called: Miscarriage, Spontaneous abortion, Stillbirth

You're pregnant and expect to be changing diapers one day. Then, suddenly, the pregnancy is over. Whatever name it is called - miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth - you lost your baby.

Pregnancy loss can happen in different ways. With a miscarriage, pregnancy suddenly ends before 20 weeks. It usually happens because of genetic problems in the fetus. An ectopic pregnancy occurs outside the uterus and the fetus cannot survive. In a molar pregnancy, a mass or growth forms inside the uterus at the beginning of a pregnancy; often there is no fetus. After 20 weeks, losing a pregnancy is called stillbirth.

Similar losses - and grief - can also be the result of newborn death or prenatal death from trauma. Counseling may help. Later, if you do decide to try again, work closely with your health care provider to lower the risks. Many women who lose a pregnancy go on to have healthy babies.

Miscarriage
What is a miscarriage?
A miscarriage, sometimes called pregnancy loss, is the loss of pregnancy from natural causes before the 20th week of pregnancy. Most miscarriages occur very early in the pregnancy, often before a woman even knows she is pregnant.
What causes a miscarriage?
There are many different causes for a miscarriage, some known and others unknown. In most cases, there is nothing a woman can do to prevent a miscarriage.
There are some factors that may contribute to miscarriage.
* The most common cause of miscarriage in the first trimester is a chromosomal abnormality in the fetus. This is usually results from a problem with the sperm or egg that prevents the fetus from developing properly.
* During the second trimester, problems with the uterus or cervix can contribute to miscarriage.
* Women with a disorder called polycystic ovary syndrome are three times more likely to miscarry during the early months of pregnancy than women who don’t have the syndrome.
Women who have miscarriages can and often do become pregnant again, with normal pregnancy outcomes.
What are the symptoms of and treatments for miscarriage?
Signs of a miscarriage can include:
* Vaginal spotting or bleeding
* Cramping or abdominal pain
* Fluid or tissue passing from the vagina
Although vaginal bleeding is a common symptom when a woman has a miscarriage, many pregnant women have spotting early in their pregnancy but do not miscarry. But, pregnant women who have symptoms such as bleeding should contact their health care provider immediately.
Women who miscarry early in their pregnancy usually do not need any treatment. In some cases, a woman may need a procedure called a dilatation and curettage (D&C) to remove tissue remaining in the uterus. A D&C can be done in a health care provider’s office, an outpatient clinic, or a hospital.

Stillbirth
What is a stillbirth?
A stillbirth is the loss of pregnancy due to natural causes after the 20th week of pregnancy. It can occur before delivery or during delivery.
What are the signs of a stillbirth?
In some cases of stillbirth, the mother may notice a decrease in the movement or kicking of the fetus. In these cases, the health care provider uses an ultrasound, a machine that uses sound waves to create a picture of the fetus, to learn more about its health.
If the fetus has died, an autopsy and placental examination is performed to get information on why the baby died. But it is not always possible to tell why the baby died.
If you are pregnant and have concerns about stillbirth, ask your health care provider if there are ways he or she wants you to track movement.
What are the causes of a stillbirth?
Causes of a stillbirth may include:
* Problems with the placenta, such an abruption in which the placenta peels away from the uterine wall
* Chromosomal abnormalities resulting from defects in the sperm or egg that make the fetus unable to develop properly
* Other physical problems in the fetus
* Fetuses that are small for their gestational age or not growing at an appropriate rate
* Bacterial infections that can cause complications and death to the fetus
In at least half of all cases, researchers can find no cause for the pregnancy loss.
What medical procedures are used when there is a stillbirth
In some cases it is medically necessary for a woman to deliver the fetus immediately after the diagnosis of a stillbirth.
In other cases, the couple can decide when they want to deliver the fetus.
A health care provider can induce labor or perform a caesarean section to deliver the fetus. A woman will usually go into labor on her own within two weeks after the fetal death.