Missed Miscarriage: What Every Woman Needs To Know

Every newly pregnant woman fears about having a miscarriage at some point in her pregnancy. While yes, it's true that miscarriage may happen at different stages, it commonly occurs during her first trimester. Every womans chance of having a miscarriage during her first trimester lies between 10-20%. As the pregnancy progresses, the risks decrease and the chances of miscarriage after seeing heartbeat goes down to about 3-5%. Having a miscarriage once does not mean that your risks of having another are higher than women who have never had one. In this article, we will share with you some basic infformation about missed miscarriage what is it, what causes such, what its symptoms are and the like.

What is a missed miscarriage? A missed miscarriage is a type of miscarriage wherein the body does not necessary expel the many elements of a terminated pregnancy for a few weeks despite the fetus being already dead. It is also referred to as a missed abortion or silent pregnancy. Most women who experience missed miscarriage do not know that a miscarriage had occurred with some of them misinterpreting miscarriage symptoms as harmless pregnancy signs. The loss can be very devastating to the expectant mothers. Most cases of missed miscarriage usually occur on the first twelve weeks of pregnancy.

What are the causes of a missed miscarriage? The specific cause of a missed miscarriage remains undetermined. Nevertheless, about half of its cases are directly related to genetic problems in the egg or the sperm. Immune system problems as well as serious infections of the mother may also increase the risks of miscarriage. The risks may also be higher as age as caused by the natural deterioration of egg quality.

What are the signes of a missed miscarriage?
Vaginal discharge The first discharge are usually brown in color and turns to bright red later on. Note that the discharge does not always occur immediately making it more difficult to find out if pregnancy has indeed been terminated.
Absence of fetal heart No heartbeat is heard during ultrasound.
Loss of pregnancy symptoms All of a sudden, you no longer feel the nausea. You have lost the fatigue and have become active again. Your breasts are no longer tender.
It is very important to note that most of the above symptoms of missed miscarriage may be confusing. In some cases, women who have had a missed miscarriage without their knowledge continue to experience pregnancy symptoms. This overlapping of symptoms is due to the fact that the placental tissues continue to release hormones even if the fetus is dead. In rare cases, it can even give a positive pregnancy test.

How is a missed miscarriage diagnosed? A missed miscarriage may be diagnosed through an ultrasound. If no heartbeat is found, the pregnancy is considered terminated. Once detected, an operation may be recommended by the doctor in order to remove all the remnants of the pregnancy. This is done during the first few days after the diagnosis in order to prevent all infection.