Every pregnant woman’s one of the worst nightmares is losing the unborn child; miscarriage.

This is something nobody wishes befalls upon them. But unfortunately, miscarriages are more common than we think they are. If statistics are to be believed, then 12 to 15% pregnancies are known to terminate in a miscarriage. That is why you should take every possible precaution to make sure your pregnancy is healthy and safe. In this article, I will be trying to cover everything you should know about a miscarriage.

1What Is It

If you are yet unaware of the term miscarriage, then quite simply it is when a pregnancy is terminated – whether naturally or voluntarily because of genetic or chromosomal abnormalities in the first 20 weeks. A lot of times women are not even aware that they have miscarried and still go on assuming they are still pregnant.

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2Why It Happens

Miscarriages happen for a number of reasons, often times natural causes, so it is extremely important that you don’t blame yourself if it ever happens to you. And according to American Pregnancy Association, the most common cause of a miscarriage is genetic or chromosomal abnormality in the embryo.

Other than that there are other high risk factors as well which you should always consider –

Drugs
Smoking
Excessive consumption of alcohol during pregnancy
Consuming unpasteurized dairy items and under-cooked meats that may contain bacteria called Listeria. This bacteria has the potential to directly affect the embryo causing termination of pregnancy
Low progesterone levels in the mother
Diabetes
Thyroid

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3Signs And Symptoms of A Miscarriage

The most common sign of a miscarriage is vaginal bleeding or spotting. You should immediately rush to your doctor the moment you see any or some bleeding. This can be anything from milk spotting to a heavy discharge as well.

Other important signs to look out for are –

Any vaginal fluid discharge
Period like cramping or pain in the abdomen
Drop in pregnancy hormones leading you to feel less nauseous than usual
Watch out for your water breaking if it happens to be a late miscarriage
Back pain – from mild to extreme
Fever and weakness

4How Is It Diagnosed

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Obviously, there may be definite signs and symptoms that may confirm you have miscarriage

Ultrasound scans are a far more common way to diagnose that a miscarriage has happened. Like regular initial scans, your doctor will have a transvaginal ultrasound inserting a probe into the vagina in order to check the heartbeat.
Some of the blood tests that are normally run within the course of a pregnancy are to check if hCG and progesterone levels are normal in the body. If not, it indicates a problem with the pregnancy.
One of the worst kind of exams, in my experience, has been pelvic exam where your doctor check the size of your uterus and determine whether your cervix is closed or opened. If cervix is open, then pregnancy will not survive and you are heading towards a miscarriage.

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5How To Ensure A Healthy Pregnancy

You can do your bit to ensure you don’t default when it comes to your pregnancy. Granted that we have no say in when it comes to chromosomal or genetic abnormalities leading to miscarriages, but we do have every right to at least look after our lifestyle choices.

The best you can do is ensure you do regular exercise (after the consultation of your doctor), limit the amount of caffeine, completely avoid any drug,smoking or alcohol consumption and have a positive mind.

Is there anything we missed out regarding miscarriages? Would you like to share your advice or any fact? We’d love to know.