Miscarriage
Blood loss early in your pregnancy causes concern. Yet it does not necessarily mean you will miscarry. About half of women with blood loss in the first three months of pregnancy do miscarry. You can read more about this on this page.
Sometimes the bleeding is totally harmless and is due to extra blood flow to the cervix and the mucous membrane of the vagina. Under the influence of pregnancy hormones, the walls of some blood vessels become thin and can easily burst open.
If, in addition to vaginal bleeding, there are acute or persistent pains to the left or right in your lower abdomen, this may indicate a miscarriage. If so, contact us immediately.
A miscarriage is the loss of a non-viable fetus. The first symptoms are often vaginal bleeding. The cause of a miscarriage is almost always a predisposition disorder. Impaired cell division or other abnormalities prevent the fetus from developing further. Miscarriage is a kind of natural selection system with the goal of giving birth to mostly healthy children. Early miscarriages are common: 1 in 10 pregnancies ends in miscarriage.
It may happen that a non-living fetus is found at the first ultrasound. This is called a non-vital pregnancy or a missed abortion.
If the heart beats at the term ultrasound, the chance of miscarriage is very small, but not excluded. An ultrasound before 7 weeks of pregnancy (which is 3 weeks overdue) often does not provide clarity. With an early ultrasound, the ultrasound will therefore be repeated after a few weeks.
With a missed abortion, there are three possibilities:
Waiting for spontaneous miscarriage:
If the ultrasound shows that the fetus is not viable, it is possible to wait until the miscarriage occurs spontaneously. This can be a very good choice, both physically, but also for coping with the miscarriage. Miscarriage begins with blood loss and painful cramps. How long the whole process will take is unpredictable, just like childbirth. Before and during the expulsion of the fetus, blood loss can be heavy. After that, the pain and heavy bleeding stops. It is important to stay in touch with us. We will make arrangements for when you should call.
Induce miscarriage with medication:
If the ultrasound shows that the fetus is not viable, but you do not want to wait for a spontaneous miscarriage, there is a possibility to induce it with medication. It is important to know that this medication must be prescribed by the gynecologist, so we cannot always arrange this directly for you. The course of the miscarriage with medication is similar to a spontaneously induced miscarriage.
Curettage:
After an ultrasound showing that the fetus is not viable, curettage may also be a choice. This involves removing the tissue through the vagina with a suction curette. Usually this is done under local anesthesia. Sometimes under general anesthesia. This procedure is also used when your body has not shed all the tissue in a miscarriage and the blood loss persists for too long.
If you decide to choose medication or curettage, we will schedule an appointment for you with the gynecologist. This appointment is within 1 week. During this appointment, the pros and cons of the choice will be discussed and in case of curretage, the date for the procedure will be scheduled.
- After a miscarriage, the body usually recovers quickly. For 2 weeks, you may still have some blood loss and brownish discharge.
- Mentally, a miscarriage can be quite a blow. Processing the loss of pregnancy is a grieving process.
- Feelings of disbelief, confusion, anger, despondency, disappointment can be intense after a miscarriage. You may also feel guilt and wonder what you did wrong. Of course, the experience of miscarriage remains personal and will depend on your character and situation.
- It is important to stay in touch with us and make an appointment by phone or at the practice if necessary.
- We also invite you to make an appointment with us for the childbirth consultation to discuss together what your starting situation is for a possible next pregnancy.
Another pregnancy is physically possible immediately after the miscarriage. Still, it may be good to wait for a first period, which usually comes 4-6 weeks after the miscarriage. This is to give yourself time to recover sufficiently both physically and mentally. The chances of a good pregnancy after a miscarriage are just as good as if you had not had a miscarriage.
Miscarriage happens to about 15% of all women. This is a relatively high percentage and yet it is little talked about. While experiencing a miscarriage can have a great impact. Therefore, it is important to talk about it with your partner, family or friends. Sometimes, however, you may need more guidance in dealing with this loss. Then it may help to talk to someone else who will guide you through this process.
Irma Moolenaar works as a miscarriage counselor. She can offer you a listening ear or more tools if you need them, so you can feel better and recover powerfully from this experience.
For more information, also check out her website: irmamoolenaar.com