What is a miscarriage?
This refers to a spontaneous abortion, a natural occurring event and it is an extremely unpleasant and traumatic experience for all women. More specifically, the term miscarriage of 1st trimester or spontaneous abortion to the loss of pregnancy during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. 1 in 4 women can have such an experience in their lives. In most cases, miscarriage can occur during the first 6 weeks and the chances increase by the 12th week.
What is recurrent pregnancy loss?
Although miscarriage is one of the most common complications that a woman can experience during pregnancy, when she has more than three miscarriages before the 20th week of pregnancy, then we refer to the so-called recurrent pregnancy loss or recurrent miscarriages.
Causes of recurrent miscarriages
There are a variety of factors that can contribute to recurrent miscarriages. Some of them may be:
- Genetic factors / Age
They are the most common causes of recurrent miscarriages, and they are the result of various chromosomal abnormalities of the fetus, which are usually associated with the advanced female age.
- Progesterone deficiency
It results in the abnormal function of the corpus luteum until the 8th week of pregnancy as after this period the production of this hormone is carried out by the placenta.
- Uterine disorders
Congenital abnormalities of the uterus are malformations of the uterus that occur during the embryonic life. It seems that 25% of the women who have had miscarriages they have such uterine anomalies. Other abnormalities can be adhesions that may occur after surgery, uterine septum, endometrial polyps and fibroids intending into the uterine cavity.
- Infections
In the first trimester of pregnancy toxoplasma, rubella, herpes, listeria, chlamydia infections can lead to miscarriages.
- Coagulation disorders
The coagulation disorders and thrombophilia can lead to recurrent miscarriages.
- Chronic diseases such as:
Polycystic ovarian syndrome
Hypothyroidism and diabetes
Obesity
Environmental and lifestyle factors (alcohol, smoking)
Symptoms of miscarriage
Symptoms of a miscarriage may include:
- Bleeding
- Cramps
- Abdominal Pain
- General weakness
- Fever in combination with any of the above symptoms
- Contractions
- Tissue that looks like blood clots passing through the vagina
If you experience any of these symptoms, contact your doctor immediately who will inform you if you need to schedule an appointment or go directly to AE.
Post miscarriage period
The most important thing is to remain optimistic. After all, many scientific studies report that the chances for a couple to have a successful pregnancy after multiple and recurrent miscarriages reach a percentage of 70%! All you need is to carefully investigate the etiological factors with your Obstetrician-Gynecologist to determine the causes of the miscarriage and to treat it timely and properly in a subsequent pregnancy.
