Spontaneous Miscarriage

GENERAL INFORMATION:

What is a spontaneous miscarriage? A spontaneous (spon-TAY-nee-us) miscarriage (mis-KAR-ij) is the loss of a pregnancy before the fetus (growing baby) is born. It is also called spontaneous abortion, spontaneous pregnancy loss, or early pregnancy failure. This usually happens within the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. A miscarriage may be your body's way of dealing with a fetus that was not growing normally.

What causes a spontaneous miscarriage? It may not be known what causes miscarriage. The following factors may increase your risk of having a miscarriage:

• Abnormalities in the uterus.
  
  
• Age of 35 years or older.
  
  
• Certain medicines taken early in pregnancy.
  
  
• Drinking too much alcohol or caffeinated drinks. Alcohol is found in beer, wine, and liquor, like vodka or whiskey, or other adult drinks. Caffeine can be found in some coffee, tea, soda, and chocolate.
  
  
• Genetic defects in the baby.
  
  
• Health problems, such as poorly controlled diabetes, high blood pressure, or untreated thyroid disease. Sexually transmitted diseases may also make a miscarriage more likely.
  
  
• Smoking or being exposed to second-hand smoke, or drug abuse.

What are the signs and symptoms of spontaneous miscarriage? Vaginal spotting or bleeding in the first trimester of pregnancy is the most common sign of miscarriage. You may have pain or cramps in your abdomen (stomach) or back. A gush of warm liquid from your vagina may be another sign. This could mean your bag of water has broken early. You may also notice that tissue has passed from your vagina.

How is spontaneous miscarriage diagnosed? You may have an ultrasound to check for your baby's heartbeat or to see if the baby is still in your uterus (womb). The ultrasound can help caregivers learn if miscarriage has happened or is about to happen. You are probably going to have a miscarriage if your cervix (bottom part of uterus) has opened. Painful cramps or heavy bleeding are also signs of a miscarriage. If you have miscarried, your caregiver will check to be sure all of the tissue came out.

How is spontaneous miscarriage treated? If you have tissue left in your uterus, it must be removed by a procedure called dilatation & curettage (D & C). The D & C may be needed to control bleeding or to keep you from getting an infection. If you are bleeding too much (more than one pad is soaked each hour) and it cannot be controlled, you may need further treatment such as surgery.

How do I find support and more information? Having a spontaneous miscarriage is life-changing for you and your family. Accepting that you had a miscarriage may be hard. You may cry or feel sad. You may have headaches, trouble sleeping, little interest in eating, or be tired. Having feelings of loss and grief are normal. Talk about your feelings with your caregiver or someone close to you.

• American Academy of Family Physicians
  PO Box 11210
  Shawnee Mission, KS 66207-1210
  Phone: 1-913-906-6000
  Web Address: http://www.aafp.org
  

• The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
  409 12th Street, SW
  Washington, DC 20090
  Phone: 1-202-638-5577
  Web Address: http://www.acog.org
  

CARE AGREEMENT:

You have the right to help plan your care. To help with this plan, you must learn about your health condition and how it may be treated. You can then discuss treatment options with your caregivers. Work with them to decide what care may be used to treat you. You always have the right to refuse treatment.

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