Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the unplanned end of the pregnancy before the 20th week of gestation. It is not done on purpose like surgical abortion but a naturally occurring incident, so pregnant women should be aware of the signs of miscarriage in early pregnancy. Miscarriage is one of the common complications of pregnancy. The most frequent cause of miscarriage is the abnormal development of the fetus because of a chromosomal aberration or teratogenic factor.
There are different types of miscarriage. These are the following:
Types of miscarriage
• Threatened- there is slight bleeding and cramping but no dilatation of the cervix when examined vaginally.
• Imminent (Inevitable) – there is contraction of the uterus and dilatation of the cervix.
• Complete- the whole conception products (fetus, placenta and membrane) are spontaneously expelled without any aid.
• Incomplete- a part of conception products (usually the fetus) is expelled while the other parts are still in the uterus. Some pregnant mothers would interpret this as a partial pregnancy so the pregnancy can be continued but the fact is that the pregnancy was already halted.
• Missed miscarriage- also called “early pregnancy failure”. It is when the fetus dies in the uterus but is not expelled.
Signs of a miscarriage
• Bleeding
This is the most common sign of miscarriage in early pregnancy. It may occur as slight spotting or can be quite a heavy bleeding. It is important to watch out for any of these types of bleeding and consult your physician immediately.
Heavy bleeding with brown to bright red blood occurring with or without cramping.
Bleeding occurring suddenly accompanied with clots or tissues.
Bleeding that soaks a pad in less than an hour.
• Cramping
This is the sign of miscarriage with severe abdominal pain. If there is mild cramping it is considered normal to accommodate the growing fetus in the body, however, if the following signs are noted in the pregnancy, the pregnant mother may be experiencing miscarriage.
Severe cramping accompanied by bleeding
Pain and cramping starting from the back radiating to one side, and then to the other side or even in the middle of the body for a long time.
• Loss of pregnancy symptoms
Though it is not a reliable indicator of miscarriage in early pregnancy, it would be better to discuss it with the physician.
• Mucus
The mucus coming out of the vagina may be a sign of miscarriage. A solid, white pink tissue may be a placental tissue. Put it in a container and bring it to the hospital for examination.
• Decreasing Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (HCG) Levels
HCG is a hormone produced during pregnancy. If the HCG level is falling then it is a reliable indicator of a miscarriage. The doctor would check it through laboratory examinations.
To all the pregnant women in the world, knowing the signs of miscarriage in early pregnancy is one of the ways to prevent an impending miscarriage. So, awareness of these signs is important to maintain a healthy pregnancy all the way.
