In Africa, we idolize childbirth so much that anyone without a child is seen as someone who has not achieved something in life yet. Even if the world is advancing towards the direction of using other channels to have babies, a large percentage of people over here still believe in the strong need to carry their babies and have their children by themselves.
I have a neighbor who has been married for years without a child; she gets in her mood sometimes, and I have to step in to cheer her up and make her feel better, but when she miscarries again, it is usually a painful experience.
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A loss of pregnancy before 20 weeks is termed miscarriage. Another name for this sad occurrence is spontaneous abortion. A lot of women, unfortunately, blame themselves whenever a miscarriage happens, they begin to think about the possible places they must have gone wrong for it to happen to them.
This is, however, an unfair way to think about yourself because most cases of miscarriages are not something that could be controlled, it probably happened because the fetus stopped growing.
Miscarriages come in different forms;
There is a possible case of missed miscarriage, in this case, pregnancy has been lost, but the woman is unaware of its occurrence. It is not due to carelessness that the woman is unaware of the condition, but it is because there is usually no symptom, only an ultrasound can confirm the fetus has no heartbeat.
Recurrent miscarriage is when three consecutive miscarriages happen one after another.
There is also a possible case of complete miscarriage which means, there is a loss of pregnancy as well as an empty uterus. This will have the woman bleeding and passing fetal tissue.
Inevitable miscarriage has you bleeding, and cramping, and the cervix has begun to dilate, leaking of amniotic fluid happens, and a strong possibility of miscarriage is here.
In the case of a threatened miscarriage, the cervix remains closed, but there is an experience of pelvic cramping and bleeding. The pregnancy journey continues without further issues, but there has to be close monitoring all through the pregnancy period.
The entire pregnancy journey is divided into three, first, second, and third trimesters, and as mentioned earlier, the most common one happens during the first trimester. First-trimester miscarriages are usually caused when there is a problem with the chromosomes of the fetus.
Chromosomes are DNA blocks, they are filled with a detailed set of instructions that controls several factors, like how the cells of a baby develop, and even the color of the eyes the baby is going to have.
There are times when something could go wrong at the point of conception, making the fetus receive insufficient or excessive chromosomes. The reason behind this occurrence is not so clear, but it means the fetus will not be able to develop as it should resulting in a case of miscarriage.
The placenta is a very crucial organ between mother and child. It is the organ linking the supply of blood between mother and child, when any problem happens with the development of the placenta, there could be a situation of miscarriage.
The occurrence of miscarriages during the second trimester is often a result of long-term chronic health issues, especially those that are not properly controlled or treated.
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Some of those health conditions are; kidney disease, lupus, serious high blood pressure, diabetes, antiphospholipid syndrome, hyperthyroidism, and hypothyroidism.
The existence of infections can also increase the risk of miscarriage at this time. Here are some possible examples of such infections; HIV, chlamydia, syphilis, malaria, rubella, bacterial vaginosis, cytomegalovirus, and gonorrhea.
Eating contaminated food can cause food poisoning, as well as increase the risk of miscarriage. Toxoplasmosis can be gotten through the consumption of raw or under cooked infected meat.
Listeriosis can be found in unpasteurized dairy products and salmonella which can be found through the consumption of raw or partly cooked eggs.
Experts warn against the intake of certain medications during pregnancy and that is because some of the components of these medications could trigger miscarriages and other medical conditions during pregnancy.
How the womb is structured could cause second/third-trimester miscarriages. Having an abnormally shaped womb, and the development of non-cancerous growths in the womb called fibroid.
When the cervix of the womb is weaker than it should be, it causes injury, especially after a surgical procedure, this muscle weakness makes the cervix open too prematurely leading to a case of miscarriage.
Poly cystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a condition that has the ovary larger than usual, caused by hormonal changes in the ovaries. PCOS is a leading cause of infertility, but some research also suggests it to be an increased risk of miscarriage.
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After the painful experience of miscarriage, the possibility of uterine infection is also possible after a day or two. Symptoms include; vaginal bleeding, pain in the lower stomach area, chills, foul-smelling fluid from the vagina.
While miscarriage may not be a thing that we can control, some actions could lead to its occurrence, and we must be careful of those things. Consuming alcohol during pregnancy, consuming lots of caffeine, smoking, being obese, and the use of hard drugs.
Since miscarriage is almost not your fault in the first place, there is almost nothing you need to do to prevent miscarriage from happening again. Apart from the fact that you need to do the basics to take care of yourself and the bundle of joy growing in your womb.
Get the required prenatal care, take your daily multivitamin, stay away from activities that could trigger miscarriages like; drinking alcohol, smoking, and use of illegal drugs, also learn to limit caffeine intake.
After an episode of confirmed miscarriage, an ultrasound can be performed to check if the fetus has been able to expel all fetal tissue. If miscarriage is complete, then there would be no need for further treatment, but if the fetal tissue remains, it would have to be expelled out of the body to prevent infection, heavy bleeding, and other forms of complications.
If a miscarriage happens before the tenth week of pregnancy, you need to wait for your body to pass the fetal tissue and the products of conception. If after the necessary checks, waiting poses a risk, medications will be prescribed to stimulate the uterus to expel the remaining products of pregnancy.
If there is an experienced symptom of miscarriage like bleeding, bed rest will be required for 2-3 days, and once the bleeding subsides, you can resume daily activities again, except there is a further need for close observations from doctors.
If a miscarriage happens after the 10th week of pregnancy, and there is retained fatal tissue or heavy bleeding, then dilation and curettage or dilation evacuation will be performed.
After an episode of miscarriage, mild discomfort or spotting is expected, it is advised to refrain from sexual intercourse and avoid inserting anything into the vagina until recovery, or at least after two weeks. Medical help should be sought immediately if there is heavy bleeding, chills, or intense pain, as these are most likely signs of infection.
For Further Studies.
https://ada.com/causes-of-miscarriage/
https://www.medparkhospital.com/en-US/disease-and-treatment/miscarriage
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/miscarriage/causes/
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9688-miscarriage
Hi, I am Tobi, a writer, speaker, relationship blogger, and lover of good music. I love making friends and learning from people.
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