For a pregnancy to take place, 23 chromosomes are needed from each parent. A fetus with a total of 46 chromosomes means that the pregnancy is successful, but those that receive too little or too many chromosomes end up in a miscarriage. This is due to the abnormal development of the fetus.
The risk of having a miscarriage drops as your pregnancy progresses. Based on a 14th week, the possibility of a miscarriage is less than per cent. However, your unborn baby is not completely out of the woods yet.
According to Dr Tan Kok Hian, the Head and Senior Consultant, Perinatal Audit and Epidemiology Unit, Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at KKH, in the event of an early miscarriage, you need to keep the pregnancy tissue or fetus in a container and bring it to the hospital.
“You will require further checks such as a pelvic examination or an ultrasound. If the womb is completely empty, no surgery will be required.
However, if there is some residual fetal or placental tissue in the womb, you may be given antibiotics and a surgical procedure may be performed to evacuate the remaining fetus or tissue from the womb,” he said.
At the same time, investigations can occur, in an attempt to determine the cause of the miscarriage (although the cause is largely unknown).
Late Miscarriage: Losing Your Baby In the Second Trimester
While miscarriages are more common in the first trimester, they can still happen during the second trimester, before week 20 of your pregnancy. A pregnancy loss after this week is defined as stillbirth.
Symptoms of a Late Miscarriage
The tricky part is some women may not be able to feel the signs that they are having a miscarriage. So be on the lookout for the following symptoms:
- not feeling the movement of the fetus
- vaginal bleeding or spotting
- cramping or pain in your back and/or abdomen
- unexplained fluid or tissue that passes through the vagina
Remember that not all vaginal spotting is a symptom of miscarriage. To be sure, do check in with your doctor for any vaginal bleeding during pregnancy, especially if it comes with other symptoms like pain or cramping.
What Causes Miscarriage in the Second Trimester
There are several factors that can cause miscarriage in the second trimester, including:
Illnesses
Chronic health conditions such as thyroid diseases, uncontrolled diabetes, severe hypertension and lupus increase the risk of having a miscarriage when pregnant.
PCOS
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is often related to infertility issues, but if a woman does get pregnant, there is a huge chance that she will miscarry. This is because a woman with PCOS often has ovaries larger than the normal size, which causes an imbalance in her womb.
Risks for Miscarriage
Take note that other factors may also contribute to having a miscarriage. One of them is maternal age. Several studies show that risk for miscarriage increases if the mother is aged 35 and up.
So, what causes miscarriage and considered risk factors. These include:
- experiencing two prior miscarriages in a row
- chronic medical conditions
- being overweight or underweight
- having an abnormally shaped uterus
- a weak cervix
- having invasive prenatal tests (amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling are examples)
- exposures to substances like alcohol, tobacco, cocaine, NSAIDs, and high levels of caffeine
- exposure to severe stress and fatigue during pregnancy
- low folate level
- untreated celiac disease
Things to Avoid During Pregnancy That Cause Miscarriage
When you’re pregnant, your body is working overtime to support the growing baby inside of you. That means you should avoid a few things during pregnancy to help keep your body healthy and safe for your baby.
Some of these things may seem obvious, but others might surprise you. If you’re planning on getting pregnant soon, pay attention: here are seven things to avoid during pregnancy that cause miscarriage.
- Drinking alcohol
- Smoking cigarettes or other tobacco products
- Taking illegal drugs like cocaine or heroin
- Eating undercooked meat or seafood (including sushi)
- Getting too much sun exposure without sunscreen protection on exposed skin areas
- Not getting enough sleep (or staying up late at night)
- Being stressed out by work/school pressures, family responsibilities, financial problems
Foods That Can Cause Miscarriage
While consuming them does not automatically lead to pregnancy loss, there are a few foods that have been linked to causing miscarriages. These include:
- Caffeine-containing drinks like coffee and tea
- Alcoholic beverages
- Fish and fish oil supplements (due to mercury)
- Soft cheese (like Brie or Camembert)
- Raw or undercooked eggs or foods containing raw eggs (like homemade mayonnaise)
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Sleeping Position That Can Cause Miscarriage
What causes miscarriage when it comes to sleeping? If you’re pregnant, you might already know that certain sleeping positions could be harmful to your baby. But did you know that the wrong sleeping position can also cause miscarriage?
The issue is called “fetal compression.” When a woman sleeps on her back, her belly can press down on the fetus and restrict its blood flow, leading to severe complications—and even death.
Doctors advise pregnant women to sleep on their sides when possible. If it’s not possible due to physical conditions like sciatica or back pain, they recommend using pillows and other props under the belly and legs to help keep the weight off your child.
If you have any concerns about what position to sleep in while pregnant, don’t hesitate to consult with your doctor!
Can Stress Cause a Miscarriage
We’ve all heard the stories: stress causes miscarriages. But is this true?
Yes and no.
In a nutshell, stress can cause a miscarriage if you are already at risk for one. If you have a high-risk pregnancy—for example, if you’re carrying multiples or have an underlying medical issue like diabetes, then there’s a higher likelihood that your pregnancy will end in miscarriage.
In this case, stress can make things worse by making your body more susceptible to complications.
But on the other hand, for women who are generally healthy and have an uncomplicated pregnancy, stress isn’t likely to cause a miscarriage. It’s possible that being stressed out might increase your risk of having one, but it’s unlikely as long as you’re not already at risk.
So what does all this mean? Stress is usually nothing more than a nuisance during pregnancy—it makes us feel tired and irritable sometimes and often makes us want to eat junk food (which isn’t great for our health anyway).
But when we’re pregnant, we need to be extra careful about taking care of our physical and mental health to keep ourselves healthy during this time!
It may be difficult to determine the exact cause of pregnancy loss. And there’s also no way to be sure that it doesn’t happen to you, no matter how careful you are. However, keeping yourself healthy and stress-free can minimise the chances of this heartbreaking event from taking place.
Image Source: iStock
Updates from Pheona Ilagan
