A pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks. If there is a pregnancy loss before 20 weeks, this loss can often be called miscarriage or spontaneous abortion. Other types of pregnancy loss can be due to an ectopic pregnancy or molar pregnancy.

Miscarriages can happen in about 20% of pregnancies, and most of them occur in the first 13 weeks.

Some women may not even know they have miscarried. Many early miscarriages can happen before or around the time the first period is missed and women may not even known they are pregnant. Below we cover common miscarriage symptoms and then look at causes of miscarriages.

What are some miscarriage symptoms?

Miscarriage SymptomsIf you unfortunately have experienced a pregnancy loss, perhaps these words will be very familiar. If you have had not, pay close attention:

“I’m bleeding; it’s stopped” – “I’m all right, it’s started again” – “I’m worried”.

That’s right, vaginal bleeding is one of the first early signs of miscarriage. However, many women experience some vaginal bleeding during pregnancy and still go on to have a perfectly healthy babies.

That being said, studies have shown that among women who bleed during pregnancy, 50% to 60% will miscarry. If you experience bleeding, be safe and consult your doctor. While it’s possible that your bleeding is nothing to worry about, it’s better to be sure.

Pelvic cramping is or a persistent dull ache in your lower back are other miscarriage symptoms. Pain may start a few hours to several days after bleeding has begun.

What are the causes of miscarriage?

There are many factors that may increase your risk of miscarriage:

  • Age is a risk factor. Having a baby over the age of 35 is considered high risk. So if you are pregnant at 35 or older, make sure to consult your doctor regularly and follow all instructions to ensure you have a healthy pregnancy.
  • There is the possibility of a problem with the chromosomes during fertilization process of the egg and the sperm. Scientifically it is not known why this happens, but it may be a genetic problem.
  • Drinking alcohol, smoking, or drugs during pregnancy increase the risk of miscarriage. Loss of pregnancy is not the only problem in this case; your baby may be born with serious health problems.
  • Specialists indicate that the use of some anti-inflammatory drugs such as (ibuprofen or naproxen) at the time of conception or early during pregnancy can be a risk of miscarriage. Take care for your health, but when you’re pregnant, it is preferable that your doctor prescribe you any medications, even for a simple flu.

Treatment options for miscarriage

If you have already started to miscarry, there is very little that can be done to prevent it. However always pay attention to miscarriage symptoms.

After a miscarriage it is important that you get good treatment to remain healthy and prevent further complications. There is always a risk of having a second miscarriage, so you have to be healthy for planning your next pregnancy.

Medically there are three types of treatments:

  • When your body naturally has completely expelled the fetus, is called Complete Miscarriage. In these cases you have to be under medical observation.
  • When your body expels some part of the tissue but it some contents remain in the uterus, this is called Incomplete Miscarriage. In these situations you will need some medication to remove what remains in the uterus.
  • And when the fetus and placenta cannot be expelled and remain in the uterus, it is called a Missed Miscarriage. In these cases you will require surgical treatment. The problem here is that you must be urgently treated. Your life may be in danger.