The 5 most common questions about miscarriage
The 5 most common questions about miscarriage
Miscarriage is a term used for a pregnancy that ends on its own, within the first 20 weeks of gestation. The medical terms used to identify this potential complication or loss gives most women an uncomfortable feeling, so throughout this article, we will refer to this type of threatened complication or pregnancy loss under 20 weeks as a miscarriage.
How do I know I’m having a miscarriage?
Miscarriages can present in many ways, with some women experiencing a period like pain and bleeding. For others, there may be no symptoms and the miscarriage is picked up incidentally on a routine ultrasound.
How does the woman’s age increase the risk of miscarriage?
Because women are born with a finite amount of eggs and these eggs age as we do, women over 35 faces an enlarged risk of miscarriage as the quality of the eggs decline. By the time a woman has turned 43, there is a 50% chance a pregnancy will miscarry. With aging, there can be an enlarged amount of exposure to oxidative stresses which affects the DNA which makes up the important genetic material of a woman’s eggs.
Does stress increase my chance of miscarriage?
The reason for pregnancy loss is complex and is generally due to chromosomal abnormality in the embryo, and not increased it h personal or work stress, excessive exercise or travel.
How soon after a miscarriage can we try to conceive again?
Doctors usually advise giving your body the chance to have 1 or 2 periods before trying again to fall pregnant. This is also useful for dating the pregnancy. However, it is significant you wait until both partners feel ready both physically and emotionally to try again. One should consult their treating doctor with regards to this depending on the circumstances leading to the miscarriage and the treatment.
What can we do to prevent miscarriage?
While there is no way to stop a miscarriage happening, there are some controllable lifestyle factors such as smoking, drug use and obesity which are known to enlarge the potential for miscarriage. This also optimizes one’s health from a fertility and pregnancy point of view.