Missed Miscarriage – Causes, Signs and Effects

Missed miscarriage can be one of the problems that you have to go through once in a lifetime. Hence it is very important to have a clear idea about the same. You need to know the specific signs, and effects related to the miscarriage to identify them at the earliest. This will help you to get the proper treatment for the same at the earliest.

What is a Missed Abortion?

A missed miscarriage can be a very confusing term as it does not have any symptoms of cramping or bleeding. A missed miscarriage is also known as the silent miscarriage as it has no specific symptoms of bleeding or cramping. During this time, one could only feel mild symptoms like breast tenderness or nausea. You will only find out about the missed miscarriage when you undergo an ultrasonic scan. During the scan, the fetal heartbeat is absent in case of a missed miscarriage.

How Common are Missed Miscarriages?

Unfortunately, about 20 percent of the pregnancies can result in a miscarriage and this is within the first three months of the pregnancy. Thus the chances of a missed miscarriage are not completely uncommon. As per the missed miscarriage statistics, chemical pregnancies (miscarriage within the 5^th week of gestation) accounts for about 50 to 75 percent of all miscarriages.

Causes of a Missed Abortion

The most common reason for a missed abortion is chromosomal abnormalities. This chromosomal abnormality causes the missed miscarriage by not allowing the development of the pregnancy. Causes of a missed abortion at 7 weeks are also similar and can be liked to developmental abnormalities in the embryo.

Signs of Missed Miscarriage

As mentioned earlier, there are no specific missed miscarriage symptoms like regular miscarriages. Normal miscarriage symptoms like vaginal bleeding, severe cramping or discharge of the foetal tissue are not present in this case. During the time of the missed miscarriage, the signs of pregnancy may continue as the placenta will not have stopped releasing hormones. Some pregnant women may notice symptoms like fatigue, breast tenderness, or nausea disappearing. Diagnosis of the missed miscarriage is done by a medical practitioner by the lack of heartbeat of the foetus. During the regular check-ups, if there is a missed abortion, an ultrasound will show the undeveloped foetus.

What can you Do after Diagnosing a Miscarriage?

After the diagnosis of the missed miscarriage, you may need to undergo some missed abortion treatments. Different choices after the process of miscarriage are:

• Natural Process

When you find out about the missed miscarriage, you have a few options for treatment. But you can always wait for nature to take its course. But in some cases, people like to move ahead of the pregnancy and the end the same as soon as possible for a new pregnancy.

• Medication

The use of the medication will result in contractions in your body which will expel the remaining tissue. The result of the same is very similar to the heavy periods. Your doctor will prescribe you a pain medication as well. This will help you to easily undergo the contractions due to the medications.

• D and C Procedure

When the pregnancy is older than eight to nine weeks, the D and C procedure is recommended. The D and C is the dilation and curettage process which helps you to remove the womb. During the process, you will be put under a general anaesthesia. The process is so keen that it ensures complete removal of the tissue and thereby preventing the infection. The process is similar to the case of an abortion, but here the removal of pregnancy that is already lost takes place.

After the process of the miscarriage, couples have to wait between one to three menstrual cycles before trying to conceive again. This is for the complete development of your womb to be ready for the next pregnancy.

What will be the Effect of a Silent Miscarriage on Future Pregnancies?

After a missed abortion, your doctor will keep track of your future pregnancy through early scans and follow up with any treatment that could be required. In most cases, future pregnancies are quite successful. Thus, it is advised to keep a positive mind towards the future pregnancy or undergo counselling to avoid the mental stress during the missed miscarriage.

Tips to Deal with The Loss

The missed miscarriage can be a depressing time for anyone, especially if there is a missed miscarriage after a heartbeat. The feeling of loss of something you wanted is likely to occur similar to depression. You can follow the tips mentioned below to ease your mind.

• Consulting a good therapist
• Proper meditation and relaxation
• Plan for the future

Missed miscarriages can be a challenging time for any women. It is important that you understand that it does not mean that you cannot conceive at all. Seek any support that you require during this difficult time.