Missed Miscarriage

There are many types of pregnancy loss or miscarriages and one of its types is missed miscarriage. It is a rare type of miscarriage, also known as missed abortion or a silent pregnancy.In such type of abortion, the elements of terminated pregnancy are not expelled out of the body immediately. And women may not realize it for many weeks. Probably, the reason might be that the symptoms are overlooked, which is actually the worst part for pregnancy. Therefore, it is of utmost important for every woman to know what exactly a missed miscarriage is and also about its signs and symptoms.

What is a Missed Miscarriage?

A missed miscarriage is a rare type of miscarriage that women can experience without knowing it. Here the body fails to recognize the death of an unborn child. It is a kind where an embryonic death occurs but the body does not drive out the various elements of a terminated pregnancy. It may not be noticed for a period of many weeks and the women will not be aware that a miscarriage has occurred. Why does this happen, it is still unknown but may show the signs of loss of pregnancy symptoms and absence of the fetal heart sound found on an ultrasound.

Missed miscarriage can also have a form of overwhelming or destructive loss for pregnant women. The fact that the signs of a missed miscarriage are indefinite, many women are unaware of the fact that their pregnancy has been terminated. It can have effects on further pregnancies as well.

What are the causes?

The causes of missed miscarriage are diverse but the exact cause cannot be accurately defined. Most of the missed miscarriages occur within the first 12 weeks of conception. It is only predicted from several examination that early miscarriages are due to genetic problems with either ovum or sperm or with zygote division process. Sometimes it depends upon the sperm cells or ovum quality and sometimes it may be caused due to wrong division process of zygote. It may lead to the infection, which is also responsible for a cause of missed miscarriage.

Some of the causes may be chromosomal abnormality, hormonal problems, infections, maternal age; implantation of the egg is not proper, maternal trauma, etc. Sometimes it also depends up on the individual’s life style like smoking, drinking, eating habits, etc.

What are the signs?

Any of the following signs need immediate medical help. The signs of miscarriage may show a sudden weight loss, mild to severe back pain, mucus or bleeding from vagina. In some cases it may happen that sometimes a woman can experience pregnancy symptoms even after a miscarriage. This is due to the fact that placental tissue continues to release pregnancy hormones even after a miscarriage has occurred.

Treatment of Miscarriage

The prime objective of the treatment is to prevent hemorrhage and/or infection. If the body fails to expel all the tissue, the most common procedure used to stop the bleeding and prevent infection is a dilation and curettage. Drugs may be prescribed to control the bleeding after the Dilation & Curettage is performed but bleeding has to be monitored closely. After the treatment you notice an increase in bleeding or the onset of chills or even fever, it is best to contact your physician immediately.

Emotional Treatment

Unfortunately, a miscarriage can affect any woman and leave her with unanswered questions about the physical recovery, emotional recovery and the hope to conceive again. During this time it is very important that women maintain healthy communication with their family and friends and off course their doctor !