Causes Of Miscarriages (most common causes)

A miscarriage is never forgotten. It doesn’t matter if it was one week ago or several years, because it’s not just a “miscarriage”, but the BABY that has been lost and could be next to you right now.

So if you endured this kind of loss and you’re fearful it may arise again, learning about the causes of miscarriages will help you prevent them and have an accomplished pregnancy that will bring to you a marvelous and healthy child.

These are the 3 Most Common Causes of Miscarriages:

*Genetic Causes

Genetic causes of miscarriages usually happen because of an advanced maternal age. The reason of this is that, as you age, your body starts to deteriorate; and after 35, your eggs start to “loose their freshness” and develop genetic issues, so try to keep in mind the relashionship between age and fertility when evaluating your conception plan.

If the miscarriage happens before the 12th week of pregnancy, probabilities are there is a genetic cause that provoked it. Another characteristic of genetic causes of miscarriages is that it is usually a single event. This indicate that if you had a second or a third miscarriage, chances are it’s NOT because of a genetic problem.

Nonetheless, if you are trying to conceive and you are over 40, it is highly recommended that you consider the possibility of looking for a donor of eggs.
The child will still be developed in your womb, but you will be using “fresher” eggs that have less chances of having a genetic anomaly.

*Physical Causes

The physical causes of miscarriages are mainly related to 2 parts of your body involved with reproduction. Your cervix and uterus.

The uterus is commonly known as the womb, and its function is to nurture and hold the baby while it develops inside of you. The cervix is a muscle in the lower part of the uterus that mantains the baby in its place until the moment of birth comes.

The causes of miscarriages related to the uterus are:

- Malformations in the uterus:

Most common are “Septate uterus” or “Two horn uterus”.

What they cause is that the space inside your womb gets divided or reduced by strings of tissue, affecting the full development of the embryo because it doesn’t have enough space to grow the way it’s supposed to.

- Malformations in the cervix:

Incomplete cervix

Think of the cervix as the door to the uterus. If you happen to have an undeveloped cervix, when the embryo has reached certain size, it will start putting pressure against it, and if the cervix doesn’t have the strength to hold him, this could very easily lead to a miscarriage.

Malformations are causes of miscarriages that are intricate to deal with. Nonetheless, they can be fixed using surgical procedures.

To know if you may have any of these internal issues, make an appointment to your gynecologist or fertility endocrinologist to practice yourself an ultrasound. This is usually enough to find out, however, if the ultrasound results are not very clear, the next process would be to do a Laparoscopy, which is a minor surgery that allows the doctor to look inside your uterus.

*Hormonal Causes

Hormones are the chemicals produced by your brain to give signals to all the organs of your body. Progesterone is the most important hormone that controls of all your reproductive functions.

Hormonal causes of miscarriages happen when the creation of Progesterone falls out of balance and starts altering the way your body controls pregnancy, including your menstrual cycle and the inner lining of your uterus.

The most common cause of hormonal miscarriages is a condition called Polycistic Ovaries Syndrom (PCOS), which starts producing a great number of masculine hormones (testosterone) and less quantity of feminine hormones (progesterone).

Some of the symptoms of PCOS are

-High blood pressure
-Growth of unwanted body hair
-Oily skin
-Dandruff
-The absence of your period or too much irregularity on it

To reduce your chances of miscarriages when conceiving with Polycystic Ovaries, you should follow a treatment with a fertility specialist or a qualified gynecologist.

These treatments usually consist on the prescription of substances to regulate your hormonal production; such as a very popular fertility drug called Clomid, exercise and a healthy diet.

These are the main causes of miscarriages you should know to improve your chances of having a secure pregnancy and giving birth to a healthy child.

What You Need to Do If You Suspect You're Having a Miscarriage

If you are experiencing miscarriage, go to the hospital. If you cannot make it to the hospital call emergency help lines. The responding paramedic will have you rest quietly and may give you medications as directed by the Emergency Room physician at the base hospital by phone. Bring all prescription drugs, herbs, and supplements you may be taking to the hospital, and be honest with the ER doctor if you drink or use drugs.
A nurse or midwife will record your vital signs, and if you have been bleeding excessively, will take your pulse twice:
• First when you have been lying down quietly for 5 minutes
• Second when you have been standing fairly still for 1-3 minutes
You will require a vaginal exam during which the doctor inserts a clean clamp (speculum) to hold your vagina open and shines a bright light on your perineum to see well. If you have not had a pap smear in the past year, the doctor scrapes your cervix with a wooden Popsicle stick, smears the sample on a slide, and sends it to the Pathology Lab.
Some miscarriages are inevitable, so remember, if your membranes break and you go into labor, a baby can only survive outside the uterus if it is at least 24 weeks old. If you have a molar pregnancy, remember that a proper fetus does not form, and the cellular mass cannot survive outside your body. If this is the case, your doctor may suggest a cervical dilatation and evacuation with suction (D&E) to remove the products of conception by the end of your first trimester (Week 12 of pregnancy).
For unavoidable miscarriages, the choice method is dilatation and curettage (D&C). The surgeon places a black "matchstick" of seaweed (a laminaria tent) to gently open your cervix overnight. In the operating room, the surgeon gradually makes the opening of your cervix bigger, spinning a series of increasingly larger dilator wands. Grasping your uterus with a tenaculum clamp, the surgeon scrapes clean the lining of your uterus with curettes.
If you have an ectopic pregnancy, surgery will be necessary to remove the fetus and products of conception from the fallopian tube. In some cases, the surgeon will be unable to salvage the fallopian tube and must remove it (salpingectomy).
In all cases, you will be taken to a Recovery Room for the anaesthetic to wear off. You will be encouraged to get up and walk soon after any surgery. This prevents pooling of body fluids and pneumonia. You cannot drive yourself home, so arrange for a friend to pick you up and monitor you overnight for complications. You can take a shower the day after your surgery, but avoid baths, douching, swimming, and intercourse for a month. Avoid heavy lifting. Wear absorbent sanitary napkins for a few days up to several weeks after surgery to catch the drainage. Do not use tampons because of risk of infection. Breast discomfort and leaking milk may last a week. If you develop fever, heavy bleeding or a foul-smelling discharge, you may need antibiotics to fight infection or ergometrine to stanch bleeding. Barring complications, you can return to work in two days, but book the week off work as a precaution. Most women can resume exercising in three weeks.
Miscarriage is often treatable if addressed immediately. Not every woman who spots during the first trimester has a miscarriage. If you are pregnant and spot or bleed, go to your doctor or the nearest Emergency room as soon as possible. Bring any tissue you pass with you in a clean container for the lab to test for abnormalities and to pinpoint your problem.