To many women, a miscarriage can seem like the end of the road – a human life has been created within their body, and now, for unexplained reasons, the pregnancy has come to an end. If you have experienced one or more miscarriages in the past, or think you may be facing one presently, there are a few important things for you to keep in mind as you look to move forward with your life and your family. Although miscarriage is a heartbreaking experience, you can learn from what has happened in order to make yourself stronger and better informed as you plan for the future.
It’s important to realize what a miscarriage is and why it may have occurred. Simply put, a miscarriage is the spontaneous end to a pregnancy. Another name for a miscarriage is a spontaneous abortion. Although the word abortion seems out of place, perhaps, in the context of a miscarriage, a miscarriage really is simply nature’s way of aborting a pregnancy that may not have been healthy. So why do miscarriages occur? There are a variety of reasons we will explore, including no reason at all.
That’s right – sometimes a miscarriage occurs for no explainable reason. Those with deep religious convictions may explain this as something that’s meant to happen and that God played a hand in taking your angel to heaven. Pragmatists may look at an unexplainable miscarriage and say that in a world without reason, why should pregnancy be any different than any other occurrence. Unexplainable miscarriages can happen as a drawn out process or nearly instantly. Sometimes, a fetus simply stops growing in the fetal sac. A woman may continue to feel the symptoms of pregnancy, but a routine ultrasound will show that the fetus has not continued to mature and is therefore no longer viable. In those cases, a miscarriage may be induced so that planning can begin towards another pregnancy in the future. In other cases, a pregnancy can come to an end rather abruptly, and may be signaled by profuse bleeding and debilitating cramps.
There are times, however, when a doctor can analyze his patient’s full medical history and the current circumstances of her pregnancy and find that there is a probable reason for a miscarriage having occurred. A doctor will first look at your disease and disorder history. Although many women can successfully carry a pregnancy to term even while suffering grievous illnesses, others cannot. Often, a determining factor is how well in control a woman is of any ailments in her life. Specific diseases and disorders, when left untreated or when poorly managed, can greatly increase your chances of suffering a miscarriage. These include diabetes, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, multiple sclerosis and cancer. If you know that you have a disorder and are considering starting a family, speak with your doctor to ensure that you are maintaining solid control over your health.
If you are uncertain about having a disease or disorder, have a full physical conducted by your doctor before attempting to get pregnant. If you are already taking medication or your doctor is considering prescribing new medications, inform him that you are trying to begin a family. Many medications can be harmful to a developing fetus, but if your doctor is aware that you are trying to get pregnant, alternative drugs can be prescribed or dosages can be adjusted to levels more healthy to a developing fetus. If you are concerned that one of your medications may cause issues in your pregnancy, always discuss with your doctor before discontinuing use. While pregnant, you have a very thin wire to walk between maintaining your own health while also contributing positively to the health of your unborn child.
Other factors in your medical history may also lead to a heightened risk of miscarriage. Specifically, a doctor will examine your nutrition, your habits, and any damage or trauma your body may have recently suffered. On the topic of nutrition, do not become overly worried if your eating habits do not exactly follow the FDA’s food pyramid. What you do need to carefully consider, however, is that you are balancing the foods you do eat. If you are trying to lose weight, cutting down to tiny meal sizes is not conducive to having a healthy pregnancy. Diet before you get pregnant or after you deliver, but calorie deprivation during pregnancy may harm a developing fetus. Also ensure that the meals you eat are balanced in terms of the nutrients introduced into your body. Dr. Atkins may have been knowledgeable about limiting carbs to induce weight loss, but his theory would lend little value to an advancing pregnancy, where carbs are a necessity.
Look at your other habits carefully. Do you smoke? Now is the time to quit, not after finding out you are pregnant. Don’t worry – those nicotine cravings will shortly be replaced by cravings for odd combinations of food. What about drinking? You don’t necessarily need to go cold turkey until you know you’re pregnant, but at least cut down from drinking large amounts to only the occasional beverage. What about other beverages? Are you getting enough water to stay properly hydrated? If not, start! And now is definitely the time to discontinue any and all recreational drug usage.
What about your living environment? Maintaining a clean environment promotes good health, while living in a dirty environment promotes infections, which can damage a developing fetus. Are you emotionally in a good environment? If your partner shows the slightest tendency towards violence, immediately rethink the value of starting a family with that person. It is a myth that a baby draws a couple closer; instead, if there are already problems, the stress of a little addition to your family can drive it apart. If you have suffered any domestic violence, especially when you know yourself to be pregnant, seek medical and legal help immediately.
If you have experienced fertility or female issues in the past, or if women to whom you are related by blood have experienced fertility or female issues, be prepared to discuss that openly and frankly with your physician. Discount nothing – your physician will want to know it all. Treatments are available for a wide variety of issues, and those treatments can help you to have a healthy pregnancy in the future. If you’ve experienced multiple miscarriages, ensure that your doctor is blood testing your hormone levels. Also ensure that he’s not simply testing your HCG levels, but also your progesterone levels. If you’ve experience miscarriages in the past or if other factors may determine your pregnancy to be high risk, these are very important numbers to track, especially through your first twelve weeks of pregnancy. If your progesterone levels are consistently low, inquire as to supplemental treatments to help raise your levels, but be aware the progesterone is considered an infertility treatment, and the higher your levels, the higher your chance of having a multiple birth.
Finally, when dealing with the trauma of a miscarriage, always remind yourself that it is not your fault. It is a learning experience, however, and it is important to take away important lessons on yourself and on pregnancy, in order to promote a healthy future.
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