A missed miscarriage is a condition in which the fetus dies, but the pregnancy continues. Here are a few missed miscarriage symptoms.
Miscarriage or termination of the pregnancy spells a doom for every pregnant woman who goes through it. Most of them are reported immediately after the fetus dies. However, in case of missed miscarriage, the woman continues to remain in a pregnant state, even though the fetus no longer exists inside her.
The news can be quite devastating for the woman, as she continues to live in her own world, anticipating the arrival of her baby. Missed miscarriage symptoms can be pretty confusing to decipher as some women may continue to experience pregnancy signs, in spite of the death of the fetus.
What is a missed miscarriage?
A missed miscarriage is the failure of the body to expel the remnants of the pregnancy. In a normal miscarriage, the pregnancy matter is expelled out of the body within a few days of the death of the fetus. However, in this case, the placenta, fetus, and other pregnancy remnants continue to reside inside the woman’s uterus.
Thus, the termination of the pregnancy goes undetected for days or even weeks. The symptoms are ambiguous, which makes it even more difficult to detect.
Symptoms
Cessation of the pregnancy signs is one of the most important indicators. However, this cannot be considered as the sole deciding factor, since many women who experience this continue to experience pregnancy signs, like vomiting and nausea. The reason for this is that, even though the pregnancy has terminated, the placental tissue continues to produce pregnancy hormones.
Thus, it is very likely that the pregnancy tests might turn out to be positive, during this phase. Certain signs include discharge and cramping. The bleeding is initially light brown in color, but eventually turns bright red.
Though, this can be one sure shot signs, there is still ambiguity, as some normal pregnancies may also report similar indications. However, it is most likely that your fetus stopped growing days before you experience them.
Causes
Since, most cases like this occur in the first trimester, genetic deformities are the prime cause of the missed miscarriage. The chromosomal problem can be either in the egg or the sperm.
Another factor that also contributes is a late pregnancy, previous history, or even substance abuse in the mother. Imbalance of the pregnancy hormones or lower levels of progesterone can also aggravate the chances.
In rare cases, severe infections may also lead to this condition.
Treatment
The most reliable test for detecting missed miscarriage is an ultrasound. Four fifths of such cases take place within the first 12 weeks (1st trimester). An ultrasound or a hand held Doppler can detect the absence of fetus heartbeat.
Though reliable, this test can only affirm the mishap when the woman goes for a routine ultrasound. There are chances that the fetus stopped growing long before that. A dilatation and curettage (D&C) is recommended by doctors if the tissue does not pass naturally.
Missed miscarriage symptoms are always in the hindsight. Their ambiguity makes it almost impossible to detect them at an early stage. Hence, proper prenatal care is required to immediately detect anything that goes wrong in a pregnancy.
Disclaimer: This article is for informative purposes only, and should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice.
