If the pregnancy is terminated spontaneously without any effort before the 20th week it is called as miscarriage or abortion. It is believed that 10-20% of pregnancies will have miscarriage. Loss of pregnancy occurs due to many factors like diseases and infections that affect the growth of the embryo. Miscarriage is not a good term to describe missing a pregnancy. Very often abortion occurs if the fetus has not developed properly.
The symptoms of miscarriage are obvious and straightforward and it has a deep emotional impact on the women who had a miscarriage. Many times miscarriage occurs even before the women realizes that she is pregnant. It happens before she actually misses her regular periods and there is no way to diagnose whether it is miscarriage or regular menstrual cycle. More than 75% of miscarriages happen within the first 2-3 months of pregnancy.
Symptoms :
Initial symptoms of miscarriage are bleeding of uterus. It starts from light spotting and ends up with heavy bleeding. There may be moderate to severe abdominal cramps with pain. For some women it can cause fever and fatigue. It would cause mild pain on the lower back and you can see fluids or tissue passing away from your vagina.
Causes :
Variety of factors causes miscarriage or abortion but exact cause is still not known. Very often miscarriage occurs when there are chromosomal abnormalities in the developing fetus. Sometimes, this kind of abnormality occurs without any apparent cause. Chromosomes are small structures that are found in every cell of your body and it contains genes.
Miscarriage also occurs due to infection, hormonal problems in the expecting mom, and uterine abnormalities. If the cervix opens up widely in the middle of pregnancy it can cause miscarriage. If the uterus is strong enough to hold the weight of your fetus it can cause miscarriage. Excess of smoking and drinking or substance abuse can affect the growth of fetus causing miscarriage. Lupus or similar infection can affect the growing fetus terminating its growth. Uncontrolled diabetes and thyroid disease and severe forms of kidney and heart problems can cause miscarriage. Intake of certain drugs like Accutane can cause miscarriage.