We have already talked about the causes and types of natural abortions, as well as the care that must be taken to reduce the risk of suffering them.
We will focus now on the alarm signals They may indicate that something is wrong in pregnancy.
The conception is an extremely complex process in which each mechanism from ovulation, through fertilization, division and implantation of the embryo, has to occur perfectly. If any of them fail, the chances are that the pregnancy will not prosper.
It is believed that in one of every five pregnancies some anomaly occurs during this complex process, ending in a Abortion. There are some symptoms that are usually related to termination of pregnancy, which we'll talk about next.
Blood loss
Usually, the main symptom of spontaneous abortion are the blood loss or vaginal bleeding. However, it should be borne in mind that many women suffer blood loss and it is not always due to a threat of abortion.
Blood losses may be due to the appearance of an intrauterine hematoma, one of the most frequent causes of bleeding in the first trimester, or implantation bleeding, a slight loss of pink or dark color that occurs when the embryo is implanted in the mother's womb
Vaginal bleeding can also be a symptom of ectopic pregnancy, one of the kinds of spontaneous abortion. It is a pregnancy that occurs outside the uterus, which of course does not thrive. There may be brown vaginal losses or slight bleeding several days or weeks before the pain, although these losses will not occur if there is no rupture of the tube. The pains are very intense, with extreme sensitivity, especially on one of the sides in the lower abdomen.
Another variant of natural or spontaneous abortion is anembryonic pregnancy or pregnancy with an empty egg. It is the product of a fertilized egg that is implanted in the uterus, the gestational sac develops normally, but there is no embryo. Naturally, pregnancy does not thrive and blood loss also occurs.
Intermittent loss of brownish color or vaginal bleeding may be a symptom of molar pregnancy, another variant of natural abortion, the result of an abnormal fertilization of the ovum that produces a deformed growth of the placenta.
You have to consider it as a alarm signal if losses have the following characteristics:
If vaginal bleeding is stronger than normal bleeding from a normal period.
If vaginal bleeding exceeds a thick pad, or more than one pad within one hour.
If the bleeding is accompanied by clots.
In case of loss of blood during the first trimester of pregnancy, you should immediately go to the doctor to assess the situation. A metrorrhagia (vaginal bleeding not from the menstrual cycle) in the first trimester of pregnancy is a threat of abortion until proven otherwise.
Abdominal pain
The bleeding is not always accompanied by pain. As a rule, bleeding occurs first and then severe abdominal pain appears. However, there are times when colic can occur without bleeding, as in the case of ectopic pregnancy.
Abdominal pain can occur in the form of constant or intermittent cramps, in the form of cramps. There is usually a Pain in the back side of the back, similar to the pain that menstruation produces but stronger.
How to differentiate the pains of the beginning of pregnancy from a symptom of spontaneous abortion? In the first weeks of pregnancy it is normal to feel mild cramping or some feeling of abdominal tightness. However, when a miscarriage occurs the cramps are more intense and constant.
Ultrasound with absence of embryonic activity
Ultrasound is one of the diagnostic means used in case of threat of abortion. When blood loss occurs or there is acute abdominal pain, the doctor performs an ultrasound to control embryonic activity, detect fetal heartbeats and verify that the size of the fetus corresponds to the gestational age.
Some abortions are detected in routine prenatal checkups, without any symptoms manifested yet. When performing the ultrasound, it is perceived that fetal development has stopped and that there is no heartbeat. In case of delayed or retained abortion, fetal death occurs weeks before symptoms such as bleeding or cramping appear.
Together with the ultrasound, the doctor may perform a vaginal examination to determine if the cervix is dilated, a sign that pregnancy can spoil.
Disappearance of pregnancy symptoms
One of the signs that may indicate the termination of pregnancy is the no persistence of pregnancy symptoms.
In case of threat of abortion, a blood test is performed to determine quantitative beta GCH levels.
When the level of the human chorionic gonadotropin hormone drops in the blood, the symptoms produced by it such as nausea, breast tenderness, excessive tiredness, among others, tend to disappear. Even if the pregnancy test is repeated it could be negative.
The gut size decreaseBy stopping the development of the uterus, it can also be a symptom of a possible miscarriage.
In case of suffering any of this symptoms, as well as high fever (over 38º), tachycardia or loss of consciousness, it is necessary go to the doctor immediately. He will assess the state of the pregnancy and determine the steps to follow in each case.
To be continue…
So far we have analyzed the causes, types and prevention of natural abortions, as well as the alarm signals that could indicate that pregnancy termination has occurred or is occurring.
In the next entries we will talk about what happens after having an abortion, how long you have to wait to retry the pregnancy and about the psychological and emotional aspects involved in this painful process that many couples go through.
