How to give yourself a miscarriage

Can I use herbs to have an abortion at home?

By Kendall @ Planned Parenthood | Aug. 26, 2022, 4:28 a.m.

Category: Abortion

Someone asked us: What herbs can I use to give myself an abortion?

Throughout history and across different cultures, people have used plants and herbs to try to cause an abortion. Some of these plants and herbs include wormwood, rue, salvia, licorice root, mint pennyroyal, and calendula.

Doctors usually recommend that pregnant people avoid these herbs because there’s a chance they can cause a miscarriage. But there is also not enough scientific evidence to show that these plants and herbs work to cause an abortion, or are safe to use to end a pregnancy. And using herbs, plants, or other untested chemicals can put you at risk for things like poisoning, an allergic reaction, or an incomplete abortion. It's also not a good idea to try and hurt yourself to end a pregnancy, because it may cause you serious harm and may not work. If you have complications that are not treated in time by a doctor or nurse, it could lead to a serious infection or even death.

But there are ways to safely have an abortion at home. You can use abortion pills (AKA medication abortion) up to 11 weeks after the first day of your last period to safely end your pregnancy. This is sometimes called "at-home abortion."

You can get abortion pills from many abortion providers, including some Planned Parenthood health centers. Depending on what state you live in, you may be able to have a video or phone visit with a doctor or nurse for the abortion pill and then have the pills mailed to you.

Abortion laws vary by state, and some states have banned abortion or made it very difficult to get. So some people may choose to have self-managed abortion — this is when you find and take abortion pills to end a pregnancy without the help of a doctor or nurse.

Research shows that self-managing an abortion with abortion pills (mifepristone and/or misoprostol) can be safe and effective — especially if you:

Usually have regular periods, know the first day of your last period, and it’s been less than 10 weeks from the first day of your last period
Have good information about how to take abortion pills
Don’t have medical reasons why you shouldn’t use abortion pills (like inherited bleeding disorders, heart or kidney disease, still have an IUD in place, or think you have an ectopic pregnancy)
Could get urgent medical care if you need it

There may be legal risks to buying and using abortion pills outside of the health care system. Repro Legal Helpline* has more information about this.

Plan C* has more information about the difference between self-managed abortion and getting an abortion from a doctor or nurse, including legal considerations.

After taking abortion pills, it’s normal to have fever, chills, nausea, strong cramping, and heavy bleeding for a day. But go to an emergency room if you have other symptoms that worry you, like:

soaking more than 2 maxi pads an hour for more than 2 hours in a row
heavy bleeding for several days
dizziness, chills, and/or fever lasting more than 24 hours

Emergency doctors and nurses can care for you whether or not they know about a self-managed abortion. In fact, the symptoms after taking abortion pills are the same as a miscarriage, and the medications in abortion pills don’t show up in blood tests.

If you have any concerns about your health, including any symptoms you’re experiencing during or after an abortion, Planned Parenthood is here to help (even if we didn’t provide your abortion).

*Note: Planned Parenthood is not responsible for nor does it endorse any legal, medical, or other advice or information provided by any of the entities identified or referenced herein or by any other third parties, whether referenced herein or not.

Tags: Abortion, abortion pill, telemedicine, medication abortion

How to Give Yourself an Abortion

Arielle Swernoff Illustrated by Mattie Lubchansky

January 9, 2020

For as long as people have gotten pregnant, people have given themselves abortions. Sometimes, these methods have been brutal, toxic, or bizarre. But across history, there have been people who used plants and herbs safely and effectively. From the Bronze Age until the 1st or 2nd century BCE, silphium, a plant native to Libya, was used as a safe and effective contraceptive and abortifacient. It’s said the plant was so popular that it was harvested to extinction. More recently, enslaved Black people in the American South devised numerous herbal treatments to terminate unwanted pregnancies, some of which are still used today.

In 2022, one safe way to perform a self-managed abortion is with pills—the same ones administered at doctors’ offices. Unfortunately, safe and affordable medical care isn’t accessible everywhere or to everyone. Since the 2010 midterm elections, we’ve seen anti-choice legislation spread across the country at unprecedented speed. From mandatory waiting periods to laws regulating the width of hallways in abortion clinics, targeted restrictions on abortion providers (known as TRAP laws) have shut down hundreds of clinics. As of this writing, the Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, and it is expected that abortion will become illegal or heavily restricted in dozens of states.

Everyone deserves to control their own reproduction. This guide to self-managing your abortion using misoprostol (which causes uterine contractions), either alone or in combination with mifepristone (which blocks a hormone that allows a pregnancy to continue), is intended as a community resource and to help de-stigmatize self-managed abortion.

Disclaimer: The decision to terminate a pregnancy is a personal one, and this article does not intend to influence or encourage any person’s individual decision, but rather to provide reliable information. I am neither a lawyer nor a medical professional, and this guide should not be a substitute for medical or legal advice. The information below has been compiled from a variety of sources, including the World Health Organization, Aid Access, Women on Web, Women Help Women, Reproaction, If/When/How, Plan C Pills, Safe2Choose, How to Use Abortion Pills, Aid Access, Self Managed Abortion Safe and Supported, Ipas, and Robin Marty’s Handbook for a Post-Roe America, as well as from my own organizing work and relationships with reproductive justice advocates. This article is not regularly updated, and individuals who are considering self-managing abortion should refer directly to these resources for more detailed medical or legal guidance.

To be clear: self-managed abortion is safe. According to a 2018 statement from Physicians for Reproductive Health, “self-administered medication abortion is as safe, effective and acceptable to patients and providers as healthcare facility-based medication administration.” Numerous medical groups, including the World Health Organization, have endorsed self-managed abortion in the first trimester as “safe, feasible, and acceptable.”

However, self-managing an abortion could put a person at legal risk. Since this article was initially published in 2019, state laws criminalizing abortion have multiplied. Advocates are aware of 24 people who have been prosecuted for self-managing their abortions between 2000 and 2021, some of them in states where the practice isn’t technically criminalized. And people who are disproportionately targeted by law enforcement (people of color, trans people, unhoused people, and undocumented people, for example) are at greater risk of legal punishment. For a few legal resources, check out the “More Information” section at the end of this article.

First, check how far along you are in pregnancy. The FDA has approved medication abortion with mifepristone and misoprostol up to 10 weeks from the first day of a person’s last menstrual period, and the World Health Organization considers abortion with both medications safe and effective until 12 weeks since a person’s last period. Keep in mind that contrary to popular belief, pregnancy is not counted from the “moment of conception,” but from the first day of your last period.

You should not use this method if:

You have a disease called porphyria
You have a bleeding disorder
You are taking anticoagulants
You have chronic adrenal failure and/or use long-term systemic corticosteroid therapy

It’s very unlikely you would have any of the diseases or treatments listed above and not already know about it. Additionally, you shouldn’t use this method if you know you're allergic to misoprostol, mifepristone, or prostaglandins. If you know you have an ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy implanted outside the womb), this method will not work and you should seek medical treatment from a doctor.

It’s extremely rare to get pregnant if you have an IUD, but if that’s the case, you should have it removed before having an abortion.

When doctors perform medical abortions using pills, they use two drugs: mifepristone and misoprostol. Mifepristone is harder to obtain in person but widely available online.

To have an abortion with mifepristone and misoprostol, you will need one 200mg pill of mifepristone and four tablets of misoprostol at 200 mcg each.

To have an abortion with misoprostol only, you will need 12 tablets of misoprostol at 200 mcg each.

There are several ways you can get them:

Online

Abortion pills are commonly purchased online. There are several websites where people have been able to purchase mifepristone and misoprostol together. Plan C Pills (plancpills.org) has researched a number of telehealth services and online pharmacies that provide abortion pill delivery. Aid Access (aidaccess.org) also provides “online consult for abortion pills by mail.”

Some people who were not able to purchase misoprostol and mifepristone together have been able to find an internet vet supply store or online pharmacy (for humans!) that sells misoprostol only without a prescription.

In person

In addition to helping people manage abortions at home, misoprostol is sometimes used to treat stomach ulcers, so it’s kept behind the counter at most US pharmacies. In many Latin American countries, as well as in some border communities in the US, you can get it over the counter under the brand name Cytotec. If you’re trying to get misoprostol without a prescription in the US, advocates have found these tips helpful:

Choose the right location: It might be easier to get misoprostol at a local pharmacy than at a chain like CVS or Rite Aid.
Have a man go for you: A pharmacist is less likely to suspect a man of using pills to induce abortion, and is more likely to give him the pills.
Have an excuse: Tell the pharmacist your grandparent with rheumatoid arthritis is visiting and forgot their pills at home.

Having a medical abortion can be very physically unpleasant (think: bad flu), so plan on being out of commission for a full day after taking the misoprostol. Some people experience nausea, so consider eating lightly or sticking to foods that are easy to settle. Alcohol or drugs are a no no—you want to be able to pay full attention to your body. The chances of something going wrong are extremely low, but just in case, it’s good to be within an hour of a hospital (make that half an hour if you have anemia).

Just like building IKEA furniture, managing your abortion is easier and safer with a friend. Make sure this friend is someone you trust to be discreet, to help protect you from legal risk.

If you’re taking mifepristone and misoprostol together

The following is a summary of instructions from Women On Web and the World Health Organization on how to use mifepristone and misoprostol for a safe abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy:

You will take your pills over the course of two days. First, swallow your one tablet of mifepristone (200mg).

Twenty-four hours later, put 4 tablets of misoprostol (200 mcg each) under your tongue and let them dissolve for 30 minutes. You can swallow your saliva. After 30 minutes, you can spit out any remains of the tablets.

If you’re taking misoprostol only

The following is a summary of instructions from How to Use Abortion Pills on how to use misoprostol only for a safe abortion before 10 weeks of pregnancy:

Put the first four tablets under your tongue and let them dissolve for 30 minutes. You can swallow your saliva, but don’t swallow the tablets until at least 30 minutes have passed. At that point, you can swallow what remains of the tablets.

After three hours, repeat with the next four tablets, making sure to dissolve them for 30 minutes under your tongue instead of swallowing. Three hours after that, repeat with the final four tablets.

(In the unlikely case that you purchased a pill with the brand name Arthrotec or Oxaprost, the misoprostol will be coating a painkiller. If that’s the case, spit out the pills after thirty minutes. If you forget and accidentally swallow the pills, you should still proceed. The painkiller may slightly reduce the chances of the misoprostol working, but only by a little bit.)

DON’T swallow all the misoprostol pills together. Nausea is a common side effect, and you don’t want to puke them up.

DON’T put the pills in your vagina. If taken under the tongue as directed, a doctor won’t be able to tell if you’ve induced an abortion or had a “natural” miscarriage. If you put the pills in your vagina, a doctor can find the residue.

This part probably won’t be fun! You’ll know your abortion has begun when you start to cramp and bleed, which can happen anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours after you take the misoprostol. To avoid infection, use pads for the bleeding, and not tampons or a cup. Some unpleasant side effects of misoprostol can include dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and headaches, as well as fever and chills. You can take ibuprofen and anti-nausea medications as needed—they won’t interact poorly with misoprostol. Try to hydrate as best you can, and rest as much as you need to.

Fewer than 3% of people self-managing an abortion with pills require further medical care. Women on Waves, Safe2Choose, and Women Help Women recommend immediately seeking medical care if a person has any of the following symptoms:

Bleeding through two or more maxi pads per hour for more than two hours (this means that the pads are completely soaked through, front to back and side to side). This occurs in less than 1% of cases.
A fever above 100°F for more than 24 hours, or a fever above 102°F for any amount of time. This could be a sign of infection, and it’s usually treated with antibiotics.
Intense abdominal pain that lasts for more than a few hours.

The good news is, if you’ve followed the instructions, there’s no medical way for a doctor to tell you’ve taken pills to induce abortion. You can say that you think you’re having a miscarriage. The only way a doctor will know is if you or your friend share the information, which you absolutely do not have to do. Your symptoms, complications, and the treatment you’ll receive will look exactly the same as if you were having a natural miscarriage, which doctors treat routinely.

Don’t put anything in your vagina for five days after your abortion—that means no tampons, sex toys, fingers, or penises. You should also avoid intense physical activity. You can expect to bleed as though you’re having your period for anywhere from a few days to a few weeks after you take the pills. After four weeks, take a pregnancy test to make sure the abortion was complete (earlier than four weeks, and you may get a false positive).

If it comes back positive: There are a couple of things that could be happening here. For one, you could still be pregnant (this is more likely if you didn’t experience cramping or significant bleeding when you took the pills).

It’s also possible there is remaining tissue in your uterus, or that your pregnancy implanted outside of the uterus (this is known as an ectopic pregnancy). Doctors have safe and established protocols for dealing with these issues (remember: you don’t have to tell them you self-induced abortion), but both can cause serious complications if left alone. Ectopic pregnancies cannot be carried to term, and if you think you have one, you should seek medical care right away.

If it comes back negative: Congratulations! You have given yourself an abortion. You might not be in the mood to get busy right away, but if you are, use condoms or another form of birth control—you can get pregnant immediately after an abortion.

More Information: For more detailed information and Q&As on how people use these medications, you can check out Aid Access, Women on Web, Safe2Choose, How to Use Abortion Pills, or Self Managed Abortion Safe and Supported (SASS). These sites all provide more detail than the length of this article allows.

Legal: If/When/How maintains the Repro Legal Help Line (www.reprolegalhelpline.org/), where you can get information about your rights around self-managed abortion. You can contact them by leaving a voicemail on their helpline (844-868-2812) or using their secure online form (https://www.reprolegalhelpline.org/sma-contact-the-helpline/#secureform).

The Repro Legal Defense fund provides financial support for criminal cases where someone is alleged to have self-managed an abortion, including bail/bond money, attorney fees, court costs, and more. You or your attorney can request help at reprolegaldefensefund.org/get-help/.

You can also contact National Advocates for Pregnant Women, which provides free legal representation to people charged with crimes in relationship to their pregnancies, at http://www.advocatesforpregnantwomen.org.

Speaking with a doctor or counselor: If you live in the United States, you can call or text the Miscarriage + Abortion Hotline at 1-833-246-2632. They are available between 8am and 11pm in all continental US time zones, and will respond within the hour.

You can also chat with a trained counselor and advocate by emailing [email protected], or using their live chat counseling service at https://safe2choose. org/abortion-counseling. Each of these websites also includes instructions and Q&A for self-administering an abortion with pills.

Advocacy: If you want to get involved in the campaign to destigmatize and spread awareness of self-managed abortion in the United States, you can connect with Reproaction, a reproductive justice direct action group, at https://reproaction.org/.

Spontaneous miscarriage and miscarriage

Over the past 10 years, the number of spontaneous miscarriages has been growing rapidly. The International Histological Classification Organization (FIGO) has declared the situation with an increase in the frequency of miscarriages an epidemic.

Spontaneous miscarriage is the termination of pregnancy before the fetus reaches a viable term (up to 22 weeks of pregnancy and fetal weight 500 g.).
Most miscarriages (about 80%) occur before 12 weeks of gestation. Moreover, in the early stages up to 8 weeks of pregnancy, the cause of miscarriage is chromosomal abnormalities in 50% of cases. It turns out that nature eliminates the defective product of conception. And these causes are difficult to prevent, especially in the presence of hereditary diseases. Fortunately, accidental breakdowns are much more common than genetically determined ones. Therefore, subsequent pregnancies usually end happily. But the remaining 50% of miscarriages have completely real and removable causes. They can be easily identified at the stage of preparation for pregnancy by a gynecologist.

What are the reasons?

- chronic diseases: inflammatory diseases of the uterus and appendages, polycystic ovary syndrome, uterine fibroids, endometriosis, malformations of the genital organs.
- infections: toxoplasmosis, listeriosis, genital tuberculosis, sexual infections - chlamydia, mycoplasma, ureaplasma, syphilis.
- antiphospholipid syndrome.
- endocrine diseases: diabetes, thyroid disease.
- metabolic disorders in the body: obesity, folic acid deficiency, iron deficiency, vitamin D deficiency.
- male factor.
Of course, these causes are identified and eliminated before the planned conception.

There are harmful factors that can affect the development of the fetus in the early stages of pregnancy and lead to miscarriage:

- alcohol consumption.
- caffeine use (4-5 cups of coffee per day).
- smoking (more than 10 cigarettes a day).
- drug use.
- taking medications with a teratogenic effect (for example: aspirin, nise and others from this group of drugs; antifungals; antidepressants; some antibiotics and a number of other drugs).
- toxins and occupational hazards: ionizing radiation, pesticides, inhalation of anesthetic gases.

What are the signs of possible pregnancy loss?

These are complaints of pain in the lower abdomen and lower back, bloody discharge from the genital tract. It is necessary to consult a doctor to rule out an ectopic pregnancy and conduct an additional examination (hCG test, blood test for progesterone, ultrasound).
In early pregnancy, with dubious ultrasound data or suspected non-developing (missing) pregnancy, expectant management is chosen with a repeat examination by a gynecologist, ultrasound, tests after 7-10 days. If the diagnosis was made and the fact of uterine pregnancy was confirmed, with a threatened miscarriage, preservation therapy is carried out in an outpatient day hospital. A miscarriage that has begun requires hospitalization in the gynecological department. In the case of a non-developing pregnancy, an abortion is performed.

In accordance with the clinical treatment protocol approved by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation dated 07.06.2016. Preference is given to drug therapy aimed at terminating pregnancy with prostaglandin analogues (misoprostol) with or without prior use of an antiprogestin (mifepristone). In case of need for surgical treatment (with incomplete miscarriage with infected miscarriage), it is recommended to use aspiration curettage (with an electric vacuum source or a manual vacuum aspirator). What has a significant advantage over curettage of the uterine cavity because it is less traumatic and can be performed on an outpatient basis.

All women who have had a miscarriage need treatment to prevent complications and prevent recurrent miscarriages. Why is rehabilitation therapy necessary?

According to the decision of the XVIII World Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists , the diagnosis of chronic endometritis should be made to absolutely all women who have had an undeveloped pregnancy. Two out of three miscarriages according to Professor V.E. Radzinsky are caused by this disease. When examining the material from the uterine cavity, infectious pathogens were isolated: ureaplasmas, mycoplasmas, streptococci, staphylococci, Escherichia coli, viruses (herpes, HPV). Therefore, it is very important to carry out treatment immediately after the termination of pregnancy.
If time is lost, it is necessary to carry out additional diagnostics: a pipel biopsy of the endometrium with a histological examination and a study for infections, including tuberculosis. Then, taking into account the results obtained, symptomatic anti-inflammatory therapy is carried out (immunomodulators, antibacterial drugs, physiotherapy, gynecological massage, mud therapy). In parallel, an examination is prescribed to identify other causes of miscarriage (male factor, chronic maternal diseases, genital infections, antiphospholipid syndrome).
In the medical center "Mifra-Med" at the level of modern requirements of medicine, all the possibilities for a complete adequate examination have been created: all types of tests, ultrasound, hysteroscopy, aspiration biopsy, consultations of narrow specialists (endocrinologist, therapist, neurologist, urologist). Our gynecologists of the highest category Melko O. N., Novitskaya E.L., Tikhonova T.N. and urologist of the highest category Kanaev S.A. have sufficient experience in the rehabilitation and preparation of couples for the next pregnancy with a successful outcome. Treatment is carried out in a day hospital with the use of drugs, physiotherapy, gynecological massage, prostate massage.

WE WILL HELP YOU!

st. Yakovleva, 16 st. Kirova 47 B
tel. 244-744 tel. 46-43-57

Miscarriage, how to avoid - Planning and management of pregnancy in the gynecology of the Literary Fund polyclinic after a miscarriage

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A miscarriage is always associated with severe consequences for the whole body of a woman and for her reproductive organs in particular, it also affects the family situation, disrupts the woman's work schedule. An unfavorable outcome of pregnancy requires great mental and physical costs on the part of parents. Therefore, contacting doctors to find out the causes of the problem is the very first and correct step towards the birth of a child.

Any competent gynecologist will tell you that the problem of miscarriage can be solved. With proper preparation for pregnancy and its management, the next time you will have a successful pregnancy. Most girls after a miscarriage go to extremes: they try to get pregnant again as soon as possible. And if this succeeds, then the miscarriage is very often repeated. And you need to give the body a rest for 2-3 months, then identify and eliminate the cause. And only then try.

Causes of miscarriage

Many are convinced that miscarriage is due to a fall, bruise, or some other physical shock. Any woman who has had a miscarriage can remember that not long before she either fell or lifted something heavy. And I am sure that she lost her unborn child precisely because of this. However, those women whose pregnancy was normal also fall and lift heavy things. Most sudden miscarriages do not occur for this reason. The reason is in violations of the pregnancy itself. Approximately half of miscarriages are due to abnormal genetic development of the fetus, which can be hereditary or accidental. Merciful nature, following the principles of natural selection in everything, destroys the defective and unviable fetus. But you should not be afraid of this. The fact that there is a defect in one embryo does not mean at all that all the others will be the same.

The woman's body is almost always to blame for the other half of miscarriages. They are caused by various known and unknown factors, such as: acute infectious diseases suffered in the first trimester of pregnancy, poor environment or difficult working conditions, excessive psychological or physical stress, abnormal development of the uterus, radiation, alcohol, smoking and certain types of drugs.

The causes of early and late miscarriage may differ, although they may overlap. The most important thing is to find out and eliminate or compensate for your own cause of miscarriage. Having discovered the cause, the gynecologist will tell you how to avoid another loss.

Miscarriage

Miscarriage statistics also include “missed pregnancy”. Sometimes it happens that the embryo dies and lingers in the uterine cavity. Most often, this fact is detected by ultrasound. The dead fetus may begin to decompose, and this, thereby, will lead to poisoning of the mother's body.

Doctors resort to surgical curettage, which is associated with a risk of inflammation and complications. With such a miscarriage, the next pregnancy is planned after the body is fully restored - not earlier than a year. During this year, you will have to find out the cause of the missed pregnancy and treat it.

Miscarriage up to 6 weeks

The main causes of miscarriage on this line are malformations of the embryo itself. Statistics say that from 70-90% of embryos had chromosomal abnormalities: they are random and will not occur in other pregnancies. You may have been ill, taken medication, or were under the influence of other harmful factors. Fate saved you from a child with malformations.

The human body is perfect and finds a way to correct the situation by miscarriage. Today is a tragedy for you. The real tragedy would be the preservation and birth of a sick, non-viable child. So don’t cry and understand: everything is for the best, you won’t help grief with tears ... And after three months, try again - it will almost certainly turn out to be successful.

It should also be noted that the fact of a miscarriage does not mean that you have lost something. So for a period of 7-8 weeks, the absence of an embryo in the fetal egg is found - "anembryony". It is believed that in 80-90% of cases, miscarriages are undiagnosed non-developing pregnancies.

Miscarriage between 6 and 12 weeks

Miscarriage during this period is also considered early. Its most common causes are:

Endocrine disorders

Endocrine disorders, when the ovaries do not synthesize enough hormones to keep the fetus in the womb, or the amount of male sex hormones is increased, is one of the most common causes of miscarriage and miscarriage.

Hormone imbalance in a woman's body is likely to lead to an early termination of pregnancy. With a lack of the main hormone progesterone produced by the ovaries, this happens most often. Another hormonal problem is an increase in the tone of the uterus, which provokes the expulsion of the fetus.

Progesterone prepares the uterine mucosa for implantation and is the hormone for maintaining pregnancy in the first months. If conception occurs, the fetus cannot properly establish itself in the uterus. As a result, the fertilized egg is rejected. But pregnancy can be saved with the help of progesterone preparations if this problem is detected in time.

An excess of male sex hormones that suppress the production of estrogen and progesterone can also be the cause of an early miscarriage. Often, the cause of recurrent miscarriages are androgens that affect the formation and development of pregnancy; as well as thyroid and adrenal hormones. Therefore, a change in the function of these glands can lead to miscarriage.

Undertreated sexual infections

This problem needs to be addressed before conception. Often the cause of miscarriage is sexually transmitted infections: syphilis, trichomoniasis, toxoplasmosis, chlamydia, cytomegalovirus and herpetic infections. Their effect on the fetus and the course of pregnancy is different for each woman and depends on the timing of infection, the activity of the microorganism, the degree of immune protection and the presence of other adverse factors. Depending on the situation, they can lead to the formation of fetal malformations, intrauterine infection, feto-placental insufficiency, early miscarriage or premature birth. Infection of the fetus and damage to the membrane of the fetus leads to miscarriage. To avoid this, infections should be treated before pregnancy. The use of therapy is possible during pregnancy as prescribed by a doctor.

Viral infections and other diseases

Any disease accompanied by intoxication and fever above 38 ^about C can lead to a miscarriage. Rubella, influenza and viral hepatitis occupy a leading position in this list. At a period of 4-10 weeks for pregnancy, ordinary tonsillitis can also become tragic, pneumonia carries a more serious risk. Pyelonephritis and appendicitis can cause early labor. When planning a pregnancy, it is imperative to undergo a medical examination in order to identify and treat foci of infections.

Extremely dangerous during pregnancy rubella - it leads to severe fetal malformations, so infection during pregnancy is an indication for medical abortion.

Any disease during pregnancy can lead to non-viability of the fetus. And the body, through a miscarriage, insures you against unwanted offspring. With such a miscarriage, the next pregnancy has every chance of going well.

Immune causes of miscarriage

Sometimes antibodies that are hostile to the fetus are formed in the blood of a pregnant woman. This cause can be predicted and eliminated in advance. Most often, the conflict occurs when the embryo inherits the positive Rh factor of the father, and the negative Rh factor, the mother's body rejects the embryonic tissues that are alien to it. Constant monitoring of antibody titer and the introduction of anti-Rhesus immunoglobulins allows you to maintain and maintain pregnancy. In case of an immune conflict, progesterone preparations are also used to prevent miscarriage, which in this case has an immunomodulatory effect.

Reduced immunity

Reduced immunity during pregnancy is also an immune cause. The body is simply not able to grow a new life in itself. You need to take care of yourself and recover before the next conception.

Anatomical causes of miscarriage

Anatomical causes of miscarriage are the most intractable. Malformations of the uterus are a serious reason for miscarriage. Sometimes you just have to deal with it.

Miscarriage between 12 and 22 weeks

Such a miscarriage is considered late. Its causes coincide with the causes of miscarriages in the early stages (anatomical, immune, infectious, endocrine).

At this time, miscarriage also occurs due to isthmic-cervical insufficiency - a weak cervix cannot hold the fetus and opens. For this reason, a miscarriage can occur in the 2nd or 3rd trimester. Isthmic-cervical insufficiency is observed in 15.0-42.7% of women suffering from miscarriage. Careful monitoring of the pregnant woman allows you to identify the problem in time and make surgical correction of the cervix before the onset of childbirth.

In isthmic-cervical insufficiency, there is only one method of treatment - a mechanical narrowing of the cervical canal. To do this, the neck is either sewn up or a special ring is put on it. However, the latter method is less efficient, because the ring can easily slide off the neck, then it will no longer hold back the process of opening it.

After suturing, if necessary, it is possible to use antibiotics and drugs that normalize the microflora of the vagina. The treatment of the vagina and the control of the state of the seams are carried out daily for 5 days. Stitches are removed at 37-38 weeks and with premature onset of labor.

Isthmic-cervical insufficiency may be primary (for no apparent reason), may be the result of abortion or hormonal disorders (increased levels of androgens - male sex hormones or their precursors).

Miscarriage after 22 weeks

Such a loss is hard to forget. Obstetricians talk about premature birth after the 28th week of pregnancy. Traditionally, a child born after this period is considered viable. But medicine knows many cases when it was possible to save the life of earlier children.

We recommend that you be carefully examined for miscarriage, check the above factors. In addition to them, the cause of a miscarriage can be antiphospholipid syndrome, while the woman's body perceives the child as something alien and rejects it. This disease, like the others listed, can be corrected; you have a very real chance of bearing a child.

Miscarriage due to impaired hemostasis

All of the above causes account for only 30-40%. Up to 70% of miscarriages are caused by disorders in the blood coagulation system (hemostasis).

Blood coagulation disorders leading to pregnancy loss can be divided into thrombophilic (increased clotting) and hemorrhagic (bleeding tendencies). Both of these extremes are dangerous to the fetus. Various disorders leading to the formation of small blood clots lead to the fact that the fetus loses sufficient blood supply, development is disturbed and the fetus is rejected.

The main hemorrhagic changes can manifest themselves even in childhood in the form of increased bleeding during cuts, extractions of teeth, the onset of menstruation. But sometimes they declare themselves only during pregnancy and are the cause of a miscarriage. Bleeding in the early stages and detachment of the chorion is difficult to stop.

You may not guess, but incomprehensible headaches, weakness, fatigue, temporary loss of smell or hearing may be symptoms of disorders in the blood coagulation system.