Is it painful to have a miscarriage

Miscarriage Signs & Symptoms | How to Recognize Miscarriage

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What is a Miscarriage?

How do I know if I'm having a miscarriage?

The most common signs of a miscarriage are bleeding and cramping. Call your doctor if you think you’re having a miscarriage.

What are the signs of miscarriage?

Sometimes, there are no miscarriage symptoms and you don’t find out until an ultrasound, or you don’t feel pregnant anymore. Usually there are signs and symptoms. They include:

Other things that are less serious than miscarriage can also cause these symptoms. But if you think you might be having a miscarriage, see your doctor right away just to be safe.

What happens during a miscarriage?

Miscarriages are different for every person, but there are some common symptoms.

Not all miscarriages are physically painful, but most people have cramping. The cramps are really strong for some people, and light for others (like a period or less). It’s also common to have vaginal bleeding and to pass large blood clots up to the size of a lemon. Heavy miscarriage bleeding can be scary or surprising, but it’s usually normal.

The bleeding and cramping can end quickly, or it may last for several hours. Your doctor can give you medicine and tips on how to manage pain and cramps during your miscarriage.

No matter how fast it happens or whether or not it hurts, miscarriage can be upsetting. Keep in touch with your doctor about what’s going on and how you’re feeling. Your doctor can let you know what is and isn’t normal, and give you resources for emotional support if you need it.

What can I expect to feel after having a miscarriage?

There’s no one way that all people feel after having a miscarriage. You may feel a mix of emotions, including disappointment, despair, shock, guilt, grief, and relief — sometimes all at the same time. All of these feelings are really normal, and usually fade as time passes.

Take care of yourself physically and emotionally, and give yourself permission to grieve your loss if you need to. Grief and sadness are very normal responses to miscarriage. Try to surround yourself with supportive and loving people who will let you grieve and comfort you. If you have a partner, they may be grieving the loss and dealing with a range of emotions, too. Talking about your feelings and supporting each other can help you both cope.

The amount of time it takes to emotionally heal after a miscarriage is different for everyone. Give yourself as much time as you need to grieve. Most people feel better when they have someone supportive to talk to. Even if you don’t think there’s anybody in your life you can lean on, know that you’re not alone. Your nurse or doctor can talk with you, or help you find a counselor or support group in your area. There are also many online support groups, where you can connect with others who are going through the same thing as you. All-Options has a free hotline that gives you a private space to talk about your feelings after a pregnancy loss.

If you want to get pregnant again, your doctor or local Planned Parenthood health center can give you advice on planning your next pregnancy and help you figure out when it’s best to start trying again. They can also give you tips on preventing pregnancy and help you get birth control if you don’t want to get pregnant right now.

What if I’ve had more than 1 miscarriage?

If you’ve had 2 or more miscarriages in a row, your doctor might want to do some tests to help figure out if something specific is causing problems with your pregnancies. The tests will check for any hormonal imbalances, genetic disorders, or other problems. Some conditions can be treated to help you have a healthy pregnancy in the future.

Miscarriage Pain: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), miscarriage happens in at least 10 percent of clinically identified pregnancies. (Meaning, you actually knew you were pregnant; some miscarriages happen before you even miss your period.)

When miscarriage happens after you’ve already gotten a positive pregnancy test, it can be a physically and emotionally painful process.

We can’t make miscarriage any easier, but we can help you understand what’s happening. For instance, although abdominal pain is one of the most frequent symptoms of a miscarriage, it’s not the only type of pain or discomfort you might feel.

Here’s a breakdown of seven types of pain you might have during a miscarriage and what you can do to relieve your symptoms.

Cramping with a miscarriage is usually caused by your uterus contracting. Just like during your period, your uterus contracts to push contents out. Since your uterus is mostly a muscle, these contractions feel like muscle cramps (in other words, they hurt).

You’ll usually feel these cramps on both sides of your lower abdomen or pelvic region. The cramps may come and go in waves or your pain may feel more constant. Unless your doctor has told you not to, you can treat your pain with over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers like Motrin or Tylenol. You can also use a heating pad to ease cramping.

During a normal menstrual cycle, your uterus builds up lining to prepare for a pregnancy. When the pregnancy can’t continue, the lining needs to be shed.

Because your body has been preparing for pregnancy, there will be more lining and tissue, so your bleeding will be heavier than a period. The further along you are in the pregnancy, the heavier it will be.

To absorb the bleeding, you’ll need to wear a pad. ACOG doesn’t recommend using tampons during a miscarriage. And because the bleeding may last longer and be heavier than a typical period, you may notice some discomfort from moisture accumulation.

Blood loss with a miscarriage

You can lose a significant amount of blood with a miscarriage. Stay in touch with your doctor during the process and call if you experience dizziness or excessive blood loss (e. g., soaking more than two maxi pads per hour for more than 2 hours in a row).

To combat any discomfort, change your pad frequently and clean the area gently with water, avoiding soap.

The change in the vaginal environment from bleeding may also cause a yeast or bacteria overgrowth that could lead to vaginal odor. If you notice any signs of a yeast infection such as itching, or if the discharge becomes very foul smelling, call a doctor.

Gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea can be caused by hormone changes, as well as side effects from any medication you take to manage the miscarriage. Diarrhea can also be caused by the relaxing of the smooth muscle, just like you experience with a period.

To combat nausea symptoms, drink plenty of water and try to eat small meals consisting of bland, gentle-on-the-stomach foods. These can include:

rice
bananas
oatmeal
scrambled eggs
plain grilled chicken

If your symptoms are making it hard for you to keep food down or stay hydrated, ask your doctor about taking an antinausea or antidiarrheal medication.

Similar to how your period cramps can lead to back pain, the uterine contractions during a miscarriage can cause back pain. This is usually felt in the lower back and the pain can be mild, moderate, or severe.

You can treat it just like you would your cramps — with pain relievers and heating pads — but if it’s really uncomfortable, don’t hesitate to ask your doctor what else you can do.

Shoulder pain is a symptom of ectopic pregnancy and it’s a serious medical emergency. If you have severe, one-sided pain, dizziness or fever, or pain affecting your rectum, pelvis, shoulder, or neck, call your doctor or get urgent medical care right away.

Ectopic pregnancy may not cause bleeding, so it can be a harder type of pregnancy to identify.

It’s normal to feel tired and weak with a miscarriage. You may also have a headache. If you experience excessive dizziness or feel like you may faint, tell your doctor or call your local urgent care center.

It’s also important to rest and drink plenty of water to manage these symptoms. Try to sleep, stay hydrated, and eat nutrient-dense foods.

No matter how far along in your pregnancy you are when you miscarry, you’re allowed to feel grief. Miscarriage emotions can be complicated and messy. You may feel both sad and relieved that it’s over, or you may feel intense and sometimes overwhelming grief.

No matter your situation, you might feel disappointed, hopeless, or scared to conceive again. You might experience anxiety, mood swings and irritability, and even depression.

Talking about your loss can help. Try turning to trusted friends and family members, social media groups, or a mental health professional. Miscarriage can also lead to clinical depression, similar to postpartum depression — so be sure to seek medical attention if you experience any symptoms.

The severity of your miscarriage symptoms will depend on how far along you are in your pregnancy and what type of miscarriage you have. Still, a miscarriage at any stage can be difficult because all bodies respond differently.

You may choose expectant management to let your body pass the tissue on its own, you might use medication that can speed up the process, or you may choose a surgical procedure called a dilation and curettage (D&C) to remove the contents of the uterus.

The bleeding that occurs with miscarriage can be different for everyone, too. In general, you can expect menstrual-like bleeding for about a week. After that, spotting can continue for several weeks — sometimes even until your next period. And when is that? Again, it varies: Your menstrual cycle can restart anywhere between 4 to 8 weeks after the miscarriage.

When to seek medical help

If you suspect you’re having a miscarriage, you should always consult with your doctor. Your provider will also stay in touch with you throughout the recovery process.

Depending on the timing of your miscarriage and how it’s managed, it may be 2 or 3 weeks before you’re feeling like yourself again physically. In some cases, your doctor may order an ultrasound to confirm that your uterus is clear of retained tissue.

For some people, the emotional pain of a miscarriage can last much longer. It’s important to remember that the stage of your pregnancy when you miscarried doesn’t matter: You experienced a loss, and loss naturally comes with feelings of grief.

Sometimes that grief can get too big for you to handle on your own. As with postpartum depression after a birth, symptoms of depression can develop after a miscarriage. In fact, according to a 2015 journal article, nearly 20 percent of women report symptoms of depression and/or anxiety after miscarriage.

If you think you might be depressed or are simply struggling to manage your emotional recovery after miscarriage, don’t be afraid or ashamed to reach out for support. A licensed mental health professional can help you process your loss and begin to heal.

You can also look for a miscarriage support group to connect with other people who have shared your experience. You can search or contact any of the following resources for local and online miscarriage support groups:

Hope After Loss
Share Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support
Empty Cradle
First Candle
Empty Arms Bereavement Support
The Compassionate Friends
The Miscarriage Association (UK)

Miscarriage can be a difficult experience on your body, mind, and heart. You can help ease physical symptoms with rest, fluids, OTC pain relievers — and stay in touch with your doctor if you have any complications.

It’s also important to address the emotional pain of a miscarriage. Talking to a mental health professional or finding support from a local or online pregnancy loss group can help you take steps toward healing.

Early miscarriage - symptoms and how to prevent it

The term "early miscarriage" refers to a spontaneous abortion that occurs in the first 6-8 weeks of pregnancy. It can occur before 20 weeks of pregnancy for reasons related to the natural states of the fair sex. According to statistics, the logical outcome of every fifth pregnancy is a miscarriage. However, quite often a woman does not even know that she was pregnant by the time the fetus is rejected by the body.

In addition, a curious pattern was revealed: more often than a natural one, a pregnancy induced artificially ends in a miscarriage. For example, in vitro fertilization, unfortunately, does not always lead to a successful pregnancy and the birth of a baby on time.

Why can an early miscarriage occur?

Here are the most common causes, each of which significantly increases the risk of miscarriage:

the expectant mother has certain infectious diseases, as well as STDs;
intoxication of a woman's body for various reasons, including as a result of her living in an ecologically unfavorable region;
all kinds of metabolic disorders in the body;
hormonal disruptions, including those caused by a malfunction of the thyroid gland;
various neoplasms in the uterus and others, as well as the cervix, pathologies;
maintenance by the future mother of a life far from a healthy lifestyle. May include drinking alcohol, smoking, taking psychotropic and narcotic drugs, as well as malnutrition;
obesity;
immune status disorders;
cardiac diseases;
diabetes mellitus;
too early for pregnancy or, conversely, the patient's overly mature age at times increases the risk of miscarriage;
all kinds of pathologies of chromosomes and genes;
prolonged exposure to stress or severe psycho-emotional trauma in a woman.

The timing of a miscarriage may depend, among other things, on the patient's genetic predisposition to miscarriage. Finally, often its specific cause remains unexplained to the end.

Symptoms of miscarriage

A pregnant woman should urgently seek medical help if she has the following warning signs:

bleeding from the vagina;
spotting discharge from the genital tract. They can have both light pink and intense red or brownish tint;
convulsions;
severe pain in the lumbar region;
abdominal pain, etc.

All of the above signs can be symptoms of a miscarriage. Timely provision of qualified medical care is the key to maintaining pregnancy.

Life after miscarriage

If a woman could not bear the pregnancy - an early miscarriage crossed out all her plans - then she needs to calm down and take all measures to prevent such complications in the future. Usually obstetricians-gynecologists recommend planning a new pregnancy no earlier than six months after a miscarriage. During this time, a woman needs to be examined and find out if she has any pathology in her body that could lead to an abortion. It can be various STDs and infectious diseases. In the presence of chronic diseases that can provoke spontaneous abortion, it is necessary to throw all your efforts into their treatment.

Gynecologists of the corresponding department of our private clinic in Ryazan will help you find out what could have caused the miscarriage, as well as make recommendations on how to prepare for pregnancy. They usually include a set of physical exercises suitable for a woman, a diet rich in everything necessary for bearing a healthy baby, no stress, and measures to maintain a normal body mass index. Can't recover or get pregnant after a miscarriage? Contact "ON CLINIC in Ryazan" - here you will definitely be helped!

What is a spontaneous miscarriage and how it happens

Sometimes it happens that a pregnancy ends in a miscarriage. It's unpleasant and painful. But why is this happening and how to avoid such situations in the future? Find out more about this later.

What is it?

Early miscarriage is the death of an embryo or fetus in the womb before the 22nd week of pregnancy. It is usually caused by genetic breakdowns, pathologies, injuries or stress. Such a nuisance is quite common and approximately 15-20% of all successful conceptions can end in miscarriage.

What are the signs of a miscarriage?

To understand what's going on, you need to understand what a miscarriage looks like. The most common symptom is profuse bleeding with clots. Sometimes they can be mild at first, and then quite large. You should monitor your condition and if at least a slight bleeding has begun, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Sometimes a miscarriage can start suddenly. But it happens that before this there may be small pulling pains in the lower abdomen, lower back, smearing brown discharge.

Women may not immediately realize that they have had a miscarriage. Especially if the delay is only a few days, and the test was not done, then you might think that your period just started.

But usually a woman who already knows about her pregnancy remembers how a spontaneous miscarriage occurs forever. In most cases, this is profuse bleeding with blood clots, mucus and severe pain in the abdomen. If you do not immediately take action, you may experience chills, fever, the skin will become pale. The patient may even lose consciousness. If a woman does not immediately see a doctor or call an ambulance, she may even die from blood loss, as sometimes such bleeding is incredibly serious.

Spontaneous miscarriage can also have symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, frequent urination, dizziness, weakness,

What can cause an early miscarriage?

Why does it happen that a miscarriage occurs? Here you can name many reasons, but in each case, studies are carried out, the patient takes tests.

The causes of spontaneous abortion can be as follows in the first trimester:

Increased contractile activity of the uterus, which literally “pushes out” the fetus.
Genetic abnormalities in the fetus. Sometimes this happens once in one woman, as a result of genetic "breakdowns". And it happens that the whole thing is in the genes of the future father and mother, and therefore it is necessary to look for problems together with a geneticist.
Deficiency of the hormone progesterone. This is the so-called "pregnancy hormone". If it is not enough, then it is appointed additionally.
Immunological disorders that prevent normal development of the embryo.
Intoxication.
In the second trimester, the causes of miscarriage may be slightly different:
Uterine fibroids.
Adhesions in the pelvic organs.
Polyps in the uterus that prevent the embryo from developing normally.
Endometriosis, which causes connective tissue to grow outside the uterus.
Pathology of the cervix, namely an open cervix, which does not allow carrying a child and giving birth at term.
Infections that can cross the placenta and cause fetal death.
Some chronic diseases of the mother.

But besides this, there may be many other specific reasons that are individual for each woman. For example, hard physical work, activities in hazardous enterprises, severe stress and anxiety can also cause spontaneous abortion. The threat of spontaneous miscarriage occurs in many women, but not everyone can have an abortion. Much depends on the state of health, immunity, even emotional state.

What types of miscarriage can there be?

There are several types of spontaneous abortions:

Early (up to 12 weeks)
Late (13-22 weeks).

Some other types can also be distinguished:

Threatened miscarriage. It is manifested by slight pains in the abdomen, spotting spotting, the muscles of the uterus are quite active. But at the same time, the cervix is closed.
Incipient miscarriage. There is detachment of the fetal egg, bloody discharge. The cervix is closed, but the internal os is open.
Abortion is on the move. The fertilized egg comes out of the uterus, it is in the cervical canal. Severe pain and bleeding begin.
Incomplete abortion. Part of the egg may come out of the uterus, and part may still be in it. In this case, there is severe bleeding, abdominal pain, shock may develop
Complete abortion. With it, the fetal egg completely leaves the uterus. This is a "mini childbirth", while there is a slight bleeding, abdominal pain.
Missed abortion. With it, the fetal egg remains in the uterus. In this case, the fetus is already dead. Such an egg can remain inside a woman for some time, her condition worsens, signs of pregnancy disappear.

Also, such miscarriages can be divided into several types:

Interrupted biochemical pregnancy. It happens for 1-3 weeks. But a woman usually perceives it as the beginning of menstruation.
Spontaneous miscarriage (up to 22 weeks).
Preterm birth (after 22 weeks).

What cannot cause a miscarriage

Spontaneous abortion can happen to every woman. But there are certain risk factors that by themselves cannot cause a miscarriage, but can be provocateurs:

Smoking.
Alcohol abuse.
Some disease (diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure).
Age over 35.

Diagnosing a miscarriage

In order to accurately understand that a spontaneous abortion has occurred, it is necessary to correctly diagnose it. To do this, you should:

Analyze the patient's complaints. Usually this is bleeding, pain and cramps in the abdomen, poor general health, pallor of the skin, fever.
Perform a gynecological examination. Carry out palpation of the uterus, examination of the cervix, external pharynx.
Perform colpocytological examination.
They test for certain hormones.
Ultrasound of the pelvic organs is performed.

If such miscarriages occur frequently, the cause must be investigated. To do this, conduct a variety of studies, consultations with geneticists, endocrinologists and other specialists.

How to treat?

How to treat spontaneous miscarriage depends on the type of miscarriage. If it is threatening and has begun, then the following should be done:

The woman should be in the hospital.
A diet that contains all essential minerals and trace elements.
The patient must remain in bed.
Sedative drugs and drugs that relax the muscles of the uterus should be given.
If an abortion is "in progress", then all measures must be taken to stop the bleeding.
If the abortion is complete and incomplete, then everything “unnecessary” that is in the uterus should be removed. For this, scraping can be used.
If there is a failed abortion, then sometimes expectant tactics are used, when they are waiting for everything to “come out of the uterus by itself”. And sometimes they do scraping.
Also, sometimes with a missed pregnancy, expectant management can be used, especially for nulliparous women. Then after about 4-6 weeks a spontaneous miscarriage can occur. Sometimes drug treatment is used, in which special pills are used to help complete the pregnancy. And sometimes they do surgical curettage.

In any case, abortion should not be left to chance, it is necessary to consult a doctor who will choose the treatment tactics.

What are the consequences?

Spontaneous miscarriage in early pregnancy usually carries certain risks. The consequences of spontaneous miscarriage can be different:

Severe bleeding, pain.
Infertility.
But the most difficult and life-threatening miscarriages are those that a woman causes herself, at home. If they are not treated and the consequences are not eliminated, then they can end in the death of a woman.

Usually, if the patient was provided with quality medical care, then there are practically no complications. After about 10 days, the bleeding stops, and after 4 weeks, the woman begins her regular menstruation.

Is there any prevention?

Pregnancy after spontaneous miscarriage can occur and be quite successful. But first you need to establish the cause of the abortion. If these are genetic problems, endocrine pathologies, troubles with the blood or uterus, then special treatment is necessary. But there are general recommendations that will help reduce the risk of miscarriages: