When a woman loses a fetus during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy, it’s a miscarriage. After 20 weeks, pregnancy loss is a stillbirth. About 10% of women who are aware that they are pregnant have miscarriages. Some women lose the embryo before they know that they are pregnant. Since they don’t recognize the event, they don’t report it or know that they have lost a pregnancy.
Most women who have an early loss do so in the first 13 weeks of pregnancy. Usually, miscarriages aren’t a recurring problem, and women usually go on to get pregnant and deliver a baby.
Most of the time, lost pregnancies happen because the fetus has a chromosomal abnormality or hasn’t developed properly. Often, women are afraid that something they have done is the reason why they experience loss. This is very rarely the case. Things like too much stress, work, falling, receiving a blow, having intercourse or having used birth control before pregnancy do not cause miscarriages.
There are certain circumstances that can increase women’s risk of pregnancy loss.
The physicians at Athens ObGyn can help women understand their risk factors and receive the prenatal care they need.
The most common symptom of miscarriages is vaginal bleeding, but vaginal bleeding doesn’t always mean that patients are having a miscarriage. Other symptoms, such as pain or cramping in the lower abdomen, back pain or fever, may also indicate that a loss of pregnancy is occurring. These can also be symptoms of other issues that may not result in loss. If fluid floods from the vagina, or a woman notices tissue loss, they should call our ObGyns.
If they suspect that a patient is losing a pregnancy, our physicians may perform a pelvic exam and also order blood work or an ultrasound. It they determine that a loss of pregnancy is taking place, they may take one of three approaches.
Our physicians and staff understand that coping with pregnancy loss is difficult, both mentally and physically. We are here to help patients navigate through the aftermath of miscarriages and move on to a healthy pregnancy and delivery. Contact us for an appointment.