Cause And Effects Of Miscarriage

Miscarriage can be defined as a loss of pregnancy that occurs randomly. It is also known as “spontaneous abortion” (“Early”). Miscarriages typically happen between the first 13 weeks of pregnancy and usually result in discomfort and bleeding (“Early”). Miscarriages are not an uncommon event; it is statistically shown that 10-25% of pregnancies end in miscarriage (“Miscarriage”). With that in mind, there are certain causes and effects of miscarriages. The first most common cause of a miscarriage may be a defect in the fetus. Studies show that most miscarriages are caused by chromosomal abnormalities (“Early”). These abnormalities occur when something is defective in the baby’s chromosomes and result in the fetus not growing properly. The …show more content…
Many women experience a loss of energy, increased fatigue, and loss of appetite. Another physical effect of miscarriage is that women may have built up a supply of milk in their breasts, especially if the miscarriage took place after 14 weeks of pregnancy (“After”). Some pain and swelling of the breasts that lasts up to 10 days is normal (“Physical”). Other issues are intimacy issues; as would be expected, a woman needs time to recover physically before being able to engage in intimate activities (“After”). It may take weeks or even months to physically heal and recover after a miscarriage …show more content…
About 50% of women who miscarry have to undergo a D&C procedure (“D&C”). A D&C procedure is also known as dilation and curettage; it is a surgical procedure that is performed after a miscarriage to open up the cervix and remove the contents from the uterus when this does not naturally occur on its own (“D&C”). It is performed by scraping the uterus wall with a vacuum-type instrument (“D&C”). If this procedure is not done and the contents are not properly removed, infections can occur and the woman may become extremely ill or even require a hysterectomy