Miscarriage
Natural death and expulsion of an embryo or fetus before its independent survival / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Spontaneous abortion?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion, is the death and expulsion of an embryo or fetus before it can survive independently.[1][4] The term miscarriage is sometimes used to refer to all forms of pregnancy loss and pregnancy with abortive outcomes before 20 weeks of gestation.
Miscarriage | |
---|---|
Other names | spontaneous abortion, early pregnancy loss |
An ultrasound showing a gestational sac containing a yolk sac but no embryo | |
Specialty | Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Neonatology, Pediatrics |
Symptoms | Vaginal bleeding with or without pain[1] |
Complications | Infection, bleeding,[2] sadness, anxiety, guilt[3] |
Usual onset | Before 20 weeks of pregnancy[4] |
Causes | Chromosomal abnormalities,[1][5] uterine abnormalities[6] |
Risk factors | Being an older parent, previous miscarriage, exposure to tobacco smoke, obesity, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, drug or alcohol use[7][8][9] |
Diagnostic method | Physical examination, human chorionic gonadotropin, ultrasound[10] |
Differential diagnosis | Ectopic pregnancy, implantation bleeding.[1] |
Prevention | Prenatal care[11] |
Treatment | Expectant management, vacuum aspiration, emotional support[8][12] |
Medication | misoprostol |
Frequency | 10–50% of pregnancies[1][7] |
Miscarriage before 6 weeks of gestation is defined by ESHRE as biochemical loss.[13][14] Once ultrasound or histological evidence shows that a pregnancy has existed, the term used is clinical miscarriage, which can be "early" before 12 weeks and "late" between 12 and 21 weeks.[13] Fetal death after 20 weeks of gestation is also known as a stillbirth.[15] The most common symptom of a miscarriage is vaginal bleeding with or without pain.[1] Sadness, anxiety, and guilt may occur afterwards.[3][16] Tissue and clot-like material may leave the uterus and pass through and out of the vagina.[17] Recurrent miscarriage (also referred to medically as Recurrent Spontaneous Abortion or RSA)[18] may also be considered a form of infertility.[19]
Risk factors for miscarriage include being an older parent, previous miscarriage, exposure to tobacco smoke, obesity, diabetes, thyroid problems, and drug or alcohol use.[7][8] About 80% of miscarriages occur in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy (the first trimester).[1] The underlying cause in about half of cases involves chromosomal abnormalities.[5][1] Diagnosis of a miscarriage may involve checking to see if the cervix is open or sealed, testing blood levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), and an ultrasound.[10] Other conditions that can produce similar symptoms include an ectopic pregnancy and implantation bleeding.[1]
Prevention is occasionally possible with good prenatal care.[11] Avoiding drugs, alcohol, infectious diseases, and radiation may decrease the risk of miscarriage.[11] No specific treatment is usually needed during the first 7 to 14 days.[8][12] Most miscarriages will be completed without additional interventions.[8] Occasionally the medication misoprostol or a procedure such as vacuum aspiration is used to remove the remaining tissue.[12][20] Women who have a blood type of rhesus negative (Rh negative) may require Rho(D) immune globulin.[8] Pain medication may be beneficial.[12] Emotional support may help with processing the loss.[12]
Miscarriage is the most common complication of early pregnancy.[21] Among women who know they are pregnant, the miscarriage rate is roughly 10% to 20%, while rates among all fertilisation is around 30% to 50%.[1][7] In those under the age of 35, the risk is about 10% while in those over the age of 40, the risk is about 45%.[1] Risk begins to increase around the age of 30.[7] About 5% of women have two miscarriages in a row.[22] Some recommend not using the term "abortion" in discussions with those experiencing a miscarriage to decrease distress.[23] In Britain, the term "miscarriage" has replaced any use of the term "spontaneous abortion" for pregnancy loss and in response to complaints of insensitivity towards women who had suffered such loss.[24] An additional benefit of this change is reducing confusion among medical laymen, who may not realize that the term "spontaneous abortion" refers to a naturally occurring medical phenomenon and not the intentional termination of pregnancy.