What Happens if You Lose a Baby at 19 Weeks
KEY POINTS
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Miscarriage is when a baby dies in the womb earlier twenty weeks of pregnancy. Some women take a miscarriage before they know they're meaning.
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We don't know all the causes of miscarriage, but bug with chromosomes in genes cause most.
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It can take a few weeks to a month or more for your body to recover from a miscarriage. It may accept longer to recover emotionally.
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Talk to your health care provider about having medical tests before you try to get meaning again.
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Most women who expel go on to take a healthy pregnancy later.
What is miscarriage?
Miscarriage (likewise chosen early pregnancy loss) is when a baby dies in the womb (uterus) earlier twenty weeks of pregnancy. For women who know they're pregnant, about 10 to 15 in 100 pregnancies (10 to 15 percent) end in miscarriage. Most miscarriages happen in the first trimester before the 12th week of pregnancy. Miscarriage in the second trimester (between xiii and 19 weeks) happens in one to v in 100 (i to v percent) pregnancies.
Equally many as one-half of all pregnancies may end in miscarriage. Nosotros don't know the exact number considering a miscarriage may happen before a woman knows she's pregnant. Nearly women who miscarry go along to have a good for you pregnancy later.
What are repeat miscarriages?
If you have repeat miscarriages (also called recurrent pregnancy loss), you have two or more miscarriages in a row. Virtually i in 100 women (1 percent) have repeat miscarriages. Most women who have repeat miscarriages (50 to 75 in 100 or 75 percentage) accept an unknown cause. And most women with repeat miscarriages with an unknown crusade (65 in 100 women or 65 percent) continue to accept a successful pregnancy.
What causes miscarriage and repeat miscarriages?
We don't know what causes every miscarriage. But some miscarriages and echo miscarriages can be acquired past:
Problems with chromosomes
About half of all miscarriages are acquired when an embryo (fertilized egg) gets the wrong number of chromosomes. This usually happens by hazard and non from a problem passed from parent to kid through genes. Chromosomes are the structures in cells that holds genes. Each person has 23 pairs of chromosomes, or 46 in all. For each pair, you become ane chromosome from your mother and i from your male parent. Examples of chromosome problems that tin cause miscarriage include:
- Blighted ovum. This is when an embryo implants in the uterus only doesn't develop into a baby. If y'all have a blighted ovum, you may have dark-chocolate-brown bleeding from the vagina early on in pregnancy. If you lot've had signs or symptoms of pregnancy, like sore breasts or nausea (feeling ill to your stomach), you lot may stop having them.
- Intrauterine fetal demise. This is when an embryo stops developing and dies.
- Molar pregnancy. This is when tissue in the uterus forms into a tumor at the start of pregnancy.
- Translocation. This is when part of a chromosome moves to some other chromosome. Translocation causes a small number of repeat miscarriages.
Issues with the uterus or cervix.
The cervix is the opening to the uterus that sits at the superlative of the vagina. Bug with the uterus and cervix that tin cause miscarriage include:
- Septate uterus. This is when a band of muscle or tissue (called a septum) divides the uterus in ii sections. If you take a septate uterus, your provider may recommend surgery earlier you try to get significant to repair the uterus to help reduce your take chances of miscarriage. Septate uterus the almost mutual kind of built uterine abnormality. This ways information technology's a condition that you lot're born with that affects the size, shape or construction of the uterus. Septate uterus is a common crusade of repeat miscarriages.
- Asherman syndrome. If you have this status, you accept scars or scar tissue in the uterus that can damage the endometrium (the lining of the uterus). Earlier y'all become pregnant, your provider may utilize a procedure called hysteroscopy to find and remove scar tissue. Asherman syndrome may often cause echo miscarriages that happen before you know you're pregnant.
- Fibroids (growths) in the uterus or scars from surgery on the uterus. Fibroids and scars can limit space for your baby or interfere with your baby'south blood supply. Before you lot try to get pregnant, you may need a surgery called myomectomy to remove them.
- Cervical insufficiency (also called incompetent cervix). This is when your cervix opens (dilates) too early during pregnancy, usually without pain or contractions. Contractions are when the muscles of your uterus get tight and then relax to assist push your babe out during labor and birth. Cervical insufficiency may lead to miscarriage, usually in the second trimester. To help preclude this, your provider may recommend cerclage. This is a sew your provider puts in your cervix to assist keep it airtight.
Infections
Infections, like sexually transmitted infections (also called STIs) and listeriosis, can cause miscarriage. An STI, like genital herpes and syphilis, is an infection you can get from having sex with someone who is infected. If you recollect you may take an STI, tell your wellness care provider right abroad. Early testing and treatment can help protect you and your babe. Listeriosis is a kind of nutrient poisoning. If y'all think you have listeriosis, telephone call your provider right away. Your provider may treat you with antibiotics to help proceed you and your babe safe. Having sure infections may cause miscarriage, simply they're not likely to cause repeat miscarriages.
Are y'all at run a risk for a miscarriage?
Some things may make you more likely than other woman to accept a miscarriage. These are chosen gamble factors. Take chances factors for miscarriage include:
- Having two or more previous miscarriages
- Being 35 or older. Every bit y'all get older, your risk of having a miscarriage increases.
- Smoking, drinking alcohol or using harmful drugs. If y'all're pregnant or thinking most getting pregnant and demand help to quit, tell your provider.
- Existence exposed to harmful chemicals. You or your partner having contact with harmful chemicals, like solvents, may increase your adventure of miscarriage. A solvent is a chemical that dissolves other substances, like paint thinner. Talk to your provider near what you can do to protect yourself and your infant.
Some health weather condition may increment your risk for miscarriage. Treatment of these atmospheric condition before and during pregnancy tin sometimes assist prevent miscarriage and repeat miscarriages. If you have any of these health conditions, tell your wellness intendance provider before you go pregnant or equally presently every bit you lot know you're pregnant:
- Autoimmune disorders. These are health conditions that happen when antibodies (cells in the body that fight off infections) attack healthy tissue by error. Autoimmune disorders that may increase your risk of miscarriage include antiphospholipid syndrome (also called APS) and lupus (besides called systemic lupus erythematosus or SLE). If you have APS, your body makes antibodies that set on sure fats that line the blood vessels; this can sometimes crusade blood clots. If you have APS and have had echo miscarriages, your provider may give you low-dose aspirin and a medicine chosen heparin during pregnancy and for a few weeks after you give birth to help foreclose another miscarriage. Lupus can crusade swelling, pain and sometimes organ harm. It can bear upon your joints, skin, kidneys, lungs and blood vessels. If y'all take lupus, your provider may treat you with low-dose aspirin and heparin during pregnancy.
- Obesity. This ways you have too much body fat and your trunk mass index (also called BMI) is 30 or college. BMI is a measure of body fat based on your height and weight. If you lot're obese, your chances of having a miscarriage may increase. To observe out your BMI, go to cdc.gov/bmi.
- Hormone problems, like polycystic ovary syndrome (too called PCOS) and luteal phase defect. Hormones are chemicals made by the body. PCOS happens when you have hormone issues and cysts on the ovaries. A cyst is a airtight pocket of that contains air, fluid or semi-solid substances. If you lot're trying to get meaning, your provider may requite you medicine to assist y'all ovulate (release an egg from your ovary into the fallopian tubes). Luteal stage defect tin can cause repeat miscarriages. It's when you take low levels of progesterone over several menstrual cycles. Progesterone is a hormone that helps regulate your periods and gets your body ready for pregnancy. If you lot take luteal stage defect, your provider may recommend treatment with progesterone before and during pregnancy to aid prevent repeat miscarriages.
- Preexisting diabetes (besides called type 1 or type two diabetes). Diabetes is when yous have too much saccharide (as well called glucose) in your blood. Preexisting diabetes means you lot have diabetes before yous get pregnant.
- Thyroid bug, including hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. They thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in your neck. Hypothyroidism is when the thyroid gland doesn't brand enough thyroid hormones. Hyperthyroidism is when the thyroid gland makes as well many thyroid hormones.
- Having certain prenatal tests, like amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling. These tests have a slight run a risk of miscarriage. Your provider may recommend them if your baby is at hazard for certain genetic weather, similar Down syndrome.
Having an injury to your belly, like from falling down or getting hitting, isn't a loftier risk for miscarriage. Your body does a good job of protecting your baby in the early weeks of pregnancy.
Yous may take heard that getting too much caffeine during pregnancy tin can increase your risk for miscarriage. Caffeine is a drug found in foods, drinks, chocolate and some medicine. It's a stimulant, which means information technology can help keep you lot awake. Some studies say caffeine may cause miscarriage, and some say it doesn't. Until we know more almost how caffeine can affect pregnancy, it's all-time to limit the amount you get to 200 milligrams each day. This is what'due south in about ane 12-ounce cup of java.
What are the signs and symptoms of miscarriage?
Signs of a condition are things someone else can see or know well-nigh you, like you accept a rash or you're coughing. Symptoms are things y'all feel yourself that others can't see, like having a sore pharynx or feeling empty-headed.
Signs and symptoms of miscarriage include:
- Bleeding from the vagina or spotting
- Cramps like y'all feel with your flow
- Severe belly pain
If yous have any of these signs or symptoms, call your provider. Your provider may want to do some tests to make sure everything'southward OK. These tests tin include claret tests, a pelvic examination and an ultrasound. An ultrasound is a exam that uses sound waves and a computer screen to show a picture of your baby within the womb.
Many women have these signs and symptoms in early pregnancy and don't miscarry.
What treatment practice yous get after a miscarriage or repeat miscarriages?
If you've had a miscarriage, your provider may recommend:
- Dilation and curettage (also called D&C). This is a procedure to remove any remaining tissue from the uterus. Your provider dilates (widens) your neck and removes the tissue with suction or with an instrument chosen a curette.
- Medicine. Your provider may recommend medicine that can help your trunk pass tissue that's however in the uterus.
Practise you demand any medical tests after a miscarriage or repeat miscarriages?
If y'all miscarry in your offset trimester, you probably don't need whatever medical tests. Because we don't oftentimes know what causes a miscarriage in the starting time trimester, tests may not be helpful in trying to find out a cause.
If y'all take repeat miscarriages in the first trimester, or if you have a miscarriage in the second trimester, your provider usually recommends tests to help detect out the cause. Tests can include:
- Chromosome tests. Y'all and your partner can have blood tests, like karyotyping, to check for chromosome problems. Karyotyping can count how many chromosomes at that place are and check to see if whatsoever chromosomes have changed. If tissue from the miscarriage is available, your provider tin test it for chromosomal weather condition.
- Hormone tests. You may have your blood tested to check for problems with hormones. Or yous may accept a process called endometrial biopsy that removes a small piece of the lining of the uterus to bank check for hormones.
- Blood tests to cheque your immune arrangement. Your provider may examination you for autoimmune disorders like, APS and lupus.
- Looking at the uterus. You lot may have an ultrasound, a hysteroscopy (when your provider inserts a special scope through the cervix to see your uterus) or a hysterosalpingography (an Ten-ray of the uterus).
How long does it take to recover from a miscarriage?
It can have a few weeks to a month or more for your body to recover from a miscarriage. Depending on how long you were pregnant, you may have pregnancy hormones in your blood for 1 to 2 months later yous miscarry. Virtually women become their period over again iv to 6 weeks after a miscarriage.
Information technology may take longer to recover emotionally from a miscarriage. You may have potent feelings of grief about the death of your babe. Grief is all the feelings you have when someone close to you dies. Grief can make you feel sad, angry, confused or alone. It'due south OK to take time to grieve after a miscarriage. Enquire your friends and family for support, and detect special ways to remember your infant. For example, if y'all already accept baby things, like clothes and blankets, yous may desire to keep them in a special place. Or you may have religious or cultural traditions that you'd like to do for your baby. Practise what'south right for you.
Certain things, like hearing names you were thinking of for your babe or seeing other babies, can be painful reminders of your loss. You may need help learning how to bargain with these situations and the feelings they create. Tell your provider if you need help to bargain with your grief. And visit Share Your Story, the March of Dimes online community where you tin talk with other parents who have had a miscarriage. We also offer the free booklet From hurt to healing that has information and resource for grieving parents.
If you miscarry, when tin you lot try to get pregnant again?
This is a decision for you lot to make with your partner and your provider. It'southward probably OK to get significant over again after you've had at to the lowest degree one normal period. If you're having medical tests to attempt to find out more than about why you miscarried, you may demand to wait until afterwards you've had these tests to try to get pregnant again.
You may non be emotionally ready to try again so soon. Miscarriage can exist hard to handle, and you lot may demand time to grieve. It'south OK if you desire to expect a while before trying to get pregnant once more.
More information
- From injure to healing (free booklet from the March of Dimes for grieving parents)
- Share Your Story (March of Dimes online community for families to share experiences with prematurity, nascency defects or loss)
- Centering Corporation (grief information and resources)
- Empathetic Friends (resources for families after the decease of a child)
- Journey Program of Seattle Children's Hospital (resource for families after the death of a child)
- Lupus Inquiry Alliance: Pregnancy and family planning
- Share Pregnancy & Infant Loss Back up (resources for families with pregnancy or babe loss)
Final reviewed: November, 2017
What Happens if You Lose a Baby at 19 Weeks
Source: https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/miscarriage.aspx