Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Miscarriage and Pregnancy Loss
By Krissi Danielsson, About.com Guide to Miscarriage / Pregnancy Loss
Worried about vaginal bleeding in pregnancy or fading pregnancy symptoms? Or have you been diagnosed with an impending miscarriage and you need to decide whether or not to have a D & C? Find resources on these problems and more.
Symptoms and Warning Signs
The first trimester of pregnancy can be scary. You may be worried about any number of potential miscarriage symptoms, such as vaginal bleeding or cramping in your lower abdomen. These symptoms do not always mean a miscarriage, but they may mean that you should call your doctor for some testing.
- Signs and Symptoms - An Overview
- Pregnant and Bleeding. Is it a Miscarriage?
- What Does an Early Miscarriage Look Like?
- Loss of Pregnancy Symptoms
- Falling hCG Levels
Seeing the Doctor for Testing
Because symptoms do not necessarily mean a miscarriage, the only way to know what is happening in your pregnancy is to see a doctor for tests, such as hCG blood tests or one or more ultrasounds. The best person to see is usually your regular doctor or OB/GYN, unless you are concerned about hemorrhage or ectopic pregnancy symptoms -- in which case you should go to the E.R.
- Should I Go to the Emergency Room?
- How Doctors Diagnose Pregnancy Loss
- Blood Tests to Check hCG Levels
- Ultrasound for Suspected Miscarriage
Receiving a Diagnosis
About half the time, women having first-trimester vaginal bleeding in pregnancy will end up miscarrying. Some women have a confusing diagnosis of threatened miscarriage -- meaning the outcome could go either way. Later in pregnancy, monitoring may reveal that a baby is at risk for a bad outcome, or worst, that a baby will be stillborn. Any news can be hard to handle.
Treatment for Pregnancy Loss
If your situation involved an emergency, such as a hemorrhage or a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, you probably needed immediate surgery -- but if your diagnosis was a missed miscarriage, you may face a decision of whether to wait for the miscarriage without intervention or to proceed with a D & C (or medication to speed up the miscarriage). Later pregnancy losses might mean an induction of labor or other surgery.
Physical Recovery After Pregnancy Loss
For most types of pregnancy loss, the physical recovery is fairly swift. Many questions can arise, such as when it is OK to try again, how long the bleeding will last, and when your period will return.
- What to Expect from Physical Recovery
- How Long Does Miscarriage Bleeding?
- When Will My Menstrual Period Return?
- Sex After Miscarriage - When Is It Safe?
Types of Pregnancy Loss
Understanding your diagnosis can be confusing at first, but here you can find a description of the various types of pregnancy loss and miscarriage.
