Spontaneous miscarriages – types and causes. Research in spontaneous miscarriages

Proven content

Spontaneous miscarriage is a pregnancy complication in which there is an uncontrolled expulsion of a fetal egg in the period when the child is not adapted to life outside the mother’s womb. The current development of medicine, in which the possibilities of keeping an immature child alive are much greater, means that this period ends in the 22nd week of pregnancy.

Spontaneous miscarriages – characteristics

Spontaneous miscarriage is the premature termination of a pregnancy that occurs due to natural causes. During a miscarriage, fragments of the fetal egg separate in the uterus until the fetus cannot develop outside the mother’s body. A miscarriage is the spontaneous termination of pregnancy before the 20th week of its duration. Miscarriage accounts for about 10-15 percent. causes of pregnancy loss. It should be emphasized that this number may be much higher due to the fact that a very large number of miscarriages may go unnoticed when women have no idea about the miscarriage. A very early pregnancy miscarriage is difficult to observe, especially when it occurs in the first 5-6 weeks of pregnancy. The woman then treats bleeding and pain in the lower abdomen as normal menstruation.

The reasons miscarriages are different, the most important are genetic disorders in the development of the fetal egg, congenital or acquired defects of the uterus, infectious diseases of the mother, especially with high fever, avitaminosis, physical and mental injuries, but also the lack of an adequate amount of hormones necessary for the growth of pregnancy. The first and characteristic symptoms indicating a miscarriage are pain in the lower abdomen and sacrum of the spine of varying intensity, as well as spotting and bleeding from the genital tract. In any case, you should immediately consult a gynecologist. The main treatment is bed rest in a state of complete peace.

Premature delivery

According to the definition of miscarriage, preterm labor is the period from 24 weeks of pregnancy to the end of 37 weeks. Importantly, the more advanced the pregnancy is, the closer to the biological termination of pregnancy, the greater the chance of survival of the child. The causes of this complication are similar to those of a miscarriage, although heavy physical labor is considered an important trigger. The incidence of preterm labor has increased in recent years and amounts to 8-11%, and is associated with high infant mortality.

Dangerous premature labor is indicated by regular contractions of the uterine muscle or the discharge of amniotic fluid from the genital tract, which is a characteristic symptom of rupture of the fetal bladder. Recognizing this complication at an early stage is very important because proper treatment can in many cases stop premature labor and prepare the baby for an earlier life outside the womb.

In all these cases, the pregnant woman should be admitted to a hospital as soon as possible, where appropriate treatment can often stop labor. The chance of maintaining a pregnancy depends on many factors – including the advancement of contractile action, the opening of the internal cervix, the presence of inflammation or symptoms of amniotic fluid departure.

Types of spontaneous miscarriages

Spontaneous miscarriages can be:

1. infected – then their cause is inflammation, which includes elements of the fetal egg and female genital organs,
2. habitual – these are three or more consecutive spontaneous miscarriages,
3. sepsis – related to the spread of toxins or bacteria in the area of ​​the reproductive and circulatory system,
4. missed / stopped – a miscarriage, which consists in the death of a fetal egg, after which the dying fetus is not expelled within 8 weeks. Then there are indications for curettage.

The division is also made on the basis of the possibility of maintaining early pregnancy, then the following are distinguished:

1. threatening miscarriages – the fetal egg is separated in a small section; the miscarriage itself is characterized by painless bleeding and uterine contractions. Sometimes there is a slight ache in the abdominal and sacral areas. Thanks to the implementation of conservative treatment, the symptoms disappear. Conversely, when symptoms worsen, the prognosis is poor;
2. Irreversible miscarriages – in this case the fetal egg is separated in a larger section, it is accompanied by the shortening of the cervix and the opening of its internal opening. Symptoms include profuse bleeding from the female genitalia and abdominal pain of varying severity. Curettage is indicated in women with irreversible miscarriage.

In addition to the above-mentioned types of miscarriages, they can also be complete or incomplete. In the first case, the miscarriage occurs at a very early stage of pregnancy (up to the twelfth week). Then the entire fetal egg is excreted, so there is no need to curettage the uterus. On the other hand, an incomplete miscarriage occurs when the fetus has not been completely expelled, i.e. it is necessary to remove its remnants by a curettage procedure. Sometimes patients are given pharmacological agents.

Causes of spontaneous miscarriage

Miscarriages can be dependent on the egg or the mother. The former are the most common malformations in which the abortion egg does not grow properly, which most often occurs as a result of:

1. the embryo,
2. chromosomal anomalies,
3. zaśniadu croniastego,
4. empty fetal egg,
5. bloody breakfast.

On the other hand, the causes of spontaneous maternal dependent miscarriage include:

1. the presence of infectious diseases, e.g. rubella, chlamydia, toxoplasmosis, listeriosis or HSV infection,
2. excessive stress and psychological trauma,
3. diabetes
4. thyroid dysfunction,
5. kidney disease
6. the impact of environmental stimuli, e.g. temperature (sudden warming or cooling of the body, the so-called thermal shock may cause a miscarriage), pressure or radiation,
7. drug abuse,
8. the use of stimulants,
9. isthmus-cervical insufficiency,
10. defect of the uterus structure, e.g. uterine retrograde, uterine hypoplasia, bipedal uterus, uterine sarcomas, intrauterine adhesions, partially septal uterus,
11. failure of the corpus luteum in the first 6 weeks of pregnancy.

The first three months of pregnancy are the time when the embryo is most exposed to various teratogenic factors. This is called period of organogenesis, that is, the process of formation of all organs. The influence of any unfavorable factors during this period may disturb this process.

Working in difficult conditions, during which the pregnant woman is exposed to chemicals or a magnetic field, also has a negative impact on pregnancy. This can damage the fetal egg and cause it to be expelled prematurely. All abnormalities in the structure of the uterus are an obstacle to the proper implantation of the embryo and its development. A well-prepared egg is needed for proper implantation of the egg endometrium, that is, the endometrium.

The endocrine system of the pregnant woman plays a very important role in the proper development of pregnancy. Any abnormalities in the secretion of sex hormones are a major threat to the development of pregnancy. In early pregnancy, it matters most progesteronethat keeps you pregnant. It is equally important yellow bodywhich is responsible for its maintenance until the third month of pregnancy until this role is taken over by the placenta. Thus, also a failure of the corpus luteum can lead to premature damage to the egg.

Spontaneous miscarriages – research

After a spontaneous miscarriage, doctors order specialist tests. In diagnostics, the following are most often performed:

1. endocrine research,
2. genetic research,
3. research on immune infections,
4. ultrasound examination (diagnosis of possible anatomical defects of the uterus, e.g. two-horned uterus).

In the case of habitual miscarriages, it is worth performing HLA-C genotyping available on Medonet Market. This is a home mail order inquiry.

It is a good idea to do genetic testing first, as miscarriages often occur due to genetic defects of the parents or the embryo. For this, it is performed examination of the karyotype parents and examination of the material from the miscarriage. Women are also tested for genetic mutations associated with congenital thrombophilia. The medical history includes thromboembolism, venous thrombosis, strokes, infarctions and coronary artery disease in both the patient and her relatives with a grade.

Miscarriages – read more about it