Miscarriage occurs when an unborn fetus aborts itself. Any woman can experience a miscarriage. If you suspect that a miscarriage has happened to you, see your obstetrician immediately.

One sign of a miscarriage is bleeding. It can present as spotting or heavy bleeding. Spotting doesn’t necessarily mean that you are having a miscarriage but needs to be investigated all the same.

Diagnosis

When you visit your doctor, he or she will ask what types of symptoms you have experienced. Do your best to remember when the bleeding or cramping started and anything else that happened. The doctor will likely perform an ultrasound.

It is the same as when you went for your visit and heard the baby’s heartbeat. The absence of a heartbeat is a sign that the pregnancy is no longer viable. To be sure, your hormone levels (HCG) will be monitored as well as a vaginal exam done to judge what has happened. This can be devastating for you so bring your spouse, partner or family member with you for support.

During the manual exam, the doctor will also check your uterus. He is looking to feel that the size of the uterus is equal to the stage of pregnancy. All of this is done to confirm what is seen is seen and heard on ultrasound or as added measures if the ultrasound is inconclusive.

Until a definitive diagnosis is reached, your doctor may ask that you abstain from sex with your partner. If the pregnancy is still viable but there is a problem with the placenta, you may be put on bed rest to avoid a miscarriage.

Treatment

If a miscarriage is definite, the doctor will let you know. From there, he will see how far the miscarriage has progressed. Early miscarriages may expel the products of conception completely.

Further along in your pregnancy, miscarriages may be termed “incomplete.” This means that all of the tissue has not been naturally removed by your body once the fetus could no longer survive. Miscarriages can also be missed abortions in that the abortion occurred early on maybe even before you knew you were pregnant but the products of conception were not naturally removed from The Body.

In both cases, the doctor will need to perform a surgical procedure called dilation and curettage (D & C) in the operating room. You are given mild sedation and the doctor will use a machine in combination with surgical instruments called curettes to remove any remaining tissue from your body. The procedure takes less than fifteen minutes.

When you suspect that something is wrong with your pregnancy, consult your doctor right away. They will diagnose if you have experienced a miscarriage. In the event that you have, the doctor will examine you and decide how to further treat the miscarriage.