Planning for a baby and observing fetal growth is a precious and exciting experience for every woman.
However, most pregnant women worry about suffering from a miscarriage.
During the initial stages of pregnancy, if you observe any bleeding other than spotting, you may be suffering from what is known as threatened miscarriage.
Threatened miscarriage puts your baby at the risk of miscarriage. If you observe any signs and symptoms of threatened miscarriage, immediately visit your practitioner.
Vaginal bleeding during the initial 20 weeks of pregnancy is called suffering from a threatened miscarriage. This condition is also known as threatened spontaneous abortion and they are most common.
Up to 30% of all pregnancies experience various types of vaginal bleeding when you are 20 weeks pregnant or less. Most commonly, threatened miscarriage will be encountered before the 12th week of pregnancy.
Recognizing the condition of threatened miscarriage:
Vaginal bleeding before pregnancy week 20 is the most common symptom of threatened miscarriage. However, the appearance of vaginal bleeding varies from bright red to light pink and brown.
This vaginal bleeding can also show in the form of spotting or like a large discharge. Some other common symptoms of threatened miscarriage include:
- Stomach cramps and pain in the lower abdomen. It may be on one side, both sides or also in the middle. The pain can also spread into your buttocks, genitals and lower back.
- Back pain, mainly in your lower back.
Reasons behind the occurrence of threatened miscarriage:
In most pregnant women, the reasons behind threatened miscarriage are unknown. However, various factors can lead to vaginal bleeding. They include:
- Ectopic pregnancy;
- Infections like STDs;
- Ovarian cysts, polyps and uterine fibroids;
- Placental problems;
- Endometriosis;
- Pelvic inflammatory diseases;
- Inflammation of the cervix due to participating in sexual intercourse[Cervicitis].
Treating the condition of threatened miscarriage:
Frankly speaking, there are not any treatments and medications that can reduce the problem of vaginal bleeding. Your practitioner will suggest certain things such as:
- If you have minor bleeding and your baby is growing healthily, then your practitioner will suggest you wait and watch for any changes in your vaginal bleeding.
- The practitioner will suggest pelvic rest in order to prevent any kind of trauma to your cervix. Your doctor will recommend you stop the usage of tampons and douches and suggests you to stay away from sexual intercourse for a certain period of time.
- You will be advised to lessen the amount of activity you are undergoing everyday. Forceful exercises and any other meticulous activities can keep you at risk of miscarriage. You need to get plenty of rest during these times.
- It will be suggested to follow a regular course of progesterone. Progesterone helps to relax the uterine muscles and lessens the threat of miscarriage.
Though you receive proper treatment to reduce threatened miscarriage, it is very difficult to reduce the chances of occurrence.
Therefore, you should maintain regular prenatal appointments and follow a healthy lifestyle to stay healthy throughout your pregnancy.
