The FAILED pregnancy
Failed pregnancies are a common occurrence. They are nature’s way of taking care of what would perhaps otherwise have been an abnormal pregnancy. The egg is fertilised, but sometimes the foetus is abnormal and sometimes there is infection or low hormones.
For many women, one miscarriage is very common. If, however, you have had three miscarriages, then the situation needs to be further investigated.
If a woman loses the pregnancy within 18-20 weeks, many times it is because of a weakness of the cervix and she can, in fact, become pregnant again after benefiting from a cervical cerclage (the placement of stitches in the cervix to hold it closed).
The same is true for women who have had an ectopic pregnancy. If the tube in which the pregnancy is formed is unruptured, it can be saved. In cases where the tube itself has to be removed because it was ruptured, the woman can get pregnant through the other tube. If both tubes have been ruptured, then she can become pregnant through in vitro fertilisation.
There are signs of failed pregnancy that women can look for. One important one is vaginal bleeding. Any vaginal bleeding during pregnancy is called a threatened miscarriage. However, it is believed that 25 per cent of women who go on to have a baby have experienced some vaginal bleeding. Therefore, it is best to consult your doctor should you experience any form of bleeding.
Another sign is pelvic or belly pain. This may be sharp pains on one side at first, which then spread through the belly. Some women many experience period-like pain which worsens with movement.
Ectopic pregnancy
It is believed that in about two per cent of pregnancies, the embryo does not implant in the uterus, but in the Fallopian tube. This is known as ectopic pregnancy. It can be associated with life-threatening bleeding and usually needs to be removed surgically or by using medication.
An ectopic pregnancy is often caused by damage to the Fallopian tubes. A fertilised egg may have trouble passing through a damaged tube, thus causing the egg to implant and grow in the tube.
The main causes of damage to the Fallopian tube are: * Smoking. The more you smoke, the higher your risk of an ectopic pregnancy. * Pelvic inflammatory disease. This is often the result of an infection, such as chlamydia or gonorrhoea. * Endometriosis. This causes scarring of tissue in or around the Fallopian tubes.
Miscarriage
Miscarriages can occur for a number of reasons. The most common is a chance chromosomal or other genetic abnormality. At conception, when the DNA from the father’s sperm combines with the DNA from the mother’s egg, a mistake can occur when the DNA in the egg or sperm splits or copies itself, and this can result in an excess or deficit of chromosomes (or chromosome pieces) in the embryo. If these embryos are not normal, miscarriage is nature’s way of taking care of the problem. Sometimes the pregnancy fails because there is no developing embryo in the pregnancy sac (blighted ovum). At other times, the embryo is there, but its heart has stopped beating (missed miscarriage). Another cause is collagen vascular disease, such as lupus and diabetes, or other hormonal problems, including infection and congenital (present at birth) abnormalities of the uterus.
False pregnancy
Also called pseudocyesis, a false pregnancy can occur at any time. It happens in women who are desperate to have children, but are unable to.
The signs include amenorrhoea (no periods), abdominal swelling from swallowing gas and foetal movement, which is usually gas moving around.
