What is a silent miscarriage

Miscarriage in secret (silent miscarriage) occurs when the fetus dies, but the mother's body does not experience common miscarriage symptoms such as pain, vaginal discharge, or sudden bleeding. As a result, the placenta is still possible to continue producing hormones.

Your body will still send out normal pregnancy signals. However, if hormone levels have started to decrease, the signs of normal pregnancy will gradually disappear too. Your breasts may feel softer, or the symptoms of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy will stop prematurely.

What causes a silent miscarriage?

A silent miscarriage is usually diagnosed during a routine obstetric exam, during which doctors fail to detect the fetal heart rate. Although doctors cannot always determine with certainty the reason for a sudden miscarriage, there are several possible explanations. Erika Nichelson, D.O, an obstetrician at Family Childbirth and Children's Center at Mercy Medical Center Baltimore, says chromosome problems are the most common cause.

An ultrasound scan will show the condition of an embryo that has not developed at all and an empty pregnancy sac. This condition is called blighted ovum (empty pregnancy). Or, the embryo has started to develop, but has stopped growing suddenly. Even so, most doctors are still hesitant to pass a verdict of miscarriage in silence if it is only based on the absence of a heartbeat during an ultrasound.

"The dating can be inaccurate, especially in women with longer menstrual cycles (35-45 days), because they ovulate later," explains Nichelson. The gestation cycle is based on a 28-day cycle with ovulation at day 14, but this is also not always the case.

In late pregnancy, miscarriage may occur secretly as a result of an infection, such as parvovirus or rubella. If the doctor thinks that the cause of your miscarriage is one of these external factors, he or she will ask you to have a blood test to check for toxoplasma, rubella, cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex (TORCH). Blood tests will further detect the presence of infection and may provide an answer to your problem.

What should I do if I have a silent miscarriage?

Discuss with your doctor about all the possibilities and the risks. Steps that may be recommended include:

• Let the miscarriage take place naturally. It may take you some time to understand what happened to you, or to reflect and mourn your loss. "You can wait and see if your body will adapt, showing that maybe this is not the time. Most (although not always) bleeding and stomach cramps will start on their own, ”says Nichelson.
• Speed ​​up the course of a miscarriage with the help of medication. Your doctor may recommend that you take Cytotec (misoprostol), which will help the uterus contract and shed its tissues.
• Live curettage, aka washing the uterus. If your gestational age at the time of miscarriage is more than 12 weeks, the fetus may be more difficult to expel, so your doctor may recommend a curette.

When will I have my period again?

In most cases, menstruation can return within 4-6 weeks after a miscarriage, although the distance can vary from person to person; depending on the condition of each body.

Can I get pregnant again after a silent miscarriage?

Of note, if a woman has had a miscarriage, she will have a one percent lower chance (about 80%) of having a successful normal pregnancy in the future than women who have never had a previous miscarriage.

If a woman has two miscarriages in her life, the chance of having a successful pregnancy in the future is reduced by 72%.

Early miscarriage is common. Miscarriage occurs in about 20 percent of pregnancies, or one in five mothers, in the first trimester of pregnancy. So, don't beat yourself up for the miscarriage that you experienced.

Having a silent miscarriage does not mean closing your chances of getting pregnant again.

The doctor will recommend waiting until you and your partner are ready. It's best to avoid sexual intercourse until the bleeding has stopped to reduce the risk of infection.