Warning Signs of Miscarriage

The last thing any pregnant woman wants to think about is the possibility of a pregnancy failure, or miscarriage. Yet, it’s still a real possibility for most women, and something every one should be prepared for. Especially with statistics showing 3 out of 10 women will have at least 1 miscarriage in their life.

As previously said, it’s not a happy subject, but it is important to think about. The only thing that is worse than losing a pregnancy during the first trimester, is being unprepared for it. The news from a doctor can be shocking and scary, but not as scary as the sudden onset of symptoms.

Please take heed that I am not a doctor or caregiver, but only an experience mother who has gone through these life struggles. I hope that these signs and symptoms of miscarriage will help prepare you and tell you when you should see a doctor.

1. Light Cramping

Although some cramping can be normal in a healthy pregnancy, it can also be one of your first warning signs of a problem. Cramping on your left or right lower abdomen especially. Its important to tell you doctor right away and be checked out. It could just turn out to be gas, or normal cramping, but if it means a problem, you won’t be sorry you went in early.

2. Temp Drop (back to normal/not so hot)

When you first really start feeling the effects of pregnancy, you will usually notice that you feel a bit hot. That is because your body temperature goes up to help support the growing life inside you. That is why one of your first signs of a problem, can be if you don’t feel so hot anymore. Meaning, your body temperature goes back down.

This can be a harder symptom to notice without a thermometer or some serious concentration, but if you do notice it, it’s wise to talk to your doctor about it. They can take your temperature and tell you if your feelings are right, and if they are signaling a problem.

3. Excessive Fatigue

Pregnancy can be tiresome enough when it’s healthy, but when it ends early, it can take an even harder toll on your body. The hormones that have been building in your body, and now taking a dramatic dip back towards normal, and that is not easy on a woman.

It is good to mention this to your doctor, and it is not always a sign of pending miscarriage, but along with other symptoms can be a signal for you. The best thing after mentioning it to your doctor, is just to do what your body is telling you to do. Take an extra nap or two, relax and don’t get worked up so much. Stress is even worse for you then extra fatigue.

4. Spotting/Bleeding

Although spotting or bleeding can sometimes be normal in pregnancy, it is usually one of the definite signs of a problem. You must always check with a doctor anytime you spot or bleed, to make sure everything is ok. It can signal that your pregnancy is ectopic, or that you might have a loose cervix, but the most usual explanation is miscarriage.

Don’t freak out when this happens, but see a doctor as soon as you can.

5. Loss of Pregnancy Symptoms (might not happen)

This is a sign that does not happen for every woman, and sometimes happens to women with normal pregnancies. You might notice that your breasts are not as sore, or that you don’t have to pee as much. You might also notice that you don’t have certain cravings that you did, or that you’re able to eat foods that had been recently making you sick. You might not be as nauseas or might not throw up anymore. There are tons of symptoms that can come about with pregnancy, and the loss of them can signal that the pregnancy is on its way out.

6. Dizziness

This is a confusing sign, and many doctors still do not know why it happens, but dizziness can be a sign of miscarriage. It could be confusion inside your womb, the egg detaching, ectopic or molar pregnancy, or a myriad of other problems that can occur. It could also be nothing, but the important part is to check with your doctor, because they will be able to find out.

7. Drop in HCG levels

This is not something you will notice at home. It only shows up when your doctor takes your blood to check for HCG levels. If you’re going up and down and the doctor hasn’t said anything, there’s no point in worrying yourself over it.

If however, you’ve noticed a worried look in your doctor’s eye, and your blood results show that your HCG levels are going down, then you might want to worry a bit. Most doctors believe that dramatically dropping HCG levels are a sign that the pregnancy is not developing normally.

8. Moderate to Heavy Cramps

Anything more than a light cramp is cause for anxiety. Especially when your body is trying to tell you something is wrong. You should seek a doctor immediately if you start having Moderate, Heavy, or Severe cramps, or even if you experience contraction like cramps.

As soon as you feel them, you should call your doctor or go in right away. Going in is usually the best answer, because an ER can tell you right away if there is a problem.

9. Fever

Although your body temperature is supposed to go up some in a healthy pregnancy, you should rarely experience a fever. If you do find that your temp is up and you’re feeling down, go to see your doctor as soon as you can. A fever can mean infection in you, or a problem in the womb, and you don’t want to take any chances.

10. Bad Smells

In a healthy pregnancy, you will usually notice a clear liquid that will excrete from your nether region, and that is good. Some women don’t ever really notice it, but its still there. That clear liquid should never smell unusual or be brown or pink tinted.

If you notice that you smell funny have a doctor check it out. If you smell bad or gross, or wrong, get checked out by a doctor right away. The same if the clear fluid changed to brown, pink or red. Bad smell can single an infection or problem in the womb, and no problem is a good problem.

11. Intuition

A woman’s body is a highly sophisticated machine. It can sense danger from a mile away, bring on power fits of rage and destruction in the wake of protecting the family. It can create a life and then give birth to it, and then shove it out on its own. There are some spectacular things that a woman’s instinctual body can do, and there is no doubt about that.

This is why it’s so important to listen to your intuition. As a woman, you have a powerful system built into your body that is better than any doctor or machine that can diagnose you. Your intuition will tell you when something is wrong, or if everything is right. You most of see this in dreams as well as when your awake.

You might have a funny dream about something happening with your body, or you may get a funny feeling one day when you’re sitting alone. No matter how your subconscious intuition tells you, it’s important that you listen. You weren’t born with intuition just so that you could ignore it. Listen to it! And you won’t be sorry.

12. Ultra Sound

Ultra sound imaging is a wonderful thing in the world of pregnancy. Its helps the doctors and parents learn how the baby is developing, and if there are any problems. This is why the ultra sound can sometimes be your only signal of pending problems.

Ultra sounds have been used in early pregnancy so often that they are even able to see if you’ve had a blighted ovum, or if the pregnancy is threatening to miscarry. Make sure to have an ultra sound as early as you can in pregnancy, to make sure that everything is going as it should. That way you are less likely to be caught off guard if something is wrong and your body is not telling you about it.

Don’t ignore the signs of early pregnancy failure. Although there is nothing doctors can do to stop it once it starts, there are plenty of other reasons to be prepared. Miscarriages can cause problems in a woman’s body, and can also lead to infection. Make sure you have an ultra sound after a miscarriage as well; to make sure everything has drained properly.

Miscarriages are no fun, but in a high tech world, they are becoming more pronounced and more regular for perfectly healthy woman. The lucky thing is that most medical professionals will agree that two or three miscarriages in a row are highly unlikely. The main reason for early pregnancy loss, is because your body finds that the developing embryo does not have proper chromosomes or there is another issues, and it is aborting it because your body is built to have the healthiest baby possible. Take heed that your body knows what its doing, and that the next time around you should have a healthy happy bounding baby.

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