Fear you may have had a miscarriage? You should inform your doctor

How does a doctor go about diagnosing a miscarriage?

He/ she will order for some tests.  These include

1.Checking BHCg levels, this is the hormone that shows whether a woman is pregnant or not

2. checking your blood level by doing a PCV check, if this is found to be low, then a blood transfusion may be needed.

3. We’ve talked about ultrasound this is important because it will show  whether the pregnancy is still viable or not, whether the cervix is open or not,  whether the pregnancy is in the womb or it is an ectopic pregnancy or whether there is something else entirely happening for e.g blood in the womb.

After all these tests, the doctor is pretty sure of his diagnosis and what to do.

What should you do before getting to a hospital?

When you suspect a miscarriage, what are the things you should do before going to the hospital? First you shouldn’t panic and do anything irrational. If you have your doctor’s or hospital’s number call them, they will be able to offer useful advice specific to your situation, they may even ask you to stay at home and monitor the situation especially if you’re less than 6 weeks pregnant and not having serious pains. If they deem it fit they will ask you to come to the hospital for a scan.

Be careful about who you let advice you at such periods. However, if you can’t do this, it is wise to err on the side of caution and ask a friend or family member to drive you to the hospital for a review.

How to Manage a Miscarriage

The management of a miscarriage will depend on what type it is i.e threatened, incomplete, inevitable or Complete Abortion. A scan will be helpful in determining this. For a threatened abortion where the woman’s cervix is still closed and the foetus is viable, some doctors advise bed rest and to observe as things go. Other doctors may choose to give the woman progesterone which is a hormone that helps in maintaining the pregnancy as this hormone level may be low thereby increasing the risk of a miscarriage. If your doctor chooses this approach you have nothing to fear as it is safe. Note that these approaches may not necessarily prevent a miscarriage.

In cases of an inevitable, incomplete or missed miscarriage, after a scan the foetus or its parts have to be completely expelled. There are two major ways of doing this- either medically or surgically.

If the medical route is chosen, a tablet is placed in the vagina to expel the foetus.  If the surgical route is taken, the foetal parts are suctioned out. The goal is always to complete the abortion because leaving those parts in the womb could lead to infection and other problems. Always see a doctor and don’t patronise quacks if you have a miscarriage.

For a complete abortion, nothing needs to be done as all parts have passed except the woman has other issues.

Join me tomorrow for a new topic.

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