Threatened miscarriage

The terminology relating to miscarriage is surprisingly confusing to most people. For example, the term spontaneous abortion is synonymous in medicine with miscarriage. I know it is upsetting to hear the term abortion in relation to your much-desired pregnancy, and some women have been heartbroken to read on their records—after the tragic early loss of a pregnancy—the diagnosis spontaneous abortion. But, until the medical profession makes a distinction between the two terms, just remember that they are interchangeable. If you are suffering from cramping and bleeding, you are more than likely to be told that you have a “threatened miscarriage.”

The term threatened miscarriage or miscarriage, refers to a situation in early pregnancy, in which you have lost some blood and may feel some very slight cramping. It is usually painless though. The blood is often bright red or else brown. As I described earlier, this is very common, occurring in 60 to 70 percent of pregnancies, and it usually settles down in its own.

If the pregnancy proceeds, you don’t have to worry about the bleeding adversely affecting the baby, since the blood comes from unoccupied areas of the uterus, not from the fetus itself. All studies have shown that bleeding in early pregnancy dose not cause any abnormalities to the baby; the chances of having a normal healthy baby are the same as though no bleeding had occurred. However, it may cause the baby to weigh slightly less at birth. So, unless the bleeding becomes heavy don’t panic. Do get to bed and call your doctor during normal working hours. If, however, the bleeding increases, then you should call your doctor at any time.