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It is the topic that is often left out, or just merely touched on in the pregnancy books. No one wants to talk about miscarriage but it is a fact of pregnancy and we should. The loss of a pregnancy is a sad and painful experience that no one ever wants to go through; however, miscarriage remains a reality for many women.
Miscarriage is the loss of a pregnancy sometime during the first 20 weeks of gestation (loss of pregnancy after 20 weeks is considered a stillbirth). With 15% to 20% of all confirmed pregnancies ending in miscarriage it remains fairly common. According to WebMD, 1in 4 women who become pregnant will have a miscarriage at some point in their lifetime.
So what causes a pregnancy to end in miscarriage? There are several factors that can cause or contribute to a miscarriage. The most common cause is chromosomal abnormalities, accounting for more than half of all miscarriages. Chromosomal abnormalities occur when there are problems with either the structure of the chromosomes or the number of chromosomes in the developing embryo. Embryos with chromosomal abnormalities would not develop normally so the body naturally terminates these pregnancies. Other contributing causes of miscarriage include: maternal disease, hormonal imbalances, immune system disorders, allogeneic factors (when the mother develops antibodies that target the leukocytes of her partner), anatomical factors (such as problems with the uterus or cervix), viral or bacterial infections that occur during pregnancy, recreational during use (including alcohol, smoking, or other drugs), environmental factors (such as exposure to toxins), and age (women over 35 have a significantly higher change of experiencing a miscarriage). Research has also shown that low folic acid levels just prior to conception or during the early weeks of pregnancy can also contribute to the occurrence of a miscarriage.
How can you tell if you are experiencing or have experienced a miscarriage? The following are common symptoms of a miscarriage, however, some miscarriages can go unnoticed and the only indication that a miscarriage has occurred is when the symptoms of pregnancy (like morning sickness or breast tenderness) cease.
- Vaginal bleeding that is light or heavy, constant or irregular.
- Abdominal, lower back, or pelvic pain
- Tissue that passes from the vagina
Any time you experience cramping or vaginal bleeding during your pregnancy, especially early on, contact your doctor or midwife immediately as it could be a sign that you are experiencing a miscarriage. Not all early pregnancy bleeding and cramping is an indication you are miscarrying, however, it is always a good idea to get it checked out to be safe. Your doctor or midwife will do a pelvic exam and perhaps a blood test to confirm if you did indeed experience a miscarriage.
Miscarrying a pregnancy does not mean you will not be able to carrying a baby to term in future pregnancies. Only 1% of women experience three or more miscarriages. A miscarriage is usually a chance event and most women go on to have healthy full term pregnancies. If you have had multiple miscarriages your doctor will likely do some additional tests to determine if there is some other underlying cause for your miscarriages.
The loss of a pregnancy can be difficult to deal with emotionally. It is perfectly normal to experience feelings of shock, grief, depression, guilt, anger, failure, and vulnerability during the days, weeks, and months following the loss of your pregnancy. It is important to acknowledge your feelings and work through them. Here are a few tips on dealing with the loss of your pregnancy. If you are concerned about the way you feel talk with someone about your feelings.
- Acknowledge that it is not your fault. Remember that miscarriages are fairly common and complications that lead to miscarriage can happen to anyone.
- Give yourself time to heal. Don’t expect yourself to get over the loss immediately. Take the time to grieve.
- Don’t expect your partner to grieve the same way as you. Each person deals with grief differently.
- Don’t close yourself off. It may be difficult at first, but talk to close friends and family about your loss, they will likely be instrumental in helping you heal and move on.
- Get support. There are support groups you can turn to for help or you can talk with a doctor or therapist.
If you have experienced a miscarriage it is important to remember you are not alone. Working through your grief is important. Educate yourself about the causes and risk factors of miscarriage, and do whatever you can to ensure a healthy pregnancy. However, remember that it is not always in your control, sometimes pregnancies end in miscarriage no matter what you do to try to prevent it.
Talk to your doctor or midwife if you have questions or concerns about your own pregnancy or if you need help working through the loss of your pregnancy.
Here are a view links to support groups available for women who have experienced a pregnancy loss.
(source: WebMD, Healthwise)
Between soccer practice, music lessons, tutoring sessions, art classes, karate lessons, and hours of homework when does a kid have time to just be a kid? It seems that more and more children are being over scheduled. Every precious minute of their day is scheduled, from the time they get up until they time they go to bed. There is always something that has to be done, leaving no time for a kid to just play.
Kids are under so much pressure these days to out perform their peers. They are expected to be the best student, the best athlete, the best kid. Stress and pressure are something most adults are familiar with, it comes with the territory. But part of the joy of being a kid is that you don’t have to deal with all that stress and pressure, yet. By over scheduling our children we are taking away that very precious gift, we are taking away their chance to just be a kid.
I read two articles recently, this one and this one, both talk about the pressures kids face to be the best and out perform their peers. Parents are often the ones putting the most pressure on their children. They over schedule them, have extremely high expectations for stellar grades, and often voice their disappointment over a bad grade or bad game louder than they voice their pride over a good grade or good game. Starting younger and younger kids have to be thinking about how everything they do or decide not to do will impact their chances of getting into a good university. Every parent wants to see their child be the best they can be and get into the best school they can but to what expense, or rather whose expense.
Before we start enrolling our children in every possible activity we need to consider a few important things first:
- Why do I want my child to participate?
- Does my child want to participate?
- How will this activity impact the family as a whole, both parents, the child involved, and siblings?
- How many other activities is my child involved in and will this new activity cause him/her to be over scheduled?
- Does my child still have time for the very important and creativity building activity, play time?
Asking yourself and your child a few simple questions before you take on a new activity can ensure your child are only involved in activities that they enjoy, are important to them, and don’t make them too stretched when it comes to time. Remember that one of the most important things you can do for your child is to just give them time to be a kid.
If you could choose the sex of your baby would you? If you could ensure that a certain gene or characteristic was passed on to your child would you?
For some parents the answer to those very questions is yes, and for a few they have become practice. According to an article at CNN over half the fertility clinics in the United States let parents choose the sex of the embryos that will be implanted, accounting for 9% of all embryo screenings done in 2005.
A majority of embryo screenings are done to screen for certain diseases or genes that could potentially cause life threatening illnesses later in life, accounting for two thirds of all screenings. Embryo screenings are done at fertility clinics for those couples going through in-vitro fertilization. According to a survey conducted by the Fertility and Sterility Journal, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis is done in 1 out of every 20 in-vitro fertilizations.
Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is an embryo screening process in which a single cell is removed from a 3 to 5 day old embryo and is screened for genetic abnormalities, and sex. There are approximately 200 or more genetic abnormalities that can be detected, a few of which include: the Alzheimer gene, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, sickle cell disease, some cancer carrying genes, and Down’s syndrome. Couples would have the PGD done and then only implant only those embryos that pass the screening.
Many countries ban or significantly restrict the use of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis forcing couples to travel to countries where it is legal. Reports have shown that couples from China and Canada (both countries currently ban the use of PGD) are traveling to the United States to have this procedure performed. The cost for these embryo screening procedures can be quite high, and when added to the travel expenses and time away from work, these couples are forking over big bucks to have these procedures done.
As mentioned earlier the most common reason for couples to opt for embryo screenings is to detect abnormal genes and life threatening illnesses. However, increasing numbers of couples are using embryo screening for other reasons including to choose the sex of their child. One of the most controversial uses for embryo screenings is to find an embryo that would produce compatible cord blood for an ill older child, although this does remain fairly uncommon. Ethicists worry that couples are increasingly using embryo screening to develop designer babies that carry all the right genes and characteristics.
Being able to screen an embryo for life threatening or debilitating diseases is one thing, but creating a designer baby is quite another. It will be interesting to see where this practice heads, and how common it becomes.
What are your thoughts on this topic?
Hi Everyone. I wanted to let everyone know that am participating in two more carnivals this week. There are tons of great articles being featured on both carnivals, so be sure to stop by and check them out. Carnival of Family Life being hosted by Mike at Be A Good Dad. Carnival for Mums being hosted by Surfingmama. Hope you enjoy all the great articles!!
Folic acid is something I am sure all of you are aware of. Every woman of child bearing age is sure to have heard about it at some point or another. But what is it and why is it so important?
Well, folic acid and folate are members of the B vitamin complex group. Folate can be found in “foliage” foods like spinach, asparagus, and garbanzo beans as well as fortified foods like breakfast cereals. However, folic acid is rarely found naturally in food and must be supplemented in your diet. Folic acid plays an essential role in cell metabolism by helping cells grow and divide. Which explains why it is such an important player during the early stages of pregnancy when very important cell divisions and cell growth is taking place in your growing fetus.
During the early stages of pregnancy the fetus is growing at a very rapid pace, and the neural tube (brain, spinal cord, etc) are already developing. Folic acid plays a key role in this process. It is recommended that all women of child bearing age have a daily dose of folic acid of 400 micrograms, regardless of whether they are expecting or not. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that neural tube defects are reduced by 50% to 70% when the daily dose of folic acid is followed prior to pregnancy.
So how do you meet your daily dose of folic acid? The FDA requires that all grain based products like breads and cereals be fortified with folic acid to help ensure woman are getting more folic acid in their diets, however, the best way to get the recommended dose of folic acid is to either take a folic acid supplement on its own, or take a daily multivitamin that contains folic acid. Most multivitamins that are designed for woman contain the recommended daily dose of 400 micrograms.
When I talked to my OB/GYN about my pregnancy planning he directed me to begin taking a prenatal vitamin as soon as we stop using birth control and begin trying to get pregnant. He stated this course of action is recommended so a woman who is planning a pregnancy can better ensure she has the proper stores of the nutrients necessary in early fetal development. Remember, a lot of fetal growth takes place before you even find out you are pregnant. Since most pregnancies remain unplanned it is important to take a folic acid supplement all through your child bearing years.
If you have questions about folic acid, its importance, and whether how are getting enough folic acid in your diet talk with your doctor.
(source WebMD)