Pregnancy died early: symptoms. Why does pregnancy die at an early age?

Many couples dream of trying on the role of young parents. Unfortunately, this desire is not always realized. One of the reasons for this problem is a frozen pregnancy. Guilty in this pathology can be both the father and mother. That is why it is so important at the planning stage to undergo a full survey of both partners. What should I do if my pregnancy stops at an early age? How to prevent this pathology?

general information

Frozen pregnancy is a condition in which the fetus stops growing and developing, as a result of which it dies. Symptoms of spontaneous abortion may be absent, but the embryo remains in the uterine cavity. That's why this pathology is also called an abortive miscarriage. Fading can happen at any time, but most often it happens in the first trimester. The most dangerous are 3-4 and 8-10 weeks.

What happens when a pregnancy is frozen? The fertilized egg is sent to the uterus, where it is implanted. After a while, the growth of the embryo stops. Another option of frozen pregnancy is empty egg syndrome. In this case, the fetal membranes develop, the chorionic gonadotropin is synthesized, but the embryo itself is absent. If you do a pregnancy test, the result will be positive. Among the main causes that affect the emergence of the empty egg syndrome, doctors distinguish different chromosomal pathologies.

How often do you diagnose a dead pregnancy?

According to statistics, every second woman's pregnancy "freezes" and ends with a spontaneous abortion. Usually this happens before the lady finds out about her interesting situation. The risk of developing this pathology after the test will show a positive result is no more than 20%.

How to identify a dead pregnancy in the early stages?

The development and growth of the fetus for nine months depends on many factors. Sometimes a certain confluence of circumstances may lead to a halt to this process and the death of the embryo. Symptoms of fading are very obvious, and medical diagnosis usually does not cause difficulties. The first sign of a stagnant pregnancy in the early stages is the disappearance of a condition that is characteristic of a woman in a position. In this case, you need to see a doctor. A specialist in ultrasound examination can determine the presence or absence of pathology. After that, appropriate treatment is prescribed.

Causes of pathology

Why does pregnancy die at an early age? It is this question that women who have already had to deal with this problem are asked. Physicians identify a number of factors that can affect the formation of the pathological process.

1. Chromosomal and genetic abnormalities. This is the most common cause of the abortive miscarriage. When an embryo inherits a pathological gene or an extra chromosome, in the process of development, it develops various vices. Most often they are incompatible with life, so the fetus dies inside the womb. Here there is a rule of natural selection. Nature itself decides that it is wrong to produce a disabled child, so "stops" the pregnancy. A genetic anomaly can also occur when smoking or drinking alcoholic beverages.
2. Infections. An immense role in the genesis of frozen pregnancy belongs to infectious diseases. These include rubella, toxoplasmosis, herpetic infection. Do not neglect sexual diseases and common cold. Especially dangerous is infection in the first trimester. Infectious agents after penetration through the placenta affect the fetus. They can disrupt the normal implantation and nutrition of the embryo. As a result, it turns out that the pregnancy stopped at an early stage.
3. Violations of the hormonal background. Deficiency of the main hormone of pregnancy of progesterone can serve as one of the causes of fading.
4. Autoimmune pathologies. With such diseases, antibodies are produced in the mother's body. They fight not with alien elements, but with their own cells. It is known that the embryo inherits about 50% of the mother's genes. As a result, antibodies begin to kill the cells of the fetus, which entails its death.
5. Teratozoospermia. In a stagnant pregnancy, sometimes the father himself is to blame. Teratozoospermia usually causes infertility in men. If the child can still conceive, usually its development stops at the initial stages. Teratozoospermia is a pathology of spermatozoa, which is expressed in an abnormal structure. It can be manifested in the form of an irregular shape of the head, a short tail, or its inflection.
6. Wrong way of life. The emergence of a frozen pregnancy is affected by the nutrition of the future childbirth, its mode of work and rest, addictions. Do not forget about possible adverse reactions after the use of medications. Much importance belongs to the age of women. The older it is, the higher the probability of the appearance of pathology.

Above are listed only the most common causes of the abortive miscarriage. In fact, there are a lot of them. In each case, only a doctor can determine what caused the fading of pregnancy.

Signs of a stiff pregnancy

Many women are concerned about the question of how to recognize a frozen pregnancy early in the home. The whole insidiousness of this condition is that often it proceeds asymptomatically. From the moment of death of the fetus to a direct miscarriage can take several days, and sometimes weeks. What signs of a dead pregnancy in the early stages should pay special attention?

First of all, the woman's pregnancy-characterizing symptoms disappear: toxicosis, weakness, malaise. Disappear nausea and vomiting, intolerance of some smells. However, if the signs of toxicosis during pregnancy were weak, this parameter should not be taken into account.

Lowering the basal temperature is also a sign of fetal death. Such changes appear against the background of a decrease in the level of progesterone, since this hormone is responsible for maintaining a pregnancy. It is recommended to measure the basal temperature in the morning in the rectum. Before and immediately during the measurement, several hours must be without movement. The basal temperature in the case of a dead pregnancy in the early stages usually decreases and does not exceed a mark of 37 degrees.

Breast softening may also indicate fetal fading. Since the moment of conception of the baby, the mammary glands almost immediately swell and become painful in women. After his death, the chest relaxes, but do not panic right away. According to many women, for all nine months of pregnancy, the breasts can strain and relax several times. Doctors explain this fact by hormonal changes.

Drawing pain in the lower abdomen and spotting rarely signal this pathology. This is its main difference from an independent miscarriage. In any case, when there is a discharge or a feeling of discomfort, it is necessary to contact a gynecologist.

These signs do not always indicate the fading of the fetus. They can occur during a normal current pregnancy. If you have the above symptoms of a stale pregnancy in the early stages, it is recommended that you seek help from a doctor to clarify the diagnosis.

Medical diagnostics

Confirm or deny the diagnosis of "frozen pregnancy" can only be a specialist after conducting an appropriate survey. The first stage is ultrasound. Using ultrasound, you can check the viability of the embryo and determine its approximate size. Also, the doctor measures the degree of uterine enlargement, the thickness of the chorion. If the results of the survey are questionable, the specialist will schedule a second visit after 12 days. It should be noted that the quality of the equipment plays an important role in obtaining reliable and maximally informative data. Sometimes old ultrasound machines may "not notice" the presence of a heartbeat in the fetus, which leads to an incorrect diagnosis.

The woman is then given a blood test for beta-hCG. With a frozen pregnancy in early terms, there is a decrease in this indicator, which indicates an intrauterine fetal death. It is normal to gradually increase the content of this hormone in the blood.

Treatment of an abortive miscarriage

If you suspect a miscarriage, a woman is hospitalized. If the pregnancy has stopped at an early stage, all the efforts of doctors should be aimed not at preserving the fetus, but on restoring the health of the woman.

After a complete examination (ultrasound, hCG) is assigned to evacuation of the fetal egg. If the embryo is dead no more than 14 days, doctors resort to expectant tactics. Another indication is the absence of signs of spontaneous abortion and infection of the uterus. The level of the hormone hCG in the dead pregnancy in the early stages gradually decreases. The uterus begins to shrink and expel the fetal egg.

However, most often doctors resort to surgical intervention. The fetal egg and its membranes are removed by scraping. For a period of up to 7 weeks, a medication abortion is usually used. After surgical intervention, hysteroscopy is mandatory. In the postoperative period, women are prescribed antibacterial drugs for the prevention of endometritis and chorionamnionitis.

Recovery period

After identifying the cause of pregnancy fading and treatment, a woman needs to regain strength. This usually takes no more than six months. During this period, you should adhere to a healthy lifestyle and be sure to use contraception. Some women need counseling from a psychologist. The specialist helps to overcome all fears about the future of pregnancy planning.

What tests to take after a failed miscarriage?

Before you conceive a child after pregnancy fading, doctors recommend that you pass the following tests:

• Smear from the vagina on STDs;
• Ultrasound examination of pelvic organs;
• A blood test to assess the level of progesterone and estrogen;
• Histological examination of the biological material of the uterus.

If a frozen pregnancy has been diagnosed several times already, both partners need to undergo genetic testing for compatibility. If the results of the tests do not show serious violations, one can think of conception.

Preventing a stiff pregnancy

To prevent a recurrence of this situation, doctors recommend that certain preventive measures be taken before conception. In the presence of infections that are transmitted directly through sexual intercourse, it is necessary to undergo a course of treatment. If you have not had rubella or chickenpox in your childhood, all vaccinations should be made before conception. Especially it concerns those women, whose work is connected with children.

Symptoms of a stunned pregnancy in the early stages of fear many representatives of the fair sex. In order not to face the manifestations of this pathology, doctors recommend to adhere to a healthy lifestyle and to eat rationally. In addition, it is necessary to abandon the addictions, more time to give physical activity.

Let's sum up the results

To find out that the pregnancy has stopped at an early age, absolutely any woman can. Not always this pathology indicates a pathological abnormality in the work of the body, but the examination is still worth a visit. According to his results, the doctor can prescribe the necessary treatment and give useful recommendations.