A miscarriage is often referred to as a spontaneous abortion and it is referred to as so if it occurs before 24 weeks are over. Babies who are 24 weeks and older can survive outside the uterus and this is referred to as premature birth. A baby below 24 weeks is underdeveloped and so her chances of surviving are minimal. Women need to understand that suffering a miscarriage does not mean that they cannot get pregnant again.
There are many documented causes of miscarriages one of them being a faulty immunity. The pregnancy period is a demanding phase of a womans life and many suffer from several ailments if their immunity systems are weak. This may lead to a miscarriage as the baby struggles to fight for his survival. If the pregnancy hormones are imbalanced, a miscarriage is inevitable. These hormones have the duty of nurturing both the mother and the baby and an imbalance can be fatal. Other causes of miscarriages include diseases like malaria, which has become a killer disease in many parts of the world today. It has adverse effects on both the mother and the baby and this can terminate a pregnancy unduly. Another cause of miscarriages is chromosomal abnormalities whereby defects occur during their duplication thus terminating the pregnancy.
Another major cause of miscarriages is collagen vascular diseases whereby the womans immunity system turns against her. She produces antibodies, which embark on a cell destruction mission, and this can lead to a miscarriage. Some of these collagen diseases include antiphospholipid antibody and systemic lupus erythematosus syndromes. Other causes of miscarriages include diabetes if it is not properly managed. It is important for a woman to undergo tests, which will rule out such abnormalities or treat them since they can not only cause miscarriages but also give a defective baby.
Maternal infections are other leading causes of miscarriages and they are a result of infections in the placenta and fetus. More of these infections include cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex, listeria monocytogenes, rubella and parvovirus among others. If a woman has structural abnormalities in her uterus such as benign growths, miscarriages will definitely occur at a point. These growths interfere with the normal development of a pregnancy and these results into a spontaneous abortion. Surgical procedures such as chronic virus sampling and amniocentesis are also major causes of miscarriages. They interfere with the fetus since they invade the uterus and may disturb it. It is important for a woman to know that sexual intercourse and exercise do not contribute to the risk of miscarriages not unless the pregnancy is complicated. This may prompt the doctor to prohibit these activities, as they may be a threat to the fetus well being though in rare conditions.
A woman who smokes too much is at a high risk of loosing her pregnancy and even if she gives birth, the baby might be defective. Other causes of miscarriages include alcohol and caffeine and expectant mothers are advised against their use during their pregnancy period.