What is Missed Pregnancy?

You are said to have a missed pregnancy when the pregnancy starts but stops progressing due to some reason. This condition takes places especially when you are in the first trimester or the first three months of pregnancy.

Generally when the foetus fails to develop a heart beat then it is regarded as a missed pregnancy. Foetal heart beat develops around six weeks of pregnancy.

In case, the foetal heart beat fails to develop in six weeks, your doctor may call you again after a week or ten days to examine again. Even after that if the foetal heart beat fails to develop, it is called a missed pregnancy. In such a case, the pregnancy stays in your body and is not thrown out.

When you have a missed pregnancy, you may or you may not bleed.

Reasons Behind Missed Pregnancy?

You can have a missed pregnancy when there are some chromosomal abnormalities or genetic disorders. This is the most common reason behind a missed pregnancy.

You can have a missed pregnancy if you have diabetes or any other medical problem.

Will Diabetes Affect My Baby?

You can also have a missed pregnancy if you have low progesterone levels. If you are being treated for some reason and you suddenly stop the treatment for any reason, be it a mental satisfaction that you have conceived or a financial reason, you may fall short of hormones after you conceive and may end up having a missed pregnancy.

You can also have a missed pregnancy because of some problem in your uterus. If the space in your uterus is less, then the foetus may stop developing and you can have a miscarriage. Also, there may be a condition when the embryo fails to develop within the amniotic fluid in the amniotic sac. In some cases, the embro may be non-existent.

In case there is no development of the embryo, your doctor may ask you to wait for some weeks and then monitor again. Even after waiting if the embryo fails to develop, then it may be regarded as a missed pregnancy.

Can I Conceive Again?

It depends on the cause behind the missed pregnancy. The chances of having a miscarriage are always high in the first pregnancy. Once the exact cause behind the miscarriage is known, the necessary treatment can be given and the chances of having a miscarriage in the next pregnancy can be reduced.

Raise a Red Flag

You need to keep track of all the pregnancy symptoms you were having. In case you were having morning sickness and all of a sudden, it has disappeared within the first two months or if your appetite which otherwise was low has suddenly gone up or the breast tenderness has vanished then you need to head towards your doctor immediately.

Apart from these, you need to look out for any bleeding or spotting. Again if you see any of these you need to inform your doctor.

Also Read: Are You Spotting?

Your doctor may ask you to take an ultrasound to determine the safety and status of your pregnancy.

If you are having a missed pregnancy it can be removed by way of some medicines or through a procedure called dilatation and sharp curettage (D&C) wherein a tube is inserted in your uterine cavity and the contents of the uterus are scraped and sucked out in a bottle through a suction pump.

It may not be possible for you to completely prevent this situation; however you can definitely be cautious and inform your doctor at the right time in order to prevent any complications.

(With Inputs from Dr. Satish Tibrewala, Gynaecologist from Bombay Hospital)