Pregnancy after a missed pregnancy: how long does it take, how does it proceed?

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 12:45

Unfortunately, not all pregnancies end in the birth of a baby. Sometimes it happens that the unviable little heart stops beating, the fetus dies. But the uterus does not immediately reject it and the miscarriage does not occur, and the mother learns about what happened from the ultrasound report.

A pathological condition in which the dead fetus continues to be in the uterine cavity is called missed pregnancy. It is very difficult for a woman who has undergone such a condition, both physically and psycho-emotionally. Many lose hope and faith in a favorable outcome of the next pregnancy after a dead one. Pregnancy and childbirth will definitely be successful if you follow all the doctor's recommendations and don't give up.

How to understand that the fetus has stopped developing

Fetus can stop developing at any time up to 28weeks. But most often such a pathology occurs in the early stages, that is, up to 12 weeks. Usually, fetal growth arrest goes away without any serious symptoms, so a pregnant woman should be extremely attentive to her feelings. If you find the slightest alarming signs, you should immediately see a gynecologist.

Signs that should be suspected something is wrong:

• toxicosis suddenly disappeared;
• basal temperature dropped;
• brown or bloody discharge;
• drawing pains in the lower back and abdomen began;
• general weakness, chills, trembling;
• at a later date - stop moving.

Another sign is the mismatch between the timing of pregnancy and the size of the uterus. Such a symptom can be detected by an obstetrician at a scheduled appointment in a antenatal clinic. Of course, these are indirect signs and their presence does not always mean the death of the fetus. The final diagnosis will be made by an ultrasound doctor.

Why did this happen

In order for the next pregnancy after a missed pregnancy to proceed without complications, so that such tragedies no longer occur, you first need to find out the root cause of the pathology. To be honest, it is difficult to do this, sometimes the gynecologists themselves do not know why this happened, they advise the woman not to go in cycles. Factors that may cause miscarriage:

1. Genetic problems. If development stopped at week 8, then most likely there was a failure ingenetics, this is due to abnormalities in the chromosome. It is at this time that it is determined whether the embryo is viable or not. Over 70% of all missed pregnancies occur at week 8.
2. Hormonal deficiency. The death of the fetus can provoke both a lack of progesterone, namely, it is the hormone of pregnancy, and an excess of male hormones. In general, it is advisable to take tests before pregnancy and check your hormonal levels. But if necessary, the doctor can prescribe the necessary drugs during gestation.
3. Various infections. Although the placenta and membranes do their best to protect the fetus from the effects of antibodies, some viruses can still harm the baby. Rubella, cytomegalovirus and even the common flu can provoke missed pregnancy.
4. Antiphospholipid syndrome followed by a bleeding disorder.

5. Wrong lifestyle. Too tight clothes, improper diet, long stay at the computer - these are the reasons for the death of the fetus.

How to terminate a missed pregnancy

At the slightest suspicion of a pathology, a woman should immediately report her guesses to the doctors from the antenatal clinic. Next, she will be prescribed an ultrasound, with which it will be seen whether a small heart is beating or not. If the fetus still stops developing, then the pregnant woman is placed in the hospital on the same day and prepared for cleaning. This is very important, because everyduring the day, the risk of intoxication of the woman's body increases. In order for the next pregnancy after a frozen pregnancy to proceed safely, you need to follow all the doctor's recommendations both before and after cleaning the uterine cavity. Ways to cleanse the uterus from the embryo:

1. Medicated cleansing is one of the most gentle ways. The procedure is performed without surgical intervention, so that the risk of damage and infection of the uterine cavity is completely eliminated. The patient, being on inpatient observation, takes a drug inside, which provokes strong contractions and causes rejection of the fetus. Among the shortcomings: the method is used only in the very early weeks of pregnancy.
2. Surgical method. A somewhat traumatic method, performed under general anesthesia or with local anesthesia. The essence of this method is the scraping of the dead fetus along with the upper layer of the endometrium. Pregnancy after curettage of a missed pregnancy is possible after 6 months.
3. Vacuum aspiration. More sparing and less traumatic method compared to surgery. With the help of a vacuum device, all waste products of the embryo are sucked off. If a normal pregnancy after curettage of a missed pregnancy can occur in half a year, then in this case 3 months are enough to recover.
4. Childbirth. If for some reason the tragedy occurred at a later date, then the birth process has to be stimulated.

Whois at risk

Even an absolutely he althy woman can face such a pathology and more often the next pregnancy after a missed pregnancy passes without any deviations. But sometimes this is repeated several times, which is the reason for serious examinations. More prone to recurrent fetal death:

• those with past abortions;
• having a history of ectopic pregnancy;
• pregnant women with infectious and inflammatory diseases;
• late birth;
• women with anatomical problems in the reproductive system, such as a bicornuate uterus;
• pregnant women with benign neoplasms (uterine fibroids);
• women with endocrine disorders.

What steps to take before trying again

According to reviews, pregnancy after a missed pregnancy directly depends on moral preparation. Do not get hung up on what happened and give up on yourself. The next pregnancy will definitely be successful if you believe in a favorable outcome and, of course, undergo a full examination. And for this you will have to:

1. Revisit the gynecologist who will prescribe the necessary tests and take a swab for infections.
2. Consult a reproductive specialist to identify the causes of what happened.
3. You may need advice from narrow specialists, such as a psychologistand endocrinologist.
4. Pass a complete TORCH screening.

In order to clarify genetic abnormalities, you will have to visit a genetic doctor with your spouse. He can direct a man to take a spermogram and determine the morphology according to Kruger. This is necessary to assess the quality of seminal fluid.

After all the research and identification of the cause of a miscarriage, you can think about therapy and the elimination of factors that may affect future pregnancies.

How long to wait?

How long can you get pregnant after a missed pregnancy? This is the very first thing that worries a couple after the events experienced. Many women try to conceive immediately after experiencing grief in order to forget what happened as quickly as possible. Should not be doing that. Early pregnancy after a missed pregnancy is dangerous and a recurrence of what happened may well be.

The body needs at least 6 months to fully recover from a cleansing. Sometimes doctors recommend protection for a year, or even more. It all depends on what caused the embryo to freeze, how long the treatment will last.

How to get pregnant after freezing

When all the stages of diagnosis and treatment have been completed, the most important thing before getting pregnant again is to internally tune in to a successful outcome. There are frequent cases when a he althy couple, after suffering a frozen pregnancy, could no longer conceive a child. In this case, there are no physical reasons for infertility,the problem lies in psychological factors.

Stress, fear, resentment should be left in the past, learn to forgive and forgive yourself. No one is to blame for what happened, the next pregnancy will definitely end with the birth of the long-awaited baby.

Don't ignore your doctor's advice. Even if it seems that there are no deviations, and you feel great, it is still worth waiting for the required time. A minimum of 6 months is required for a he althy pregnancy after a frozen one. After how much time you can get pregnant in your particular case, only a doctor can tell.

Emergency pregnancy after frozen

It is very common to hear from a woman that she became pregnant after a missed pregnancy after a couple of months and everything went well. This is quite possible, because scraping is essentially menstruation caused by mechanical action. And the maturation of the egg can occur in 12-14 days, which means that a woman may well become pregnant again.

And yet, subsequent pregnancy must be approached responsibly. The body is too weak after cleansing, so the risk of recurrence of the pathology is high.

But this categorically does not mean that pregnancy a month after a missed pregnancy should end just as badly. Each case is individual, the likelihood that everything will go well and a he althy baby will be born is very high. Therefore, if pregnancy does occur, there is no need to panic and be afraid. Contact your gynecologist immediately for timely hormonal support.

Two frozen in a row

In cases where a non-developing pregnancy is repeated several times in a row, the genetic factor falls into the background. The reason lies, most likely, in the viral infectious diseases of the woman, the Rhesus conflict of the mother and fetus, and the presence of serious endocrine abnormalities.

You can't do without a serious examination. Treatment should be comprehensive and strictly under medical supervision.

How to endure to the end

When therapy is left behind, a certain period of time will pass, and a loving couple will again be mentally ready to accept the attempt to conceive a child, no need to wait. More than 80% of women who survived a missed pregnancy became pregnant again and gave birth to a he althy baby.

As soon as the cherished two strips appear on the test, you should notify your gynecologist about this, who may prescribe hormonal support for you, this is necessary for insurance purposes.

The woman herself is required to maintain a proper lifestyle, give up bad habits, take vitamins and, most importantly, a positive attitude.

Conclusion

The loss of a child is always a severe psychological trauma. Many women close up after this, begin to blame themselves for everything, they are afraid to experience this again. The psychological state in this case must be controlled. In these difficult days, she, like no one else, needs the support of relatives and friends who must explain that no one was involved in what happened.guilty, and that very soon a woman will definitely become the most wonderful mother.