What are the causes of second trimester miscarriages?

(February 23, 2010)

Miscarriage is the term used to refer to a pregnancy that is spontaneously terminated within 20 weeks. Most miscarriages (or spontaneous abortions as they are sometimes referred to) occur in the first trimester. However, there is a small percentage that happens in the second trimester and rarely, in the third trimester as well.

Second trimester miscarriages can be hard to deal with physically and especially emotionally, because by then, the baby in the womb has become a reality and the expectant mother is used to the changes in her body. Besides, the second trimester is also a period when you feel the most comfortable; the nausea and morning sickness disappear and you feel more energetic and even look your best.

A miscarriage between 12 and 24 weeks can, in fact, be devastating for a woman. As in most miscarriages, it is all too often hard to determine a cause. Typically in the first trimester or in an early miscarriage, it is impossible to determine the cause and nearly seventy percent of the time the miscarriage is the result of a chromosomal abnormality in the fetus.

In the second trimester too, chromosomal abnormality can result in a miscarriage. Other causes for a miscarriage in the second trimester can be a uterine infection, some kind of physical trauma, or a systemic disease like diabetes. Uterine fibroids or cervical abnormalities can also cause a miscarriage in the second trimester.
In short, secondary or underlying conditions are most often the cause of a miscarriage in the second trimester. In addition to this, alcohol, smoke, and/or drug abuse can also cause harm to the fetus and result in a miscarriage. It is, therefore, necessary to refrain from smoking or drinking when you are pregnant.
There are also cases where a woman's immune system has a disorder and rejects the fetus in the womb as a foreign substance. Usually, this happens early in a pregnancy; but there are rare scenarios when an immune system disorder occurs in the fourth or fifth month of pregnancy, resulting in a miscarriage.

Another factor that can cause a miscarriage, that too a painful septic one, could be the retention of an IUD (intrauterine device). IUDs, though part of birth control methods, can sometimes result in pregnancies; and if a woman does not remove the IUD when she is pregnant, it almost always results in a miscarriage. In such cases, the physical complications are numerous, one being an infection.

The symptoms of a second trimester miscarriage aren’t too different from the ones experienced in a first trimester miscarriage. Bleeding, cramping, or spotting in the second trimester need to be taken very seriously and should be reported to the doctor immediately. These do not automatically imply a miscarriage, but spotting or bleeding means that you can't discount the possibility of a miscarriage either.

Other symptoms of a miscarriage include lower back ache and/or abdominal pain and excessive stomach cramps. Sometimes, there is also a fluid or clotty tissue vaginal discharge. None of these symptoms are exclusive to a miscarriage, but these are possible signs of a miscarriage and hence, need to be attended to immediately.

Attending to the symptoms as soon as possible can prevent a threatened miscarriage and with adequate care, ensure that the pregnancy lasts its full term, so you can give birth to a healthy baby.

Submitted by P T on February 23, 2010 at 10:52

Related Blogs