Miscarriage? How can you tell??

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Miscarriage? How can you tell??
« on: September 17, 2008, 05:05:00 PM » by jenibee

This is probably a stupid question, but how do you know if you're miscarrying/have miscarried? I've had problems since the beginning with this pregnancy - at 9 weeks and after four bouts of bright red bleeding, I was diagnosed (via ultrasound) with a uterine myoma. The baby was fine at that point, with a strong heartbeat of 166 beats per minute. I *miraculously* passed the myoma a few weeks ago. The bright red bleeding stopped, and I've felt much better.

Now, at 12+ weeks, I've been bleeding dark red (like a period) for the last four days. How do I know if this is a miscarriage? If I took a pregnancy test, would it be accurate? I mean, would it say "pregnant" even if I wasn't pregnant anymore b/c of leftover hormones?

The reason I'm questioning this is because I know the baby is supposed to be about the size of a fig by this point. Would I pass "something the size of a fig?" Would it be recognizable as a baby? I have a lot of brown/red "goop" (sorry TMI) but nothing that looks like a baby. Undecided

Thanks for being patient with my questions.

Oh - and please move this if there's already another thread on this topic - I couldn't find it.

« Last Edit: September 17, 2008, 05:22:19 PM by jenibee »
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Re: Miscarriage? How can you tell??
« Reply #1 on: September 17, 2008, 06:14:50 PM » by Badgermom

No, you can't depend on a pregnancy test at this point. I miscarried several years ago and I did get a positive test a week or two after I started spotting. Later, we determined that the baby had probably died several weeks earlier. If a heartbeat cannot be detected, then I would assume that an ultrasound would be the only way to know for sure. I hope things are still okay for you.

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Re: Miscarriage? How can you tell??
« Reply #2 on: September 17, 2008, 08:36:00 PM » by hi_itsgwen

Quote

The reason I'm questioning this is because I know the baby is supposed to be about the size of a fig by this point. Would I pass "something the size of a fig?" Would it be recognizable as a baby? I have a lot of brown/red "goop" (sorry TMI) but nothing that looks like a baby.

If this is a miscarriage, then you would more than likely pass the baby along with the clotting. You may or may not see it. The size of the baby will depend on when it stopped growing, but more than likely, it will look like a tiny baby at this point in the pregnancy.

Short of an ultrasound, which would be the fastest way to tell if the pregnancy is 'viable', your doctor could probably also tell by your bloodwork if the pregnancy looks healthy. There are hormone levels that will definitely signal that something isn't right...they just may not volunteer that information to you. My doctor's office didn't tell me that my bloodwork was way off on a pregnancy that I lost...until the following pregnancy.

You are in my prayers, and I hope all is well for you.
~Gwen

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Re: Miscarriage? How can you tell??
« Reply #3 on: September 18, 2008, 06:14:30 AM » by petrimama

Praying! ~L

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Re: Miscarriage? How can you tell??
« Reply #4 on: September 18, 2008, 04:28:42 PM » by MamaSong

Another sign of a true miscarriage is cramping. Your cervix has to dilate enough to expel the body. When I miscarried several years ago, I cramped severely (it felt like labor) just before I passed a large mass. I didn't get a look at it, but I was sure it was the baby.

I pray that this isn't what's happening to you! I would get back to the doctor as soon as possible to check things out via ultrasound. The fact that you've already heard the heartbeat makes it more likely that he/she is still okay.

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Re: Miscarriage? How can you tell??
« Reply #5 on: September 18, 2008, 06:37:25 PM » by hi_itsgwen

I did notice that when I miscarried, that my early pregnancy symptoms were much more pronounced. I woke up knowing I was pregnant, as I had suddenly turned into Dolly Parton overnight. It was literally an overnight, and very pronounced onset of sore bre@sts, frequent urination, etc. I spotted a bit a week later, and then stopped. Then I noticed the symptoms of pregancy began to fade to where I no longer felt pregnant. I began to spot on and off by this time, and knew something was wrong.

With my other 3 pregnancies, I had never had that extreme onset of early pregnancy symptoms. I think that my other hormones were wildly compensating or unbalanced from the low progesterone. My next pregnancy was very healthy, with normal early pregnancy symptoms that came on gradually.

After I miscarried, my doctor's office did an ultrasound to make sure that I had completely passed everything. She looked at my ovaries, and lo and behold, there was a large egg hatching out. She told us 'be careful!' The ovaries may be willing, but your womb needs a bit of time to recover.

We waited a few months, as I wanted to make sure my lining had time to heal and was coming back in full. You can tell by your period flow...if it's light, then your progesterone level is still low. If it's heavy, then you have a nice healthy lining ready for a baby.

« Last Edit: September 18, 2008, 09:02:00 PM by hi_itsgwen »
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Re: Miscarriage? How can you tell??
« Reply #6 on: September 18, 2008, 08:03:51 PM » by cecac

I have not been able to tell except through ultrasound, twice now. I think it may vary from woman to woman and also different each time.

The first time my body did nothing. The second time the bleeding never did stop and it began to be more. We just went in and confirmed the miscarriage via ultrasound. I had no cramping.

However, I've had bleeding that was dark with tissue and it was not a miscarriage.

(((((hugs to you)))))

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Re: Miscarriage? How can you tell??
« Reply #7 on: September 19, 2008, 12:27:08 PM » by jenibee

Thanks so much for all the concern and experiences - it sounds like the possibilities are still open, since different ladies have had very different experiences of miscarriage. I'll have my first prenatal visit with the midwife on Tuesday, and I'll let you know if we get a heartbeat again. Here's hoping... Undecided

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Re: Miscarriage? How can you tell??
« Reply #8 on: September 19, 2008, 12:41:57 PM » by happyhomemaker

God can make a difference, He makes ALL the difference. Praying things go well!

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Happyhomemaker

Re: Miscarriage? How can you tell??
« Reply #9 on: September 24, 2008, 02:22:49 PM » by jenibee

Hi, just thought I'd give a little update -

After yesterday's prenatal appointment, it's confirmed that the baby is doing well - we got a good, strong heart tone right off the bat. This doesn't explain the two weeks of constant, dark red bleeding, but I just got an appt with an OB for tomorrow, so hopefully he can tell me what's going on in there! Anyway, we may have a baby coming next spring, after all!

I'll post the OB's findings on the "bleeding during pregnancy" thread in the next few days, for posterity's sake...since I'm no longer wondering whether it's a miscarriage. Thanks for all the prayers!

HB - feel free to move this to the preggo mamas thread, or prayer requests, or wherever...this post is now off topic, but I wanted to tell the ladies who viewed this thread before.

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