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Miscarriage

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Alternative Names:

Abortion - spontaneous; Spontaneous abortion

Prevention:

Many miscarriages that are caused by systemic diseases can be prevented by detecting and treating the disease before becoming pregnant.

Miscarriages are less likely if you receive early, comprehensive prenatal care and avoid environmental hazards (such as x-rays and infectious diseases).

When a mother's body is having difficulty sustaining a pregnancy, signs (such as slight vaginal bleeding) may occur. This is a threatened abortion, which means there is a possibility of miscarriage, but it does not mean one will definitely occur. A pregnant woman who develops any signs or symptoms of threatened miscarriage should contact her prenatal provider immediately.

• Review Date: 9/19/2006
• Reviewed By: Audra Robertson, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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