Miscarriage occurs when an unborn fetus aborts itself.  Any woman can experience a miscarriage.  If you suspect that a miscarriage has happened to you, see your obstetrician immediately.

One sign of a miscarriage is bleeding.  It can present as spotting or heavy bleeding.  Spotting doesn’t necessarily mean that you are having a miscarriage but needs to be investigated all the same.

Diagnosis

When you visit your doctor, he or she will ask what types of symptoms you have experienced.  Do your best to remember when the bleeding or cramping started and anything else that happened.  The doctor will likely perform an ultrasound.

It is the same as when you went for your visit and heard the babyís heartbeat.  The absence of a heartbeat is a sign that the pregnancy is no longer viable.  To be sure, your hormone levels (HCG) will be monitored as well as a vaginal exam done to judge what has happened.  This can be devastating for you so bring your spouse, partner or family member with you for support.

During the manual exam, the doctor will also check your uterus.  He is looking to feel that the size of the uterus is equal to the stage of pregnancy.  All of this is done to confirm what is seen is seen and heard on ultrasound or as added measures if the ultrasound is inconclusive.

Until a definitive diagnosis is reached, your doctor may ask that you abstain from sex with your partner.  If the pregnancy is still viable but there is a problem with the placenta, you may be put on bed rest to avoid a miscarriage.

Treatment

If a miscarriage is definite, the doctor will let you know.  From there, he will see how far the miscarriage has progressed.  Early miscarriages may expel the products of conception completely.

Further along in your pregnancy, miscarriages may be termed “incomplete”. This means that all of the tissue has not been naturally removed by your body once the fetus could no longer survive.  Miscarriages can also be missed abortions in that the abortion occurred early on maybe even before you knew you were pregnant but the products of conception were not naturally removed from the body.

In both cases, the doctor will need to perform a surgical procedure called dilation and curettage (D & C) in the operating room.  You are given mild sedation and the doctor will use a machine in combination with surgical instruments called curettes to remove any remaining tissue from your body.  The procedure takes less than fifteen minutes.

When you suspect that something is wrong with your pregnancy, consult your doctor right away.  They will diagnose if you have experienced a miscarriage.  In the event that you have, the doctor will examine you and decide how to further treat the miscarriage.

Exercise is a healthy way to stay fit during pregnancy.  For a healthy woman, exercise strengthens muscles for a shorter labor and easier delivery.

Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, exercise is safe in moderation.  There are times when certain conditions present themselves during pregnancy.  If you begin to spot or cramp, see your doctor immediately.  It could be nothing but it could also signal problems with the cervix or placenta.  Any exercise will have to be stopped from that point on.

A pregnant woman may develop gestational diabetes.  This occurs when you experience high levels of blood sugar during pregnancy.  The added hormones produced by the placenta during pregnancy can cause insulin resistance.  Insulin is being produced but it is having no effect in the body.  As a result, more and more insulin is produced, increasing the blood sugar.

Previous medical conditions before pregnancy can prohibit exercise during pregnancy.  While you managed your high blood pressure or asthma before pregnancy, it becomes a more critical situation when a baby is present.  Any type of exercise can increase your blood pressure to an unsafe level for your baby.

Asthma makes it hard to breathe under the best of circumstances and your lower level of oxygen affects the baby too.  It is important to keep asthma under control as much as possible.

Heart disease is another medical condition that prohibits exercise.  Depending on your heart condition, bed rest may be advised.  Physical activity could cause further heart problems that would compromise your pregnancy.

When you become pregnant, your doctor will take a detailed history.  If you have had a history of miscarriages, exercise will be taken off the table.  Any increase in physical activity could contribute to another miscarriage.  It is a chance a doctor won’t take with your health and that of your unborn child.

Each month you go in to see your doctor for an exam, inform him of changes to your body.  Any new developments that will threaten you or your baby can keep you from being permitted to exercise.  Listen to your doctor’s advice for your protection.

Certain medical conditions may prohibit exercise during pregnancy.  Even if you exercised before pregnancy, follow the doctor’s orders for a healthy pregnancy.

Sometimes a couple can’t get pregnant by themselves.  They need the assistance of a trained medical professional and medical technology designed to aid fertility.  These procedures are collectively called assisted reproductive technology (ART) and it has helped thousands of couples conceive.

What exactly is assisted reproductive technology?

It is a process that removes the egg and the sperm from a couple and combines them in the laboratory to increase fertilization.  If the reproductive system of the hosts is causing problems, removing the elements of conception from that environment can change the fertility dynamics.

Assisted reproductive technology involves more than one procedure being tried to achieve pregnancy.  It has benefited couples with issues revolving around ovulation, ejaculation, fallopian tube dysfunction and for those with no definitive cause.

1.  In-vitro fertilization: You may have heard of this procedure.  The actual fertilization of the egg takes place in a lab setting.  Several eggs are removed from the ovaries along with many sperm from your partner.  The sperm is prepped and then placed with the eggs for fertilization.  Once the eggs are fertilized, they are returned to the uterus for implantation.  It is hoped that at least one egg will implant.

2.  Gamete Intrafallopian transfer: It sounds like a Star Trek term but it involves removing the egg and sperm from the body, mixing them and reinserting them into the woman.  The eggs and sperm are inserted into the fallopian tubes so that fertilization can occur inside the body.

3.  Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection: When the issue is the sperm, this procedure can be performed.  One sperm is used to fertilize one egg from the woman.  The fertilized egg is watched for a few days and allowed to begin the development process outside of the body.  When the time is right, the fertilized egg is injected into the womb for implantation.

4.  Zygote Intrafallopian transfer :Here, fertilization occurs outside the body as with in-vitro fertilization.  A sampling of eggs and sperm are mixed together.  Once the egg is fertilized it is reinserted into the fallopian tube much like gamete intrafallopian transfer.

The sperm and egg used in the process are not always straight from the man or woman.  The eggs may have been removed before and frozen for later procedures in case there are problems.  In vitro fertilization is the most popular and successful of the assisted reproductive technologies.  If it does not work, other technologies are tried.

In the event that pregnancy is not achieved, donor eggs or sperm may be used.  That decision is up to the couple as to how far they will go with these procedures.

Assisted reproductive technology has helped thousands of couples achieve parenthood.  There are four methods to use and your doctor will discuss with you which one has the best chance of success.