Be Clear And Warned About Miscarriages

Mark Zuckerberg suddenly put the focus on miscarriages, when he announced that his wife, Priscilla Chan, was expecting a baby girl after they had lost three babies. Social media was suddenly flooded with a number of stories, according to hindustantimes. 

Mark Zuckerberg beamed the torchlight on a topic that is rarely discussed. There have been nearly 1.7 million likes and more than 117,000 shares of his post. At least, there is some awareness about miscarriages, encouraging a lot of talk about them, according to news.

"Miscarriages are definitely more common than people realize," Joshua Klein, MD, a reproductive endocrinologist and fertility specialist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, told Health. He said that 25% to 30% of pregnancies end in miscarriage, but as early miscarriages can be mistaken for a "late, heavy period" they may even not be noticed!

Moreover, with increasing age, miscarriage risk may be higher. While women in their 20s have a 9% to 17% chance of miscarriage, the risk becomes 20% at 30 years.  At 40, it's 40%, and by 45 it can be 80%, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

The risk of miscarriage also increases with the partner's age. One study by Columbia University discovered that there is a 60% higher risk for fathers of 40 and older. Another European study from 'Human Reproduction' showed that women who are 35 and older, if their partner is at least 40, tend to be exposed to miscarriage risks. Another probe into the 'American Journal of Epidemology' in 2005 exhibited a 27% increased miscarriage risk for those who are above 35 years.

 Dr Anuradha Kapoor, Head of department of Gynaecology at Max Hospital, India, says that "chromosomal abnormalities or infections" may trigger miscarriages in the first trimester. But subsequently, the risk may come down.

Biology could be the reason why the miscarriages go up. Here are some myths that can be knocked out:

• Walking fast or climbing stairs, exercising or lifting heavy weights does not really trigger miscarriages. On the contrary, moderate exercise would help, according to experts. How about prenatal yoga or antenatal physiotherapy?
• Stress and anxiety due to arguments is not necessarily spelling miscarriage. However, traumatic moods due to severe injury could lead to some problems.
• Heat-inducing foods such as dry fruits and eggs, according to myths, are thought to lead to miscarriages. However, this is an exaggerated claim. In fact, almonds and other nuts are nutritious and eggs are good protein sources.
• Oral contraceptives do not cause miscarriages, as some believe.
• Moreover, it is not in the least harmful to have sex during pregnancy, unless advised otherwise by the doctor. Sometimes, it might cause pain in the abdomen, yet it cannot cause a miscarriage.
• One miscarriage cannot lead to more. A patient suffering three consecutive miscarriages is said to be having a "recurrent miscarriage", in which the cause has to be determined.