Early pregnancy - concerns and complications

Monday, 20 July 2020

Early pregnancy - concerns and complications

‘Early pregnancy’ is a very misleading phrase, as it can refer either to missed signs of pregnancy in women or to pregnancy among females who have not yet reached adulthood, called teenage pregnancy. We will be referring to the first one.

Most pregnancies progress without any problems, but it has been seen that about 8% involve complications that if ignored/untreated may harm the mother and the child.

For most women, a missed menstrual period is often the first sign of pregnancy. But, in today’s hectic world, women have been known to miss this sign, leading to miscalculation in tracking the pregnancy later on.

Early pregnancy can be a worrying time for women and following are some of the concerns and complications that may arise.

VAGINAL BLEEDING:

Blood spots are normal, but heavy bleeding could be a sign of miscarriage. If there is bleeding and cramps similar to that of normal menstrual periods, then it could be leading to a miscarriage. However, most women do not have any problems, and go on to have a healthy baby. But, it would be best to consult your doctor without fail.

MISCARRIAGE:

A miscariage occurs when a pregnancy stops proceeding and the pregnancy tissue is ejected out of the body and it is common in the first few weeks. As said earlier, periods-like pain, cramps and bleeding often precede a miscarrige. Usually no treatable cause can be found, though it does occur in more older women than the young.

ECTOPIC PREGNANCY:

Normally a fertilized egg goes through the fallopian tube and reaches the uterus, where it settles and starts growing. The uterus has the ability to stretch and grow, but the fallopian tube does not. When an egg stays and grows inside the fallopian tube it is called an ectopic pregnancy and it is a very dangerous condition as it can cause the tube to stretch and burst leading to internal bleeding and urgent remedial surgery. One to two of every hundred pregnancies are ectopic.

HYDATIDIFORM MOLE:

This is extremely rare, found in only around one in thousand pregnancies. Here there is an unusual and rapid growth of the placenta which prevents the fetus from growing and leads to a miscarriage. It is often discovered in the first three months.