Losing a baby

Question 1

What percentage of pregnancies end in miscarriage?

Answer 1

25%

Question 2

Some facts about first trimester miscarriages

Answer 2

• 10-20% of clinically recognised pregnancies
• Accounts for 85% of all miscarriages
• Approx 50% are due to chromosomal abnormalities

Question 3

What is a threatened miscarriage?

Answer 3

There are symptoms of bleeding and pain but the intra-uterine pregnancy is still present

Question 4

What is an inevitable miscarriage?

Answer 4

There are symptoms of bleeding and pain and the cervix is open

Question 5

What is an incomplete miscarriage?

Answer 5

There are symptoms of bleeding, the os is open but there is some tissue remaining

Question 6

What is a complete miscarriage?

Answer 6

There is no tissue remaining

Question 7

What is a missed miscarriage?

Answer 7

It’s diagnosed on a scan with no symptoms

Question 8

What is a molar pregnancy?

Answer 8

Also known as a hydatidiform mole, it’s when the foetus doesn’t form properly in the womb and abnormal cells develop instead

Can occur if 2 sperm fertilise an egg
It can turn into a cancer so needs to be surgically removed

Question 9

What is a complete mole vs partial mole in a molar pregnancy?

Answer 9

Complete- there’s a mass of abnormal cells and no foetus develops

Partial- where an abnormal foetus starts to form but it can’t develop into a baby

Question 10

What is a choreacarcinoma?

Answer 10

A cancer that develops from trophoblastic cells during pregnancy