Miscarriage
Alternate Names : Spontaneous Abortion, Complete Abortion
How is the condition diagnosed?
A blood or urine test will be done to confirm that a pregnancy exists.
The level of the pregnancy hormone HCG
may be checked several times over a period of days or weeks. Rising levels suggest
that the fetus is growing. Levels that fall or stay steady suggest a malformed or
dying fetus.
Other tests can include the following:
a complete blood count, called CBC,
if the woman is bleeding heavily
a pelvic exam to see if the
cervix is open and whether there is any fetal tissue in the vagina or the cervix
a pregnancy ultrasound to
check for any fetal movement and heartbeat and to rule out an
ectopic pregnancy,
which occurs when the egg implants outside the uterus
a progesterone level to find out if enough of the hormone is being made to maintain
the pregnancy
a white blood cell count
to rule out infection
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