Q; What are the symptoms of miscarriage?

A: The symptoms of a miscarriage can be quite varied. One of the more common symptoms is that of vaginal spotting, or bleeding during early pregnancy.

It may signify that the pregnancy is not stable and there is the possibility of a miscarriage. At that point, the patient should seek medical attention and an ultrasound may be necessary to confirm the status of the ongoing pregnancy.

At other times this might progress to a full miscarriage, with acute symptoms of severe abdominal cramps, heavy bleeding, even giddiness and fainting and the contractions of the womb might actually push out the pregnancy.

Patients with such symptoms must seek medical attention immediately, as there is the danger of excessive blood loss.

Occasionally there may be no symptoms at all, and a miscarriage is detected only on an ultrasound scan when it is seen that the pregnancy (fetus) has stopped growing with an absent heart beat.

Got a question on pregnancy or your reproductive health? Email it to us at Just Woman and we will get it answered by Dr Fong Yoke Fai, a consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at the National University Hospital.