Getting a negative outcome from an IVF cycle can be devastating. Likewise, it can be devastating when an ultrasound tech, nurse or doctor tells you that your baby no longer has a heartbeat. Sadly, miscarriage is common experience; however, it can also be traumatizing.
If you are interested in this post, chances are, you have had a loss or think you may be at risk for losing a pregnancy. If this is true, please find support with your family, friends or therapist. You don't have to travel this difficult road alone.
We will talk about ways to grieve a miscarriage in another post.
Remember, each treatment cycle is not only therapeutic...it is also diagnostic.
Now, for the terminology:
CHEMICAL PREGNANCY: A chemical pregnancy is a very early miscarriage that happens within the first five weeks of pregnancy, where hCG levels are the only evidence of pregnancy.
THREATENED MISCARRIAGE: This is when your body is showing signs that it might miscarry.
BLIGHTED OVUM: This is a condition that occurs when a gestational sac develops without a fetus. It will always end in a miscarriage.
MISSED MISCARRIAGE: This is when the fetus no longer has a heartbeat, but your body has not yet started the process of miscarriage.
INEVITABLE MISCARRIAGE: This happens after a threatened miscarriage or without warning. This is when the cervix has dilated, and a miscarriage is inevitable.
INCOMPLETE MISCARRIAGE: Not all of the tissue has left your body. Your doctor may need to intervene at this point.
COMPLETE MISCARRIAGE: This is when all of the products of conception have completely left your body.
SPONTANEOUS ABORTION: You may see this wording on a lab draw or report. This is the medical terminology for a miscarriage and does not mean you had a choice in the loss.
RECURRENT MISCARRIAGE: If you are experiencing your second (or more) miscarriage in a row, you have recurrent miscarriage, also called recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL).
ECTOPIC PREGNANCY: An ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilized egg implants outside the uterus. It is a pregnancy that cannot lead to a healthy baby and threatens the life of the mother. It must be managed expeditiously by your doctor with medication or surgery. An ectopic pregnancy cannot be moved to the correct location.
MOLAR PREGNANCY: There may or may not be an embryo or placental tissue present with a molar pregnancy. This must also be closely managed by your doctor to make sure it resolves and does not become precancerous or cancerous.
DILATION AND CURETTAGE (D&C): This is a procedure done by a doctor to remove the products of conception from your uterus.
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