Can Babies Sense If You’re Pregnant?
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Chemical Pregnancy
A phenomenon or a condition known as chemical pregnancy affects many women and is characterized by a miscarriage very early on in the pregnancy. In fact, it accounts for 50-75 % of all miscarriages. Many women aren’t even aware of being pregnant before chemical pregnancy occurs. So what it is, and what needs to be done? Read on to find out.
What is a chemical pregnancy
A chemical pregnancy is an early miscarriage. It can even be described as a chemical miscarriage. The loss occurs about 4-5 weeks after the menstrual cycle. Most often, if a woman is expecting, she might test positive on a pregnancy test. However, shortly thereafter, usually a week or so, she might get a period as usual. This might be devastating, and emotionally stressful for someone who has been trying to conceive. However, having a chemical pregnancy does not mean that the woman cannot conceive normally the next time. Chances are very high that a normal pregnancy ending with a normal birth of a healthy baby will follow. Unlike many other types of miscarriages, a chemical pregnancy is often not a sign of an underlying issue that might prevent one from conceiving.
Signs of chemical pregnancy
As mentioned, most chemical pregnancies will have no symptoms. And without a positive pregnancy test, the woman might not even know that she was pregnant.
However, some symptoms, like abdominal pain and cramps may exist. Also, your period might come later than usual and be accompanied by heavier than usual bleeding. As the egg gets fertilized it implants itself onto the wall of the uterus and fetal development begins. This usually happens around 4 weeks after fertilization.
In a chemical pregnancy, the fertilized egg fails to implant onto a wall of the uterus, which is what causes bleeding during pregnancy in this case.
Because the HCG levels would be higher, they will get detected by the pregnancy test. If no pregnancy test was taken, it would appear as if your regular period is taking place, and the chemical pregnancy might go unnoticed.
What causes a chemical pregnancy?
The common school of thought is that majority of the chemical pregnancies are related to genetic (chromosomal) abnormalities. We discussed chromosomes in our discussion about a molar pregnancy, but in short, 23 chromosomes from each parent (DNA carriers) combine to form a 46 chromosome (the normal amount for humans) zygote (an early embryo). However, this sometimes doesn’t go as planned, and the zygote either gets too many or too few chromosomes. This results in an error and the egg isn’t allowed to be implanted and is therefore discharged.
Some pre-existing conditions are known to increase the risk of chemical pregnancy if left untreated. These include diabetes, thyroid issues, blood clotting disorders, and others.
Implantation bleeding or miscarriage?
During the normal implantation process, some small blood vessels rupture resulting in light spotting. This kind of spotting is normal to see after getting the positive result of a pregnancy test. What one should look out for is a heavier more intense discharge which is not normal and could mean that a chemical pregnancy took place.
Treatment And Recovery
Physiologically, a chemical pregnancy is nothing more than a period with some deviations, like timing or heavier bleeding. However, your body is not physically affected by it, therefore no treatment is necessary. However, on an emotional level, this can be a devastating experience, especially if you’ve been trying to get pregnant and had gotten a positive test result. It is important to try and relieve some stress through some light exercise outdoors, spending time with family and friends, or dedicating yourself to self-reflection to collect your thoughts and feelings. It can be a difficult time and letting yourself to be helped is important. In many cases, your body will recover quite fast, and chances of conceiving again and having a healthy pregnancy are high. For anyone concerned about spotting after a positive test, this detailed guide on
How to prevent a chemical pregnancy
Not much can be done to safeguard yourself against this type of miscarriage as it is mostly a result of a chromosomal abnormality. However, it is important to see a doctor if you have been getting irregular periods, have been trying to conceive for a while with no success, and are over 35 years of age.
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