miscarriage%20-%20spontaneous
MISCARRIAGE - SPONTANEOUS
Treatment Guideline Chart

Spontaneous miscarriage is the loss of fetus before 20 weeks of gestation or delivery of a fetus weighing <500 g, in the absence of elective medical or surgical measures to terminate pregnancy.
Early loss is considered if it occurred before menstrual week 12 while late loss refers to those that occurred from menstrual week 12-20.
It is also known as spontaneous abortion, spontaneous pregnancy loss or early pregnancy failure.

Miscarriage%20-%20spontaneous Treatment

Surgical Intervention

  • Surgical management following treatment for early pregnancy loss is not required in asymptomatic patients with thickened endometrial stripe 

Surgical Uterine Evacuation

  • Offered to women who have heavy bleeding and or severe pain, unstable vital signs, when gestational trophoblastic disease or retained early pregnancy tissue is suspected, if with infected intrauterine tissue, or depending on patient’s preference
    • Retained tissue increases the risk of infection and hemorrhage
  • Dilatation and curettage is the traditional treatment for spontaneous miscarriage
  • May also be performed using suction evacuation which is associated with less blood loss, less pain and shorter duration of the procedure
    • Manual vacuum aspiration technique may be performed in the clinic for uterine evacuation in patients with missed and incomplete miscarriage
  • Delay surgery for 12 hours to allow antibiotic administration if infection is suspected
    • Patients with incomplete miscarriage may be given preoperative antibiotics at least 1 hour prior to uterine evacuation  
  • Patients undergoing surgical evacuation may be given an oxytocic to bring about uterine evacuation and to prevent bleeding from the procedure 
  • Possible complications: Uterine perforation, cervical tears, intra-abdominal trauma, hemorrhage, possible blood transfusion, or infection
    • Blood product replacement must be available in cases of bleeding due to coagulation disorders

Cervical Cerclage

  • An ultrasound-indicated cerclage should be offered to women with singleton pregnancy and a history of one second trimester miscarriage due to cervical factors if a cervical length of ≤25 mm is detected by transvaginal scan before 24 weeks of gestation
  • May also be performed in patients with 2nd trimester recurrent miscarriages due to insufficient, incompetent or weak cervix
  • Associated with hazards secondary to surgery and risk of stimulating uterine contractions

Hysteroscopic Surgery 

  • May be done in patients with septate uterus
    • Repair of bicornuate or unicornuate uteri, which have good obstetrical outcomes, is not recommended due to invasiveness of the procedure and higher complication risk
  • There is lack of conclusive evidence that surgical treatment in patients with Asherman syndrome/intrauterine synechiae, uterine fibroids, or uterine polyps will reduce the risk of pregnancy loss but should still be considered in patients with significant uterine cavity defects

Editor's Recommendations
Special Reports