The short answer to this question is “No.” A miscarriage cannot be stopped once it has started. There are some scenarios in which the signs of a miscarriage may actually be signs of a different problem, of course. In that situation it isn’t that the miscarriage has stopped, but rather that it didn’t start to begin with. There may be some rare instances in which a miscarriage is threatened but then does not follow through, but these are anomalies.
It’s important that you can know what to watch for in terms of miscarriage. There are some signs that are especially common during miscarriage. These include:
- Abdominal cramping
- Pain in the lower back
- Vaginal bleeding
- Vaginal discharge that resembles a blood clot.
If you have these symptoms, it’s important that you seek medical help. You can start by calling your health care provider, who will likely want to see you for an examination. It may be, instead, that you are referred to the emergency room.
Diagnosing a miscarriage usually involves a series of tests and examinations. You’ll usually undergo a pelvic exam. There will probably be a blood test. An ultrasound is especially useful in helping to determine whether or not you have had a miscarriage.
One of the reasons that it’s important to seek medical treatment is because there can be a number of negative complications that can come out of it. If your uterus doesn’t empty out quickly enough, you run the risk of infection. There is also a risk of losing too much blood. Your health care provider may want to do a “D&C” – a dilation and curettage. This will clear out the uterus in order to avoid these kinds of problems.
Most women who miscarry go on to have successful pregnancies in the future. A single miscarriage doesn’t indicate a larger problem in most cases. Multiple miscarriages are rare, and usually indicative of a larger health problem.
