About 20% of known pregnancies end in miscarriage – Dr. Kelvin Owusu 

By Gloria Amoh 
 
The Medical Director of Violet Medical Center, Dr Kelvin Owusu, has stated that miscarriage is part of the body’s way of dealing with a poorly formed foetus.
 
In an interview on GTV’s breakfast show, he explained that miscarriage is a pregnancy lost before 28 weeks, and a pregnancy where part of the baby comes out, the foetus comes out, but the placenta stays in is known as an incomplete miscarriage.
 
According to him, there are two types of miscarriage: spontaneous miscarriage, where throughout the pregnancy there is no intervention from the couple or woman. The pregnancy comes out by itself before the period of liability. Induced miscarriage occurs when some interventions occur. Either the woman takes medications or goes through trauma or medical interventions to remove the baby. He also added that there are other miscarriages, like threatened miscarriage and inevitable miscarriage.
 
Dr Kelvin Owusu mentioned that most miscarriages happen before the woman realises she is even pregnant.
 
“A mist miscarriage is a situation where the woman may or may not be aware she is pregnant and the pregnancy or the baby dies in the woman. Up to 20% of pregnancies are known to end in miscarriages,” he stated. 
 
Touching on the causes of miscarriage, he highlighted that one major cause of miscarriage is age. He explained that the older you get, the greater your risk of having a spontaneous pregnancy. “Also, infections and infestations, of which malaria is the biggest. Malaria parasites can cause the placenta to be ineffective.”
 
He again mentioned that lifestyle diseases can cause hypertension and diabetes before and during pregnancy.
 
“An obese woman has a higher risk of developing diabetes before and during pregnancy. Also, alcohol and recreational drugs cause miscarriage,” he said.
 
He also mentioned that irregular urine, vaginal spotting, and light, heavy miscarriage bleeding are some symptoms of miscarriage and urged that, once you see these symptoms, get to the hospital for an immediate checkup.
 
Dr Kelvin Owusu advised pregnant women to eat healthy foods and vegetables and avoid eating junk foods to ensure the safety of the unborn child.

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