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Health News of Tuesday, 27 February 2024

Source: gbcghanaonline.com

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

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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 fetus.

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 fetus comes out, but the placenta stays in is known as an incomplete miscarriage.

Dr Kelvin Owusu mentioned that most miscarriages happen before the woman realizes 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.