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  • Why abortion is on rise among married women, by Society for Family Health

    The Society for Family Health (SFH) has disclosed that abortion among married women is currently on the rise, especially in the face of inflation across the country.

    The country social and behaviour change coordinator, Delivering Innovation in Self Care (DISC) project of the Society for Family Health, Michael Titus disclosed this at the dissemination meeting of Niger state Family Planning/DMPA-SC performance of the Delivering Innovation in Self-Care (DISC) in Minna.

    He said that married women do this because they want to take care of their families as an addition to the family will reduce the purchasing power of the family.

    “Abortion among married women is something that is on the rise. For married women, it is obvious because our men are shying away from the fact that family planning uptake is important and beneficial to them and their families.

    “Look at the situation in the country, we have so many issues like inflation which is causing the purchasing power of each family to reduce especially now that the cost of buying pampers and school fees are on the rise.

    “Women love their families, they love their husbands, they don’t want the situation whereby the purchasing power of the family declines. So you find women who go behind to do the abortion. They don’t want the situation whereby they get pregnant again as another child added to the number they have would be seen as burdensome on the family and that is why abortion among married women found it is rising.

    Titus said that family planning is coming to the rescue of married women to ensure that the children are spaced.

    According to him, 27,000 women in the state embraced the self-injection method of birth control in the first quarter of 2024 adding that 194,700 women across the state have accepted the use of the Subcutaneous depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA-SC) self-injectable contraception in Niger state in the past 33 months.

    “Over 300% growth in self-injection rate in the state shows that 52 of every 100 women who opt DMPA- SC as their method of choice are self-injecting successfully under the supervision of the health provider,” he said.

    The Commissioner of Primary Healthcare, Dr Ibrahim Dangana said that the Delivering Innovation in Self-care (DISC) project is being undertaken by the state government in collaboration with the Society for Primary Healthcare adding that 74 community mobilized have been trained across the state.

    Read Also: Abortion better than lifelong suffering – Idemudia

    The commissioner who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Dr Abdullahi Imam said that the project has been on for 33 months in the state and has achieved success in 10 local government areas across the state.

    “The results we have achieved in these past 33 months show that the self-injectable method is acceptable to a large number of women who were engaged and they have also given testimonies to how it helped them to space their families and improve their reproductive health.

    “For the state, we support any method or solutions that can improve the lives of our women. The essence of family planning service is to allow women to space their children so that they can have as many as they want when they want it. We intend to ask the partners to expand this service to other local government areas and we also intend to provide a lot of funds for healthcare workers to be trained in counseling and the delivery of self-care service”, he said.

  • Stakeholders call for coalition to tackle unintended pregnancy, unsafe abortion

    Stakeholders call for coalition to tackle unintended pregnancy, unsafe abortion

    Stakeholders working around family and reproductive health have agreed for the challenges of unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortion to be effectively addressed in the country, every organisation working within the space must collaborate on efforts for better results. 

    The stakeholders spoke at the National Forum on Unintended Pregnancy and Unsafe Abortion in Nigeria.

    The event organised by the Partnership for Advancing Abortion Research and Reducing Unsafe Abortion in Nigeria (PAARRUAN) held at Kankafo Hotel, Ibadan.

    PAARRUAN is a platform for setting abortion research agenda, utilising the findings and implementing projects to reduce unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortion in Nigeria. 

    The Partnership is coordinated by the consortium of the Centre for Research, Evaluation Resources and Developement (CRERD) and the Academy for Health Development (AHEAD) both in Nigeria with support from Guttmacher Institute, United States of America. 

    The stakeholders, including scholars, researchers, media professionals, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Academia, health practitioners, policy makers among others said reducing the incidence of unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion requires joint efforts, hence the need for the stakeholders to come together in a united effort.

    A Senior Research Fellow at Guttmacher Institute, Dr Akinrinola Bankole, defined the proposed coalition as an organisation of diverse interest groups that join resources to produce a specific change that is otherwise unattainable emphasing the importance of teamwork.

    Read Also: Unsafe abortion: Taming a leading, silent killer

    Justifying the call, he said a coalition of the stakeholders will not only enhance potential to gain attention and affect change, it also affords talents, skills, and resources that can be shared to achieve goals.

    He said “It motivates a strategic and concerted resolution of the problem at hand. It ensures mutual sense of ownership and commitment of several people and groups. It provides a forum for open discussion and support of a common goal and it reduces duplication of efforts and resource wastage.”

    President of Population Association of Nigeria (PAN), Prof Ebingha Enang said “The situation that led to this call for national forum is that, in the Nigeria we find ourselves today, the figures before us are more or less alarming, there have been issues on unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortion particularly for our women folks and the carelessness on the part of our adolescents that results in this kind of situation.

    “So because of the health hazards and since there has been these occurrences, there is need for this forum to come on board and see how this advocacy can be preached or pursued to the extent that the adolescents will understand why this should reduce and the lives of our women will be safe and guaranteed.”

    Also speaking, Prof Ademola Ajuwon said “unintended pregnancy is a common phenomenon and a major reproductive health problem in Nigeria. Worldwide, the root cause of unintended pregnancy is non-use of effective contraception. The rate unintended pregnancy has not changed in the country in decades, despite increased education and access to methods.

    “Unsafe abortion is a major outcome of unintended pregnancy in Nigeria. Unsafe abortion is not only common it has also remained relatively unchanged over several decades. Reducing both of these behaviors and their negative health and socioeconomic consequences requires collaborative efforts.”

    In her presentation, Oyo State Family Planning Coordinator, Mrs Adeola Awakan said the state government is trying to ensure that family planning is available to all that needs it amd where they are needed. 

    She said the state government is also conscious that of there is no unintended pregnancy, the menace of unsafe abortion will be greatly reduce hence the continous efforts to sensitize and educate the people, especially women and girls on the importance of family planning.

  • Experts decry high abortion-related deaths, seek more investment in SRH initiatives

    Experts decry high abortion-related deaths, seek more investment in SRH initiatives

    Medical experts, scholars, and researchers in the field of public health have expressed deep concern over the alarming rates of death resulting from unsafe abortions in the country. They are urging the government to significantly increase its investment in Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH).

    These experts are unanimous that the lives of women and girls aged 15 to 49 years, lost daily due to abortion-related causes, hold a value that far surpasses the funding required to establish the necessary facilities and services to ensure their survival. This collective sentiment was articulated during a special session titled: The Public Health Challenges of Unintended Pregnancies and Abortion: Global and National Dimensions. The session was organised by the non-governmental organisation Academy for Health Development (AHEAD) based in Ile-Ife, Osun State, in collaboration with the Guttmacher Institute, headquartered in New York, USA. This event was an integral component of the 5th Scientific Conference of the Society for Public Health Professionals of Nigeria (SPHPN).

     According to these experts, Nigeria bears a staggering annual loss of over 67,000 women due to abortion-related complications, with an alarming daily average of at least 20 deaths across the nation. Leading this call was Prof Adesegun Fatusi, a distinguished figure in the realm of Community Medicine and Public Health, who highlighted that Nigeria currently carries the heaviest burden of maternal mortality based on the latest research by the World Health Organisation (WHO). He went on to underscore that, as per the Federal Ministry of Health’s data, approximately 11 per cent of maternal deaths in Nigeria result from abortion. When combining these two statistics, it becomes evident that approximately 20 women tragically lose their lives every day due to abortion-related causes. This reality is both deeply concerning and troubling.

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     Fatusi, who also serves as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Medical Sciences in Ondo State and as the foundation Secretary-General of SPHPN, stressed that this dire situation can be reversed if the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs of women are adequately met. He advocated for an additional per capita investment of $27.15 to supplement the current $3.11. He explained, “If all the contraceptive, maternal, newborn, and abortion care needs in Nigeria were comprehensively addressed, the following sexual and reproductive health outcomes for women aged 15 to 49 years and their newborns would experience a significant improvement. Unintended pregnancies would decline by 80 per cent; abortion rates would decrease by 80 percent; unsafe abortions would plummet by 80 per cent; maternal deaths would diminish by 61 per cent, and newborn mortality would drop by 76 per cent.”

     Fatusi also emphasised that this additional investment would encompass health services, policy and legal frameworks, norms, data, and research. Providing a global perspective on unintended pregnancies and abortions, Dr. Jonathan Bearak, a Senior Research Scientist at the Guttmacher Institute, shared insights from a recent survey indicating a decrease in the rates of unintended pregnancies on average worldwide but increasing in Nigeria. He further noted that abortion rates exhibit wide variations across countries, irrespective of whether abortion is prohibited or not. Other speakers, in their separate remarks, called upon the government and various stakeholders to escalate efforts and take comprehensive actions to safeguard the lives of women.

  • Pastor, deaconess held for allegedly procuring abortion for teenager

    The General Overseer of Gloryland Church, Pastor Ekene Samuel, has been arrested for impregnating and procuring abortion for a teenage member of his church identified as Miracle.

    Assorted charms were also found at the residence of the clergyman.

    Police said Pastor Ekene ‘charmed’ and had sex with 17- year- old Miracle in December 2018.

    Pastor Ekene was arrested after one Henry Aikhuaman reported that Miracle was missing.

    It was gathered that Miracle was later found on a sick bed at Graceville Medical Centre along Ewah Road in Bénin City.

    Doctors at the hospital were said to have told detectives that Miracle was brought in by one Happy Johnson, a deaconess in Pastor Ekene’s Church.

    Speaking to newsmen at the police headquarters, Happy said it was Pastor Ekene that told her to procure the abortion for Miracle.

    Pastor Ekene on his part described Miracle as one of his daughters in his church.

    “Last year, I had an extramarital affair with her in August. She came to me this year that she was pregnant. I asked my member here to take her to the hospital. She was taking some drugs to remove the pregnancy. The baby died in her womb. The doctors did surgery on her because she was having appendicitis. The hospital asked me to pay N380,000 and I have paid N150,000 before I was arrested. She did not die.

    “These charms were items returned by people I prayed for through deliverance. Some are also for me. I also do spiritual work. I have anti-poison and others.”

    Edo Police Commissioner, Mr Muhammed Dan Mallam, said the pastor and his accomplice would soon be charged to court.

  • Abortion referendum voting kicks off in Ireland

    Voting for a referendum on whether abortions should be legalised or not in Ireland kicked off across the country on Friday.

    Over 3.2 million registered voters are expected to cast their ballots at more than 6,500 polling stations across the country, which opened at 7 a.m. and would close at 10 p.m. local time.

    In the 15 hours of voting, voters would be asked to cast Yes or No votes on a question written on their ballots as whether or not they agree to legalise abortions in the country, which have virtually been banned by the present Irish laws.

    Results of the polling are expected to be announced late today or early on Saturday.

    A survey released five days prior to the referendum showed that 56 per cent of the people would vote Yes, 27 per cent would vote No, 14 per cent say they don’t know and three per cent would refuse to answer.

    Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who is a strong advocate of the Yes campaign for the referendum, said there would be no further referendum if Yes supporters failed in the poll.

    Special arrangements have been made by government to assist voters in the referendum.

    More than 50,000 specially designed ballots were place at different polling stations to facilitate voting by blind or visually-impaired voters.

    Returning officers, accompanied by police, would visit hospitals or healthcare centres to help the voting of those who were unable to cast their ballots at polling stations.

    Read Also:A rally against abortion in Kwara

    Some 2,000 people living on 12 islands off the western cost of Ireland were allowed to cast their votes on Thursday, a day ahead of the rest of the country to make sure that their votes would be sent back to count centres on Friday in time.

    Under a law added into the Irish Constitution after a 1983 referendum in the country, abortion is illegal unless the life of the mother is in danger or the foetus is proven dead in the womb.

    The law, widely known as the Eighth Amendment among locals, has been under increasing criticism in recent years.

    People opposed to it argued that such laws only add pains and burden to pregnant women, as each year an estimated 3,000 pregnant women in Ireland secretly travel to neighbouring countries for abortion.

  • NGO kicks against abortion

    A non-governmental organisation (NGO) under the Catholic Church, Pro-life League, has called for the abolition of abortion, saying those who commit it are guilty of killing innocent beings.

    At a rally at the National Stadium Surulere, Lagos, by  St. Denis Catholic Church, Bariga, titled: ‘Match for life’, the church drew attention of the public to the dangers of abortion and to enlighten the youth on the way to live a life of chastity.

    The founder, Mechelin Iketalu said the organisation wants the world to know that there were still people who stand against abortion.

    She said: ”We want to let the world know that there is a group of people who are fighting to stop the issue of abortion because nobody has any right to take anybody’s life. We are an NGO under the Catholic Church and we accommodate everyone”.

    Iketalu, who also spoke on restoring respect for human life, said  people should understand that the child in the womb is a being with a separate heart, soul, body and all components of a person and there is a moral burden to guide the baby with our lives.

    She added: “There is no such thing as an unwanted pregnancy because every child comes from God.”

    At the event were two members of the NGO, were Miss Chukuwma Matilda and Miss Esther Nwokocha, who after being counselled by a priest, changed their minds on abortion, and they gave birth to a baby boy and a baby girl.

     

  • Amazing: Three pregnancies aborted in four-year marriage

    A caterer, Ayodele Oluwakemi, on Friday prayed an Agege Customary Court in Lagos to dissolve her four-year-old marriage because her husband forced her to terminate three pregnancies.

    She said that there was also no love lost between her and her husband, Famurewa Oladimeji.

    Oluwakemi, 28, residing at No. 5, Adekanbi Taylor Close, Okeira in Ogba, near Lagos, also stated that her husband was irresponsible and did not care for her and their three-year-old daughter.

    The petitioner also told court that her husband abandoned her and the daughter.

    “My husband lies a lot. Initially, when I met him, he lied that he was working, which I found out later was all lies.

    “Whenever I ask him for money, he keeps giving me excuses and refuses to drop money.

    “Later, I became pregnant for him and my husband forced me to abort it, saying he was not ready financially.”

    Oluwakemi disclosed that she had aborted three pregnancies on the insistence of the respondent, whom she described as highly irresponsible and lazy.

    “He never had an apartment of his own and kept collecting money from me until I insisted he got a proper job or business.’’

    The petitioner said that when she conceived of their only child, her father refused her husband’s marriage proposal, until he got an apartment of his own.

    “Whenever I call him, he always told me that he will call me back, which he never did,” the estranged woman said.

    She begged court to terminate the marriage, saying that she wanted to move on with her life and also wanted the respondent to be responsible for the upkeep of their child.

    Oladimeji, 34, a businessman, however denied the allegations but said that he no longer loved Oluwakemi, pleading with court to dissolve the marriage.

    He alleged that when Oluwakemi took in for him, her father threatened to kill him.

    “I accepted to take up responsibility when my wife became pregnant. My family and I went with the marriage proposal but her father refused to attend to us.’’

    Oladimeji said that he felt his wife’s father refused his proposal because he didn’t have a good job.

    “My wife’s parents do not accord me the proper respect as their daughter’s husband. They disregard me and call me all sorts of names.’’

    He said that his father-in-law had prevented him from seeing his child.

    “My father in-law threatened me to stay away from my wife and also stopped me from seeing my child.’’

    The President of the court, Mr Phillips Williams, admonished the estranged couple and scolded the petitioner for terminating three pregnancies.

    Williams adjourned the case till Feb. 28 for hearing. (NAN)

  • Your role in preventing miscarriage, abortion, stillbirth and preterm (6)

    Closely related to all that we have discussed—miscarriage, stillbirth, and abortion – so far is prematurity.

    What is it? Prematurity is a term for the broad category of newborn born at less than 37 weeks’ of pregnancy.  Weight may also be used as indicator of prematurity. Doctors will often try to care for babies born alive who weighs about 400gram and above.

    Premature babies merely manage to escape the peril of other dangerous instances that I have mentioned ealier. Even though being born alive gives hope, it does not mean that the danger of early death is over. In fact, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), premature births carry considerable risk.

    Indeed, “preterm birth is the most common direct cause of newborn mortality. Preterm birth and being small for gestational age (SGA), which is the reasons for low-birth-weight (LBW), are also important indirect causes of neonatal deaths. LBW contributes to 60percent to 80percent of all neonatal deaths. The global prevalence of LBW is 15.5percent, which amounts to about 20 million LBW infants born each year, 96.5percent of them in developing countries”, according to WHO.  We can now see that premature birth of a baby, though much better than being miscarried or being born a stillbirth, constitute extreme danger to the baby.

     

    What causes premature birth? 

    A baby born early has less time in the mother’s uterus to grow and gain weight, and much of a foetus’s weight is gained during the latter part of the mother’s pregnancy.

    There are some factors that make prematurity possible. Black people tend to have higher risk of still birth than our white cousins. One can only speculate why this is so. It might be that we (mothers and also fathers) tend to be more prone to hypertension which is dangerous for the baby if the mother should have high blood pressure in pregnancy. Again, the age of the mother matters. Mothers who are over 35 years old not only carry the risk of miscarriage, deformed babies, high blood pressure in pregnancy and still birth, but she is also vulnerable to having a premature baby.  Just as in stillbirth, multiple pregnancies is a known cause of “prem babies”.

    I have earlier mentioned in preceding articles that maternal diseases is a material risk to medical abortion, miscarriages and stillbirth. The same sets of maternal illnesses may cause the baby to be born earlier than necessary. Such diseases include as previously mentioned, maternal hypertension, diabetes mellitus and thyroid diseases. Similarly, a pregnant woman who uses toxic substances, are exposing their unborn child to early immature birth. Mothers of lower socioeconomic status are also more likely to have poorer pregnancy nutrition, inadequate prenatal/antenatal care, and pregnancy complications – all factors that can contribute to low birth weight and hence premature birth.

    Why is prematurity so important and why is it crucial that we prevent premature birth? In general, the lower a baby’s birthweight, the greater the risks for complications. The following are some of the common problems of low birthweight babies and prematurity: low oxygen levels at birth, inability to maintain baby’s own body temperature as well as difficulty feeding and gaining weight while outside the womb. Most crucially, the baby is very vulnerable to infection of any of his or her organs.

    Independent breathing by the baby may become problematic and can suffer what doctors call respiratory distress syndrome (a respiratory disease of prematurity caused by immature lungs). Remember that immature lung itself is a cause of stillbirth. Being immature may lead the baby to suffer bleeding (stroke) into his or her brain, young as the baby may be. This bleeding could then cause a host of neurologic problems.

    Immature birth could also cause serious diseases in the gut (necrotizing enterocolitis) whereby feeding and maintaining food may become a problem for the baby.  Though not well recorded in Nigeria and perhaps not as common as in other lands, sudden death (cot death) as the name implies could cause early demise of the premature baby.

     

    Prevention

    Prevention is cheaper and better than cure. Prevention will help us avoid gloom and agony of complications premature births. Therefore, at antenatal visits, the health of both mother and foetus can be checked. Because maternal nutrition and weight gain are linked, as I earlier mentioned,  with foetal weight gain and birthweight, eating a healthy nutritious diet and gaining the proper amount of weight during pregnancy are essential measures.  Mothers and potential mothers should avoid alcohol, cigarettes and illicit drugs, unknown and toxic local preparations which can contribute to poor foetal growth outcomes, among other complications.

    In conclusion of this series therefore, the reader will observe that the pregnant woman or potential mothers are not all that helpless in the face of threats of abortion, miscarriages, stillbirth and premature births. There are small steps that the aspiring mother, the husband and indeed the couple can do to prevent these adverse outcomes. I have discussed these in all the articles. For other reasons and factors that you as a mother/fathers cannot deal with, I urge you to work with your doctors or ask for qualified medical personnel to help you all the way. Start early even before you get pregnant. Good luck to you.

  • Your role in preventing miscarriage, abortion, stillbirth and preterm (5)

    In the last 4 weeks, we have been dealing with extremely emotive issues of miscarriage and abortion. If the former two names and experiences evoke huge sensitivities in you, then spare a thought for parents that escaped miscarriages, abortion of any sort but nurtured desirable pregnancy beyond 20 weeks, had a raised hope, often desperately wanted the baby that the woman was carrying; but in the end, the foetus ended as still birth. Pray too for the clinicians (doctors, nurses, counsellors and so forth) that had to undergo grief periods from time to time in empathy with the parents of still birth foetuses. Sadly, even if the mother is innocent, stillbirth can result in guilt  feeling in the woman.

    What then is still birth?  Stillbirth is typically defined as foetal death at or after 20 to 28 weeks of pregnancy. It results in a baby born without signs of life. Put in another way, still birth is the birth of an infant that has died in the uterus (womb) after having lived and survived through at least the first 28 weeks of pregnancy.  In some countries, a baby is considered as viable and “human” from 24-weeks onward. In Nigeria, this threshold is 28weeks. The weight of the stillbirth baby may also be used as a guide. Such guides may be 350gm and above.  Therefore, a baby is full human being from 28weeks. Now imagine the death of such human being in the womb of his or her mother. This is called stillbirth—a  truly tragic event.

    What causes stillbirth and Preventions? Very often, the cause of still birth is not known. In a wisdom that has stood the test of time however, the ancient says that there is no smoke without fire. So, the fact that we do not know some of the causes of still birth is not to say that there is no cause. We simply don’t know enough at this stage.

    That said, there are some causes which are well known and well documented. Those are the ones that I will now discuss below. Being black as compared to white population exposes us to risk of stillbirth.

    In some situations, the causes of still birth are simply those reasons that could otherwise have caused the baby to be miscarried in the first instance. Infection such as syphilis and other bacterial infections could be shocking the baby to death. Malaria is a dangerous illness—killing over 600,000 people yearly— to a fully grown strong adult person. Most of these deaths are children and pregnant women.  How much less a defenceless individual that depends, in the womb, on the mother for survival? Malaria is a terrible cause of stillbirth especially in an environment like ours where healthcare is chaotic. So, while pregnant, take any fever or any illness seriously and seek medical assistance urgently.  Foetus with defects of whatever cause and in particular, lung that is underdeveloped (pulmonary hypoplasia) in which nature had perceived, it may be difficult for the baby to survive in life, may be expelled from the womb before it reaches maturity. Blood disorders resulting from incompatibility with the mother’s blood (rhesus incompatibility) may result in death of the unborn baby.

    If this had not been done via miscarriage, it may be done at the level of stillbirth. Similarly, as I mentioned under causes of miscarriage, genetic and chromosomal abnormality in the baby may be a good reason for the death of the foetus.  For whatever reason and if not detected or managed properly, a baby in the womb that is not growing in keeping with its age (growth retardation) may die in the womb.

    Similarly, in some occasions, late induced abortion may end up as still birth.

    Diseases of the mother such as uncontrolled diabetes, high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia (see earlier published article on Hypertension), and diseases of the liver may all combine or act individually to compromise the live of the developing baby.

    Yet, some mothers are the cause of the death of their baby via the use of dangerous substances whilst being pregnant. Mothers who consume recreational drugs such as alcohol, cigarette (nicotine) are putting the lives of their baby at risk. On the other hand, some medicines that qualified doctors prescribe may have unpleasant effects on the baby. Thus, it’s important to work with your doctor and nurses before and during pregnancy drawing their attention to any medication that you are given to take. Some medicines must as a matter of fact not be taken in pregnancy.

    Pregnancy that goes over the due date for delivery may also end up in stillbirth. Pregnant women must therefore be vigilant to check and keep their date of delivery. Any competent doctor will be watchful and not allow a pregnancy to be unduly overdue. The key to preventing still birth due to overdue date is early pregnancy dating by ultrasound. So, once a woman misses her menstrual period, she should contact and consult a doctor for assessment as soon as possible.  In addition, once a pregnancy is confirmed, the woman should keep her antenatal dates with religious conviction in other to prevent the agony of stillbirth.

    Further, there are disorders that are associated with the afterbirth (placenta) of the baby. If there is excessive bleeding for example or undesirable detachment (placenta abruptions) of the placenta from its place before the baby is born, it may result in still birth. Physical trauma may be from falls or severe beating from domestic fighting or a kick to the pregnancy may result in death in the womb of the baby.

    Multiple pregnancies such as twins may cause one or more of the growing babies to compete for food and nutrients. One baby may take more to the detriment of the other thus leading to death.

    With all these, it’s important that potential pregnant and indeed pregnant mothers should work very closely with their doctors to prevent unpleasant outcomes.  Next week, we shall deal with premature births.

  • Your role in preventing miscarriage, abortion, stillbirth and preterm explained (4)

    So far, we have looked at abortion – both legal and illegal. We discussed possible reasons for legal abortion though not everyone may agree with my position. I believe the true test of decision on if abortion should be done or not is first to weigh in the letter of the law and also pertinently to pause and consider:  “What will I do, if I got an unwanted pregnancy or what will I do if my daughter or sister or any member of my family faces an issue of undesirable pregnancy?”

    We have also looked at miscarriages and what causes it.  I am sure that a host of my readers will wonder what sort of investigations can be done to lead to causes of miscarriage.

    Investigation: Treatment of miscarriages is best handled by skilful specialist in the field.

    That said, the simplest and ironically the grandest place to begin is to attend a qualified medical doctor for initial assessment of detailed history and examination. The doctor will collect information about previous miscarriages, any prior operations, current and past medications, use of substances, including traditional medicine preparations, nature of work and exposure to environmental hazards.

    The attending physician of competence will consider some investigations in line of the causes that I have outlined earlier.  Examples of investigations that you may be expected to do are ultrasound of the pelvis that may help outline the organs of reproduction. Blood sample may be required for test on hormones that I have mentioned as well as to determine other disease states such as diabetes.. Still, genetic testing may be required on both couples.

    The attending gynaecologist may also request for examination of the womb via a camera that is called hysteroscope whereby the doctor can see firsthand, the structure and appearance of the womb. Patients should not be too alarmed at the request for these investigations.

    Are there treatments for Miscarriages? Yes, there are treatments that can be offered for miscarriages, based upon the findings of the attending physician. However, it’s important that the couple see the attending doctor prior to getting pregnant again. Medications are available to deal with deficiencies in hormonal levels.There are also some therapies that are directed against blood disorders that affect pregnancies.  In the case of genetic abnormalities in the parents that leads to miscarriages, the couple could consider egg or and sperm donation as the case may be. Pregnancy may thus be achieved through in-vitro fertilisation.   Where the miscarriage is due to abnormalities of the womb, this may be corrected through surgery. Where the pregnancy loss is due to weakness in the neck of the womb, this may be corrected via tightening the said neck via surgery shortly after pregnancy has occurred. However, it’s important that all these be arranged with the doctor prior to the pregnancy.

     

    Prevention of Miscarriages: Certainly, there are some measures that individuals and couples can undertake to reduce their risk of miscarriage. Example, obesity that may give rise to diabetes should be controlled. Sugar level should be thoroughly brought under control. Nutritional changes along with exercise and weight reduction measures could help to bring down the risk of diabetes and obesity associated with pregnancy losses.

    Further, abortion if it is to be done is best done by the skilful medical professionals. This is important to safeguard the integrity of the neck of the womb (cervix): defect of which may cause miscarriages of pregnancies. Also, persistent infection that may have been introduced during abortion procedure is best minimised at the hands of trained professionals.

    Potential mothers are best advised to avoid consumption of alcohol or nicotine (cigarette) during pregnancy so as to avoid unwanted effects on the foetus. In the same line of thought, pregnant women should avoid substances whose contents are not known or well documented.

    Finally, I have mentioned in another article earlier in the year that the reproductive or fertility chances of women are at their peak between ages 22 and 32. Beyond the age of 35, fertility begins to decrease at an alarming rate and the ensuing pregnancies begin to carry considerable vulnerability to foetal abnormality and the risk of premature expulsion from the womb. The older the woman gets beyond this age bracket before mentioned, the higher the risk of miscarriage.