Q: Good afternoon Dr. Ketch, I stumbled on your health talks on DSTV today and I also searched the internet to read more about you and your programmes and I was very impressed. May Almighty God continue to be with you in all ramifications (Amen).

Dr. Ketch, my wife and I got married in 2012 and she could not conceive until February this year. But she had miscarriage at 11th week of the pregnancy. The scan showed that the foetus had stop breathing since when it was 7th week. When I asked the doctor what could have led to it, he said stress or her body chemistry might have caused it but I wasn’t convinced because my wife didn’t undergo any stress during the period of the pregnancy and she had undergone series of test at UCH, Ibadan and some private hospitals ever before her conception.

I want to know what could have actually caused the miscarriage and the death of foetus at 7th week before the miscarriage actually happened at 11th week despite that she was feeling ok before the miscarriage; what to do to easily help get pregnant and what to do if she conceives to avoid the same occurrence?
A: Amen to all those wonderful prayers! 😉
Condolences on the loss of your baby. It is never an easy experience for anyone to go through. I’m really happy that you want to find out what happened and what to do to prevent this in future. I trust that ou and your wife have found ways of openly discussing this with each other so that you both can air your hurts and heal together.
Unfortunately, oftentimes, the cause of a miscarriage is not identified. Your wife needs to understand this so that she doesn’t blame herself unduly. Having said that though, first trimester miscarriages are mainly due to problems with the baby/fetus. These problems could be due to problems with the placenta. This is how the baby receives its nutrients in the womb and so, if this organ cannot deliver, a miscarriage might occur. There may also be a problem with the baby’s chromosomes, such that a baby may receive too many or too few genetic materials or there may be a damaged egg/sperm. Other associated risk factors include smoking and drinking alcohol, being overweight, malnutrition, increased maternal age, trauma and drug abuse. By the way, trimester is 3 months of pregnancy. So, first trimester refers to the 1st three months, 2nd trimester, the 2nd three months and 3rd trimester, the last three months

To try for a pregnancy again, remember to ensure there is unprotected sexual intercourse at least three times a week with ejaculation of sufficient amounts of semen. Your wife should start of folate supplements as soon as she can to prepare her and baby for the journey ahead.
To prevent a recurrence, focus on ensuring that your wife stays healthy and does not indulge in harmful habits like smoking and excessive alcohol drinking. Other helpful tips include eating healthy, keeping weight within normal parameters, avoiding trauma and not abusing drugs.
In addition, as soon as she gets pregnant again, she should register or antenatal as soon as possible and keep to her appointments religiously. She should also contact her obstetrician, even if she’s not due for an appointment, something may be wrong with her baby.

For more on this topic, please click on the link below:

Daily Health Tips: What Should I Do To Conceive Again After A Miscarriage?

Good night everyone! 😀