Case: A netizen's menstrual cycle is usually very regular, occurring every two months. However, this time it came about two weeks early, and the flow was heavier than usual, accompanied by severe abdominal pain. Although she usually experiences some pain during her period, the flow is usually light. She's worried that this might be due to pregnancy, a miscarriage, or simply menstruation.
How to distinguish between miscarriage and menstruation
Menstruation refers to the regular monthly vaginal bleeding in women. When a woman enters puberty, her ovaries mature and begin secreting female hormones, causing changes in the uterine lining that result in menstruation. A normal menstrual cycle for a woman should be 28 days, with menstruation typically lasting 3-5 days and menstrual flow around 20-50 ml. Some women experience symptoms such as lower abdominal bloating, backache, breast development, mood swings, and abdominal pain before or during menstruation.
Miscarriage refers to the death of the fetus in utero after a woman is more than three months pregnant but before 24 weeks of gestation, due to factors such as weakness of qi and blood or kidney deficiency. Signs of miscarriage include abdominal cramps, vaginal bleeding, and red discharge. Studies have found that in early pregnancy, approximately 50% of fertilized embryos fail to develop successfully and are expelled from the body with menstrual blood.
If it is a miscarriage, in addition to bleeding, there will be tissue expelled. The blood will be relatively bright red, and there will be a semi-transparent substance about the size of an ounce of flesh. However, menstruation usually does not present with these symptoms.
Introduction to types of miscarriage:
Incomplete abortion: This occurs after an inevitable abortion, in which the fetus has been expelled, but part or all of the placenta remains in the uterine cavity. The difference between threatened abortion and menstruation is that uterine contractions increase vaginal bleeding, which can even lead to massive hemorrhage and shock.
Complete miscarriage: The fetus and placenta are completely expelled. The bleeding stops and the abdominal pain disappears.
Threatened miscarriage: characterized by light vaginal bleeding, accompanied by lower abdominal pain and backache. Threatened miscarriage can be distinguished from menstruation through a vaginal examination.
Inevitable miscarriage: This is a further development of threatened miscarriage. Threatened miscarriage and vaginal bleeding can be distinguished by the amount of vaginal bleeding. Inevitable miscarriage involves vaginal bleeding that exceeds the amount of menstrual flow, and lower abdominal pain intensifies.
