A miscarriage can be, for anyone, a traumatic and perhaps life altering experience. It is a common complication of the first trimester of pregnancy. During the first few months, spontaneous expulsion of the fetus is often caused by an unprecedented chromosomal disorder in the genes of the fetus. Even with so many scientific breakthroughs, there has not yet been found a way to ensure that a fetus has the right number of chromosomes at conception. Notwithstanding this, there are some key things that an expectant mother can do to reduce the risk and prevent miscarriage from happening, including a lifestyle change.

What Are the Risk Factors for Miscarriage?

There are indeed factors that make a woman more susceptible to miscarriage:

Risk Factors	Description
Prior miscarriages	Failure in the past to carry a fetus to full term is a precursor to future miscarriages.
Age	Women who have reached their 40’s are more likely to have a fetus with chromosomal abnormality than women in their 20’s.
Disease	Chronic health issues, like diabetes, lupus or kidney disease, as well as sexually transmitted diseases, like gonorrhea or syphilis, affect the ability to carry a fetus to full term.
Medications	Consult a physician before using any medications to assess the risk of miscarriage resultant from consumption.
Uterine or cervical issues	Abnormalities in the structure of the womb, polycystic ovaries and incontinent cervix make it unlikely to retain a fetus.
Family history	The probability of miscarriage is higher if there is a familial predisposition to birth defects or genetic anomalies.
Lifestyle	The use of mind altering substance, such as alcohol, tobacco or recreational drugs, as well as caffeine consumption are all well known to have adverse effects on pregnancy.
Obesity or under nutrition	Women with body mass indices that are either too low or two high are more prone to suffer miscarriages.
Environmental factors	Excessive exposure to gases and chemicals that may be a part of daily work or living environment can increase the risks of having a miscarriage a lot. Too much carbon monoxide or formaldehyde can cause spontaneous abortion as well.
Infections	Risk of miscarriage is increased if a woman has an infectious disease like measles, mumps, parvovirus or listeria.
Diagnostic testing	Diagnostic genetic procedures like amniocentesis and chorionic villus have been indicated to minimally heighten the risk of miscarriage.
Paternal causes	The viability of sperm as a contributor to miscarriage is being researched. Further, the age of the father may contribute to the likelihood of miscarriage.

How to Prevent Miscarriage

The pregnant women can successfully and readily implement several measures that may reduce the risks of having a miscarriage.

1. Get Some Tests

Visit your doctor near the beginning of pregnancy to screen for infections and STDs. Starting treatment early can determine the result of your pregnancy. While some diseases cannot be cured, they certainly can be well managed if caught in time.

2. Check Your Vaccination History

Review your past immunization record. If you think you may have missed some immunizations when you were a child, consult your doctor and take a blood test to see if you’re immune. Of course, this measure works better before you get pregnant, as part of the planning process.

3. Talk about Disease History with Your Doctor

Be sure that your doctor is aware of your family’s medical history, given the fact that there exists the genetic predisposition to health issues.Your personal medical history, such as previous pregnancies and clotting anomalies, is also critical.

4. Maintain a Healthy Weight

Research has suggested that gaining too much weight during pregnancy may well contribute to a miscarriage. Thus, once you have decided that you want to get pregnant, take measures to maintain your weight at a healthy level.

5. Pay Attention to What You Eat

If you want to lessen your risks of a miscarriage, you will have to be more cautious about what you choose to eat. Eating certain foods can increase your risks of food poisoning or infections such as listeria or toxoplasmosis. Although these conditions are relatively rare, you won’t want to put yourself or your unborn child in danger. Doctors recommend that you stay away from raw or undercooked meat or fish, and unpasteurized dairy foods. This means no novelty cheeses like camembert. You will also have to be less adventurous by cutting off things like medium rare steak and your visits to the sushi bar. Supplementing your diet with prenatal vitamins from before or early on in the pregnancy will also help to strengthen mom-to-be as well as the developing fetus.

6. Exercise Moderately

It is recommended that you do exercise during pregnancy to maintain healthy weight and stay fit, but try not to overdo it. Extreme physical exertion can cause hypertension and drastically elevated core body temperatures that would not auger well for the fetus. You should also stay away from activities that can result in injury to the abdomen such as skiing and horseriding.

7. Keep a Healthy Lifestyle

Most women may think that this goes without saying, but you are urged not to consume alcohol, tobacco or any illegal drugs. You risk preterm labor or losing the pregnancy altogether. Limit your caffeine intake as well. While trying to get pregnant, do not drink more than two cups of coffee (200mg) per day. Caffeine is a drug that can affect your hormone levels and is not healthy in large quantities. Even if you do bring the baby to full term, you are likely to have a baby born with severe birth defects as a result of substance use.

8. Stay Positive and Don’t Be Stressed Out

The more stressed out you are, the harder it is for your body to ward off illness as your resistance becomes compromised. Instead, practice relaxation techniques, like meditation and yoga, to aid in stress relief. Release negative thoughts and stay calm.