Maternal health specialists have issued a warning regarding the dangers associated with improperly managed miscarriages, advising women to avoid seeking treatment from untrained and unskilled healthcare providers when experiencing this condition.
They emphasize the importance of pregnant women who have suffered a miscarriage seeking care at healthcare facilities staffed with maternal health experts for proper treatment.
Cited as the loss of a pregnancy before reaching 20 weeks, a miscarriage is a common occurrence affecting roughly 15 percent of pregnancies, as reported by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. It is crucial, the gynaecologists emphasize, for women experiencing a miscarriage to consult gynaecologists for appropriate care to ensure the safe removal of the foetus and mitigate the potential risks of complications and infections. These complications could result in secondary infertility or even fatality.
The experts highlight that poorly managed miscarriages have been attributed to causing infertility in women. Despite efforts to improve maternal health outcomes in Nigeria, data from the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey indicates that the country still reports a high maternal mortality ratio of 512 per 100,000 live births, significantly higher than the Sustainable Development Goal target of less than 70 per 100,000 live births.
Dr. Kamil Shoretire, a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at the Family Health Department of the Federal Ministry of Health in Abuja, expressed that miscarriages can profoundly impact the health and well-being of the mother, both through complications stemming from the process itself and from the subsequent treatment and management of the condition.
Additionally, survivors of harrowing miscarriages may encounter significant complications, such as infertility, following the traumatic event.
Shoretire said, “It is always good for women who have miscarriages to go to the hospital where the experts are and they will be well taken care of.
“Apart from treating them, the experts will also counsel them. “They will tell them the possible causes of the miscarriage and what to do in preparation for the next pregnancy.”
The gynaecologist added that by going to the hospital, the women would be well-educated and enlightened to know about the condition itself
“A woman that has a miscarriage cannot assess herself. So, the right thing for her to do is to go to the hospital.
“Some women will not know that they have things like diabetes. It is only at such a time that they have a miscarriage that it will be detected.
“So, it is always good for women who have miscarriages to go to the hospital where the experts are and they will be well taken care of.”
He also cautioned that mishandled miscarriages can lead to infections that can severely damage the uterus.
According to a 2019 article in the PMC journal, infertility affects approximately 10% of the global population, emphasizing that understanding its causes is crucial to addressing this widespread issue, which has become a universal concern.
The article, titled “Causes and Prevalence of Factors Causing Infertility in a Public Health Facility,” highlights the importance of addressing infertility’s root causes to find solutions.
“In the population coming to a public sector tertiary care centre, the incidence of primary infertility is more than secondary infertility.
“Increasing age of marriage influences the causes with unexplained infertility and male factors more commonly seen as the age of marriage increases. Female factor remains the main cause of infertility followed by unexplained causes. Male factor is a significant cause of infertility with semen parameters being affected by age and by consumption of tobacco and alcohol”, the authors mentioned.
Dr. Uche Agu, an Associate Professor and Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, urged women with fibroids to seek medical attention from qualified professionals, warning against the dangers of seeking treatment from unqualified practitioners and using local concoctions, which can increase the risk of infertility and other complications.
He emphasized the importance of seeking orthodox medical care to ensure proper management and treatment of fibroids.
“The problem with fibroid comes from people who are not experienced.
“They could injure the lining of the womb and the woman may not see her menses again. They may have complications. Those who have their tubes inadvertently removed may not be pregnant again.
“Some will even take those local concoctions and will never see their menses again. Some may take the concoction and it will knock off their ovaries and they will never see their menses.
“Some of the local concoctions get the fibroid matted together and by the time they come for surgery, it becomes difficult to operate. I have seen cases like that.”
