Threatened Miscarriage

Miscarriage is the loss of the Fetus during Pregnancy and before the due time.

Signs of Impending Miscarriage

“If the Dugs of a woman with Child do suddenly grow small, that women will Miscarry”. (Hippocrates, Aphorisms)

Traditionally, it was observed that there were several signs of an impending Miscarriage:

1. Labor pains
2. Uterine Bleeding during Pregnancy
3. Breasts lessen in size and sag
4. Loss of appetite
5. Coldness felt in the lower abdomen
6. Great pain of the Uterus and her face becomes red
7. Excessive restlessness of the Fetus
8. Body swells or becomes “puffed up with a kind of hardness or stiffness”. This “usually happens in the third or fourth months”.
9. Unusual heaviness of the Loins and Hips

Miscarriage can also come as a result of external causes such as a fall or accident, great fright etc.

“if after violent external Causes, such as are a blow, a fall, and such like, vehement pain, and perturbation arise in a Woman with Child, she suddenly (or at most the same day) Miscarries”. (Hippocrates)

Rules to Prevent Miscarriage

“She must avoid all sudden and violent motions, both of mind and body as sneezing, coughs, frights, anger and passions [emotions].” (Hartman)

Avoiding strain, stress, frights, excess emotions and excitability. If impending Miscarriage is expected, rest and avoiding sex are recommended.

Treatment

“in the whole course of being with child, astringent and strengthening Medicaments are to be used, such as have a virtue to hinder Abortion”. (The Practice of Physick, 1663)

In most cases, medicines which are strengthening and astringent are used to prevent Miscarriage. However, other strategies are used depending on the state of the mother. For example, Excess Heat, Phlegm or Blood are reduced if needed.

Also long noted were certain Magical cures which works on the mind of the mother. For example, in cases of great anxiety or worry about her pregnancy, certain charms or magical cures were used to help allay this fear.

“Neither must we omit such things which are accounted by a secret property of their Nature to retain a Child in the Womb; as an Eagle-stone worn about the Neck, a Load-stone [Magnetite] applied to the Navel, Corals, Jaspers, Smaragds [Emerald], Bones found in the Hearts of Stags, and such like, worn under the Arm-pit, or hanged about the Neck”. (The Practice of Physick, 1663)

Management of Threatened Miscarriage from Charaka:

1. Lay the woman with her legs up and her head downwards, and apply a cool cotton pad dipped in Ghee and sprinkled with Licorice powder over her vagina.
2. The whole lower body below the navel should be sprinkled with cool milk and decoction of Licorice and Ficus benghalensis
3. Pollens of Nelumbo nucifera or Nymphaea alba mixed with Honey and sugar are given to lick.
4. Seeds of Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera), Scirpus grossus and Trapa bispinosa are given to eat.

Special Formulas