JOY FEELINGS MAGAZINE APRIL ISSUE | Page 28

growing fear that all was not well. What will happen after the miscarriage? In most cases, a woman's body will complete the miscarriage naturally. If this happens to you, you won't usually need further treatment. The bleeding is likely to tail off in a week to 10 days and will usually have stopped after two weeks or three weeks. You'll be able to rest at home with painkillers and a hot water bottle, and, most important of all, someone to comfort and take care of you. Your doctor may ask you to do a pregnancy test at home after your miscarriage, to confirm that the pregnancy JOY FEELINGS MAG has ended. Depending on your stage of pregnancy and whether you are still experiencing symptoms, you should be offered a follow-up appointment two weeks after the miscarriage. This to check that your body is recovering as it should. You may be referred to an early pregnancy unit (EPU) if there's one near you. There are more than 200 EPUs in the UK, so there's a good chance you'll have access to one. At the EPU, you may be offered an ultrasound scan and other tests to confirm that the pregnancy has ended. If the bleeding doesn't tail off or stop after two weeks or so, you may need extra care from Page 28