Source: The Namibian
A 34-year-old woman's hopes of finally becoming a mother were dashed after suffering her seventh miscarriage in eight years this week.
The Windhoek woman, who had carried the pregnancy for six months, declined to be named over the sensitivity of her situation, but she said she had to be rushed to Katutura State Hospital on Tuesday early morning when she started experiencing cramps.
"I did not feel my baby kicking and having been pregnant so many times before, I immediately knew something was wrong," she told The Namibian.
She said, when she arrived at the Katutura State Hospital, there was no doctor available to assist her immediately and so she had to wait for her turn to see a doctor until 03h00 in the morning.
"After four hours, I still did not see a doctor and my partner and I decided to seek help at the Windhoek Central Hospital," she narrated, adding that the next hours saw them being sent between the two hospitals, but with little assistance.
The woman's boyfriend, 32-year-old Pohamba Lebeus, who volunteered to be named, said his partner was only seen by a doctor after he had lodged a complaint with the hospital's matron.
"We waited for hours before we could see a doctor, and when we finally saw one, it was confirmed that we had lost our baby after they could not find a heartbeat," he said.
The woman said this would be her last pregnancy since she believes she is not meant to be a mother.
"After seven miscarriages, I have finally come to the conclusion that my body is not meant to carry a child. There is no explanation as to why this keeps happening to me and doctors have not given me a clear-cut answer," she said.
She, however, explained that she had resorted to doing her own research regarding the miscarriages.
"I want to find a solution to my problem, but I cannot put myself through another heartache again. I spent the entire night awake and in tears, asking myself why this keeps happening," she lamented.
She further said after trying over and over to carry a pregnancy to full term, she had hoped that this time she would finally become a mother.
All her previous pregnancies never reached the seventh month. Although she is yet to consult a doctor on why she has had seven miscarriages, Dr Fred Kigozi, facility coordinator at the Namibia Fertility Clinic in Windhoek, told The Namibian that scarring of the womb and uterine myoma cause miscarriages in most women.
"Uterine myoma is when there are stones (benign tumors) in the womb, and a baby cannot develop fully in a womb full of stones," he explained.
Kigoza said about 50% of women who visit the consultation room over recurring miscarriages are diagnosed with myoma, while the second leading cause is scarring of the womb.
He said that the scars on the womb can be caused by pelvic inflammation or from certain uterine operations. He also said that for women found to have myoma, the stones are normally removed as part of treatment.
"If a woman keeps having miscarriages, she should be examined as it could be either one of these two problems," he said.
A web research done by The Namibian using www.pregnancy-baby-care.com revealed that miscarriages at six months are a result of various different causes among them:
Abnormalities in the structure of the uterus, or the presence of uterine fibroids;
Bacterial infections, viral infections or sexually transmitted diseases;
Cervical problems, like a weak or thin cervix;
Hormonal imbalances, where the body produces too much or too little of a certain hormone;
Medical conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, thyroid disorders and so on;
Poor diet or nutritional deficiencies, because of which the baby cannot grow properly;
Prenatal tests such as chorionic villus sampling and the amniocentesis tests
Problems with the placenta, such as separation, infections or a condition known as placental previa; and
Unhealthy practices like consuming excessive alcohol, smoking cigarettes or the use of illegal drugs during pregnancy.