Miscarriage is a common condition and affects around 20% of all pregnancies. A lot of women, after a miscarriage are able to conceive again and carry a healthy baby to term, however there are a few who experience recurrent miscarriages, i.e. two or more consecutive miscarriages. In such women studying the products of conception after the miscarriage is important to evaluate these tissues for a possible chromosomal abnormality.
In medical term, Products of Conception (POC) are any tissues that have developed during the pregnancy. It is a term most commonly used after a pregnancy loss such as in a miscarriage. Products of conception can contain fetal tissues, placental tissues and other tissues formed during fertilization. If a pregnancy ends due to miscarriage, surgical abortion or a preterm delivery, the pregnancy material and the fetal tissue are called the products of conception. Another commonly heard term is retained products of pregnancy (RPOC), these are different from POC because RPOC are the products retained within the uterus after a pregnancy loss. If RPOC occurs after a miscarriage the term incomplete abortion or incomplete miscarriage is used.
When a couple undergoes a spontaneous pregnancy loss, with no apparent reason, then it becomes crucial for the couples and the doctors to know the cause of such a loss. This test is used to study fetal tissue obtained from the products of conception to check whether the miscarriage was due to a chromosomal aneuploidy since the majority of miscarriages are caused by chromosomal abnormalities. Therefore, the POC test is done to evaluate the chromosomes in the tissues.
Going through a loss of pregnancy is very disheartening for a couple, and having knowledge of the cause of such a trauma is very important for them. We therefore offer a thorough investigation to save our patients from going through this trauma in their future pregnancies. It is advisable to see a doctor as soon as a woman experiences a miscarriage to ensure her safety and also to secure the future pregnancies.
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