Blessed Life

Life is precious, invaluable.  As long as we are blessed with it we do not understand its value.  When we know how lucky we are to be born and alive we will use our life in a better way. 

I was just going through a topic ‘fetal wastage’.  I read it previously.  But my understanding was more of scientific approach to deal with it in clinical practice.  Now I have a different perspective.  In a menstrual cycle of 28 days, ovulation occurs on 14^th day.  Fertilization of this ovum can take place on 14^th, 15^th or 16^th day.  After fertilization the resultant zygote will undergo certain changes and divides and redivides to form a ball of cells which will get implanted in the uterus by 20^th to 21^st day.  Once implanted further changes will take place and embryo develops and pregnancy specific hormone, HCG, is released.  The presence of this hormone can be detected in the blood by 27^th day.  The powerful tests can also detect this hormone in urine as early as 2^nd day of missed period.  The detection of this hormone 2-3 days prior to missed period to immediately a day after missed period is indication of pregnancy – biochemical pregnancy.  More than 80% of these biochemical pregnancies are simply eliminated by nature and are not recognized clinically.  In fact, more than 50% of the fertilized ova fail to implant in the uterus and 30% of the implanted ova fail to develop to the clinically recognizable stage.  A woman in her early stage of pregnancy may show a weakly positive pregnancy test but may have bleeding within a week.  If the test is not done it will be taken as delayed periods having normal or a little bit of excessive menstrual flow.  The rest 20% are clinically recognized pregnancies.  From this number another 20% are lost in the early period of pregnancy, between 9^th and 12^th week.  The demise of fetus as early as 8^th week can be detected sonographically as blighted ovum or in later period recognized as missed abortion.  If the pregnancy continues well after 12^th week and live by 16^th week the loss of fetus is about 1%.  But, though the fetus is live and active it is estimated that 3-5% of fetuses will have gross congenital malformations which are incompatible with life.  The recognition of these fetuses through ultrasound sonography and terminating the pregnancy will result in further loss. 

Apart from this natural losses and elimination by selective process, there can be another 5% loss due to maternal disorders, pregnancy and delivery complications, and fetal anomalies.  Another factor to be considered is voluntary abortion, which is practiced legally or illegally worldwide.  A woman voluntarily or forcibly subjected to abortion, and the new life is eliminated in the early stage.  Now considering various factors, calculate the percent of lucky chance you had to live your life. 

Standing against the test of nature, facing various genetic, environmental hazards, being live and healthy is once a life time opportunity.  Once we understand the Nature’s blessings we respect our life, value it more and live to accomplish it.