What causes miscarriage?
Chromosomal abnormalities cause about 50% of all miscarriages in the first trimester (up to 13 weeks) of pregnancy. Chromosomes are tiny structures inside the cells of your body that carry your genes. Genes determine all of a person’s physical attributes, such as assigned sex, hair and eye color and blood type.
During fertilization, when the egg and sperm join, two sets of chromosomes come together. If an egg or sperm has more or fewer chromosomes than normal, the fetus will have an abnormal number. As a fertilized egg grows into a fetus, its cells divide and multiply several times. Abnormalities during this process also leads to miscarriage.
Most chromosomal problems occur by chance. It’s not completely known why this happens.
Several factors may cause miscarriage:
There is no scientific proof that stress, exercise, sexual activity or prolonged use of birth control pills cause miscarriage. Whatever your situation is, it’s important to not blame yourself for having a miscarriage. Most miscarriages have nothing to do with something you did or didn’t do.
How painful is a miscarriage?
Miscarriages are different for every person. Some people have painful cramping, while other people have cramps similar to their menstrual period. The type of miscarriage you have may also affect your pain level. For example, if you have a complete miscarriage at home, you may have more pain than a person who has a missed miscarriage and has a surgical procedure to remove the pregnancy.
What happens first during a miscarriage?
It’s hard to say what happens first during a miscarriage because everyone’s symptoms are different. Sometimes there are no signs of miscarriage, and you find out at a prenatal ultrasound that you’ve lost the pregnancy. Most people will experience some degree of cramping and bleeding, but what happens first varies.
How long does a miscarriage take?
It depends. Some people have painful cramping and heavy bleeding longer than others. Your pregnancy care provider can tell you what to expect and give you advice on how to manage pain and cramps during your miscarriage.
What are the risk factors for a miscarriage?
A risk factor is a trait or behavior that increases a person’s chance of developing a disease or condition. Risk factors for miscarriage include:
- Your age: Studies show that the risk of miscarriage is 12% to 15% for people in their 20s and rises to about 25% for people by age 40. Most age-related miscarriages happen because of a chromosomal abnormality (the fetus has missing or extra chromosomes).
- Previous miscarriage: You have a 25% chance of having another miscarriage (only slightly higher than someone who hasn’t had a miscarriage) if you’ve already had one.
- Health conditions: Certain health conditions like unmanaged diabetes, infections or issues with your uterus or cervix increase your chance of miscarriage.
Talk to your pregnancy care provider about the risk factors for miscarriage. They can discuss your risk after they’ve reviewed your medical history.
How many people have miscarriages?
Between 10% and 20% of all known pregnancies end in miscarriage. Most miscarriages (80%) happen within the first three months of pregnancy (up to 13 weeks of pregnancy). Less than 5% of miscarriages occur after 20 weeks’ gestation.The rate of miscarriage may be higher if you consider miscarriages that happen shortly after implantation. A person may not realize they’re pregnant because bleeding happens around the time of their menstrual period. This is called a chemical pregnancy.
What is my risk of miscarriage by week?
Your risk of pregnancy loss declines each week you’re pregnant. Around 15% of pregnancies end in miscarriage. Miscarriage risk in the second trimester (13 to 19 weeks) is between 1% and 5%. Many factors affect your risk of miscarriage such as your age and health. However, everyone’s risk of miscarriage declines each week of pregnancy if the pregnant person has no other health conditions.
FAQs
Most miscarriages happen because the unborn baby doesn't develop properly. About half to two-thirds of miscarriages in the first trimester are linked with extra or missing chromosomes. Chromosomes are structures in each cell that contain genes, the instructions for how people look and function.
What are the consequences of a miscarriage? ›
It's common to feel tired, lose your appetite and have difficulty sleeping after a miscarriage. You may also feel a sense of guilt, shock, sadness and anger – sometimes at a partner, or at friends or family members who have had successful pregnancies. Different people grieve in different ways.
How did your miscarriage start? ›
A miscarriage usually starts with vagin*l bleeding. This could range from light spotting or heavy bleeding. In most miscarriages, you will also experience lower abdominal pain, which may feel like period pain or severe cramps. As a miscarriage progresses, you may also pass fluid and blood clots from your vagin*.
What is the most common week to miscarry? ›
Most miscarriages - 8 out of 10 (80 percent) - happen in the first trimester before the 12th week of pregnancy. Miscarriage in the second trimester (between 13 and 19 weeks) happens in 1 to 5 in 100 (1 to 5 percent) pregnancies. Pregnancy loss that happens after 20 weeks is called stillbirth.
What are 5 symptoms of a miscarriage? ›
The most common sign of miscarriage is vagin*l bleeding.
- cramping and pain in your lower tummy.
- a discharge of fluid from your vagin*.
- a discharge of tissue from your vagin*.
- no longer experiencing the symptoms of pregnancy, such as feeling sick and breast tenderness.
Once the miscarriage has started, the tissue and heaviest bleeding should be passed in about three to five hours. After the fetus has passed, you may still experience spotting and mild tissue loss for one to two weeks.
What damage can a miscarriage do? ›
If you've recently had a miscarriage, you're likely aware of the unique physical and emotional challenges that come with the experience. Yet sometimes women have complications after a miscarriage as well. For example, conditions such as excessive bleeding, infection, or depression may occur following a miscarriage.
What are the dangers of an untreated miscarriage? ›
Often, some of the pregnancy tissue remains in the uterus after a miscarriage. If it is not removed by scraping the uterus with a curette (a spoon-shaped instrument), you may bleed for a long time or develop an infection.
What are the signs of silent miscarriage? ›
It's common to have no symptoms with a missed miscarriage. You may also notice: brownish discharge. lessening or disappearing early pregnancy symptoms like nausea and breast soreness.
What happens right before miscarriage? ›
A miscarriage occurs before the 20th week of pregnancy. Signs of a miscarriage may include spotting or bleeding, cramping, and back pain. The medical term for miscarriage is “spontaneous abortion.” Miscarriage is one of the most common complications associated with early pregnancy.
Answer From Yvonne Butler Tobah, M.D. While excessive stress isn't good for your overall health, there's no evidence that stress results in miscarriage. About 10% to 20% of known pregnancies end in miscarriage. But the actual number is likely higher because many miscarriages occur before the pregnancy is recognized.
How painful is a miscarriage? ›
If you miscarry naturally, even in the early weeks of pregnancy, you are likely to have period-like cramps that can be extremely painful. This is because the uterus is tightly squeezing to push its contents out, like it does in labour – and some women do experience contractions not unlike labour.
Does a 6 weeks miscarriage need D&C? ›
D&C can be done for anyone who requests it, but we tend to favor it for women of 8 weeks gestation and beyond due to the increased pain and increased risk of an incomplete miscarriage with the Expectant approach. Another advantage of D&C is that you have more control over the timing of the miscarriage.
How do I know everything is out after a miscarriage? ›
If you have a miscarriage in your first trimester, you may choose to wait 7 to 14 days after a miscarriage for the tissue to pass out naturally. This is called expectant management. If the pain and bleeding have lessened or stopped completely during this time, this usually means the miscarriage has finished.
What week are you likely to miscarry? ›
The first trimester of pregnancy is considered weeks 0 to 13. About 80 percent of miscarriages happen in the first trimester. Losses after this time occur less often. March of Dimes reports a miscarriage rate of only 1 to 5 percent in the second trimester.
Is having a miscarriage painful? ›
If you miscarry naturally, even in the early weeks of pregnancy, you are likely to have period-like cramps that can be extremely painful. This is because the uterus is tightly squeezing to push its contents out, like it does in labour – and some women do experience contractions not unlike labour.
What does an early miscarriage look like? ›
What are the symptoms of early miscarriage? Bleeding – light bleeding early in pregnancy is fairly common, and does not mean you will have a miscarriage. Brown discharge: This may look like coffee grounds. This “discharge” is actually old blood that has been in the uterus for a while and is just coming out slowly.
How long does a miscarriage take? ›
Most of the tissue passes within 2 to 4 hours after the cramping and bleeding start. Cramping usually stops within a day. Light bleeding or spotting can go on for 4 to 6 weeks. Two weeks after the tissue passes, your ob-gyn may do an ultrasound exam or other tests to make sure all the tissue has passed.
