Miscarriage: An Overview

A miscarriage can be a very overwhelming and upsetting experience for many people. Women often feel that it is their fault when they suffer a perinatal loss, especially if they have had multiple miscarriages. However, a pregnancy miscarriage is a very common experience among women.

What Is A Miscarriage?

Miscarriage, which is also known as a spontaneous abortion, is defined as a naturally occurring loss of a pregnancy before 20 weeks. After 20 weeks, it is referred to as a stillbirth.

How Common Is It?

Miscarriage rates estimate that as many as one in five pregnancies (or 20%) end in natural miscarriage. Some are even willing to put this number as high as 50% because so many early miscarriages happen before a woman even realizes she is pregnant.

Early pregnancy loss is most likely to occur in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. In some cases, a woman may experience a missed miscarriage. This is when the fetus dies but the body does not expel the products of conception until some weeks later.

A dilation and curettage (D&C) is often needed to ensure that all the products of conception have been removed from the uterus. This will help to prevent infections and possibly lessen the extent of bleeding after a miscarriage, which can continue for seven to 10 days.

Causes of Miscarriages

The most common cause for miscarriage is a chromosomal defect with the fetus. It is believed that up to 70% of miscarriages are caused by this reason. This does not mean there is something wrong with the parents' ability to produce a child. Rather, there was something wrong with that one particular egg or sperm that caused the embryo to not develop or implant properly.

Other causes of miscarriage include uterine or cervical problems (such as a misshapen uterus), infections, unusual hormonal levels, toxins in the environment, including exposure to industrial solvents, or a blighted ovum.

Because miscarriages are so common in the first trimester, health care providers usually don't perform tests to determine the exact cause. Since miscarriages that occur during the second trimester are more likely to be caused by uterine problems, there is a greater chance that tests may be ordered. If a woman is experiencing recurrent miscarriage, that is two or more pregnancy losses, both she and her partner should be evaluated for any possible fertility problems.

Signs of Miscarriage

The most typical symptoms of a miscarriage are bleeding and abdominal cramping.

If you know you are pregnant and experience any type of vaginal bleeding during pregnancy, call your health care provider. This may be a sign of an early miscarriage. Be sure to mention whether the bleeding is accompanied by mild cramping or a backache. If you're experiencing severe abdominal pain and/or heavy bleeding, contact your health care provider immediately. If they are not available, then go to your nearest hospital emergency room. While you may not be experiencing a miscarriage, it doesn't hurt to be over cautious.