Miscarriages

Losing a pregnancy can be heartbreaking. And for many expectant couples, the fear of having a miscarriage can be consuming, even edging out the excitement about being pregnant.

Unfortunately, miscarriages are fairly common. On average, one in five pregnancies will end in a miscarriage - and some research shows that there are up to 800,000 miscarriages a year in the United States.

In most cases, a miscarriage cannot be prevented because it is the result of a random genetic or chromosomal change that occurs during conception or during early fetal development. That said, certain factors - such as age, smoking, drinking, and a history of miscarriage - put a woman at a higher risk for losing a pregnancy. But you can do many things to increase the chances that you and your baby will be healthy throughout the pregnancy.

What Is a Miscarriage?

A miscarriage is the spontaneous abortion of an embryo or fetus before it's developed enough to survive. This can happen even before a woman is aware that she is pregnant.

A miscarriage usually occurs in the first 3 months of pregnancy, before 20 weeks' gestation. A small fraction of miscarriages - less than 1% of them - are called stillbirths, as they occur after 20 weeks of gestation.

Symptoms of a Miscarriage

Many women don't even know that they've had a miscarriage, thinking that it's just a particularly heavy menstrual flow.

Some women experience cramping, spotting, abdominal pain, fever, weakness, vomiting, or back pain. Spotting is not always a sign of a miscarriage; many women normally experience it early on in pregnancy. But just to be safe, if you have spotting or any of these other symptoms anytime during your pregnancy, it's a good idea to talk with your doctor.

If you have had a miscarriage, your doctor may use a number of terms to explain what has happened. Your doctor may say you have a blighted ovum, which is a miscarriage that has occurred so early that no clearly defined fetal tissues have formed. An inevitable miscarriage is bleeding and cramping during the early stages of a pregnancy, signs that the cervix may be opening. An incomplete miscarriage is when the body does not expel all the elements of the pregnancy. A missed miscarriage is when the body does not discharge the fetus, the placenta, or other elements for several weeks - this might occur when the woman has neither menstrual periods nor any signs of pregnancy. A recurrent abortion is when a woman miscarries three or more consecutive times.

Stillbirths

A stillbirth, the death of a baby after the 20th week of pregnancy, can occur before delivery or as a result of complications of labor or delivery. It is very rare and occurs in less than 1% of all births. A stillbirth also is sometimes referred to as intrauterine fetal death or antenatal death. There is no way to predict when stillbirth will happen or who will have one, and the cause of about one-third of all stillbirths remains unknown.

The first and most common sign of a stillbirth is lack of movement in the baby as the due date approaches. This might be accompanied by persistent cramping or stabbing pains in the pelvis, back, or lower abdomen, or vaginal bleeding. If you experience any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor.