Miscarriage refers to the loss of an unviable pregnancy prior to 20 weeks gestation and affects 15%-25% of recorded pregnancies.
Spotting or light bleeding during gestation is usually harmless; however, any heavy or bright red bleeding should be immediately reported to a healthcare provider as this could signal miscarriage – most causes for miscarriage being outside your control.
1. About 10 to 20 percent of pregnancies end in miscarriage.
Miscarriage refers to the loss of a pregnancy during its first trimester – from conception up to 13 weeks of gestation – with most miscarriages happening within 10 weeks of conception.
Miscarriage can be deeply upsetting and is no guarantee that a future pregnancy won’t succeed. Miscarriages often happen because something goes amiss with one or more chromosomes of your unborn baby; or something may affect either your health or uterus in unexpected ways.
Miscarriage is most frequently caused by embryos with chromosomal abnormalities, meaning they contain either too few or too many chromosomes than should be the norm. When an egg and sperm join together they should both have 23 chromosomes; but if cells in an embryo divide too rapidly then there could be too few or too many chromosomes; therefore the embryo cannot develop normally and pregnancy ends prematurely.
Miscarriage may also occur as a result of structural problems with either your uterus or cervix, either congenital in nature or as the result of surgery performed for other reasons. It’s also possible that you suffer from medical conditions like fibroids that increase miscarriage risk – though these don’t need to be serious conditions in themselves.
However, doctors cannot always find an explanation for why miscarriages happen and may simply tell women that it happened randomly. While this can be heartbreaking for those experiencing their first miscarriage, it’s important to keep in mind that often there’s nothing they could have done differently to avoid miscarriage in the first place.
Doctors typically perform several tests in order to gain a full picture of your health and pregnancy, including hormone testing and an endometrial biopsy (removal of small pieces from the lining of your uterus), along with vaginal ultrasound and hysteroscopy (where a tube is inserted through your cervical canal to view inside). All these can help determine the cause of miscarriage.
2. About 1 in 100 women experience recurrent miscarriages.
Miscarriage affects approximately 10-20% of pregnancies, often before women realize they’re expecting. Most miscarriages take place before 12 weeks gestation (invisible miscarriages). Miscarriages can be devastatingly traumatic experiences for women trying to conceive.
Miscarriage may not always be clear, but most miscarriages do not happen due to anything the pregnant person did or didn’t do. Instead, miscarriages often result from problems with one or more chromosomes in an embryo; often due to genetic transmission from mother and father.
Miscarriage can also occur for other reasons, particularly later in pregnancy. Most often these involve either the uterus or cervix and include scar tissue inside, an abnormally-shaped uterus, fibroids (noncancerous growths on uterus) and issues related to cervical incompetence; infections from certain germs like Chlamydia Mycoplasma Cytomegalovirus infections have also been known to lead to miscarriages.
Miscarriage typically requires medical tests including ultrasound and blood tests to assess what’s happening. They might also do a physical exam to look for signs of an enlarged uterus such as large clots or misshapenness of the uterus.
Miscarriage symptoms typically include vaginal pain or bleeding (light bleeding or spotting) as well as cramping in your pelvic area or lower back, tissue passing from the uterus known as “miscarriage clot” or “missing fragment”, abdominal (abdominal) pain, diarrhea and low fever.
After miscarrying, your period should return within four to six weeks. In certain instances, such as having had two miscarriages consecutively or being 35 or older with certain medical conditions such as having a weakened cervix, specialists may refer you to one who may conduct special blood and genetic tests to try and identify what caused your miscarriages.
3. About half of miscarriages are caused by chromosomal abnormalities.
Miscarriages occur most commonly during the first trimester and roughly half are caused by chromosomal abnormalities. Chromosomes are structures within cells that contain genes, the instructions for how people look and function. When an egg and sperm join to form a fertilized egg zygote (an embryo with two sets of chromosomes inherited from both parties), two sets of chromosomes from both parents unite forming one complete set. When any mishaps arise that affect normal development, miscarriage usually takes place and pregnancy ends early.
Chromosomal abnormalities may include extra or missing genetic material, like that caused by Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome) mutation or other genetic diseases that lead to miscarriage, as well as too few or too many chromosomes for life to exist in an embryo or fetus – this is incompatible with life; oftentimes these anomalies arise by chance during early cell division stages and have nothing to do with anything either woman or sperm did or didn’t do during conception or gestational development;
Miscarriage can also occur for other reasons, including cervical problems, poor diet and exercise habits, chronic health conditions (diabetes or autoimmune conditions such as antiphospholipid syndrome and lupus) as well as hormonal imbalances and specific birth defects like septate uteri or scar tissue from previous surgeries – these all increase the risk of miscarriage.
Miscarriage increases your risk for future miscarriages, but most women who experience miscarriage go on to have healthy pregnancies later. Still, if you have experienced multiple miscarriages it may be prudent to undergo a chromosome analysis prior to trying again.
Miscarriage doesn’t necessarily rule out having another healthy child in the future, but it is essential that you understand why and how this miscarriage occurred in order to better assess your chances of conception in future attempts. Understanding its cause may give some couples peace of mind as they move on with life after miscarriage.
4. About 1 in 10 women have a blighted ovum.
Blighted ovum is one of the primary causes of early pregnancy loss. This occurs when an embryo implantation fails, creating an anembryonic gestation or miscarriage condition, accounting for 50% or more missed miscarriages as well as most cases of preterm miscarriage.
Normal pregnancy begins when a fertilized egg attaches to the lining of the uterus, prompting high levels of the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). This results in positive results on home pregnancy tests or ultrasound, leading to morning sickness, fatigue and sore breasts as pregnancy symptoms. If there is an ovum that becomes blighted, however, your body will continue producing hCG but without successfully creating an embryo or fetus.
Blighted ovum is diagnosed when there’s no fetal heartbeat or signs of development visible on ultrasound, and no doctor offers suggestions or medication to encourage miscarriage naturally or force one. If a woman wishes to proceed, dilation and curettage procedures (D&Cs) may be performed to empty out tissue and blood from her uterus.
Blighted ovum causes are still being investigated, but one theory suggests it may be due to chromosomal abnormalities in the fertilized egg. Since an embryo receives its chromosomes from both parents, if either contributes an unusual number, pregnancy won’t progress and won’t continue.
Most doctors advise women who have experienced miscarriage to wait at least three months before trying again to conceive. This allows your body to heal after miscarriage and identify any health concerns that could interfere with future pregnancies. Some people may be able to get pregnant sooner than three months; it is best to talk to your doctor regarding what might work for you. Luckily, chances of healthy, successful pregnancies remain very high after having experienced miscarriage; simply make sure to take time for yourself and express any emotions; its okay if sadness, anger or frustration arise from within yourself!