Are Women at Fault When They Have a Miscarriage?

1. What is a miscarriage?

Miscarriage is the spontaneous loss of pregnancy before the 20^th week of pregnancy.

2. Are there different kinds of miscarriages?

Miscarriages are divided into two categories: early or late. Early miscarriages occur in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Late miscarriages occur between 12 and 20 weeks.

3. Did I cause my miscarriage?

Many women feel they might have done something to cause their miscarriage. Miscarriage is nobody’s fault. Feeling guilty or responsible for your miscarriage is common and is related to grieving for the loss or your baby.

4. How common is miscarriage?

Miscarriage is considered to occur in approximately 25 percent of pregnancies. However, now that pregnancy tests are more sensitive and can confirm pregnancy before the first missed period, it is felt that miscarriages (spontaneous pregnancy loss before 20 weeks) might occur in up to 30 or 40 percent of all pregnancies.

5. When is a miscarriage most likely to occur?

While most miscarriages occur in the first 13 weeks of pregnancy, they most commonly occur around week 7 or 8.

6. Why do miscarriages occur?

Early miscarriages most often occur because the fetus isn’t developing normally. When you are having a miscarriage, it can be hard to consider miscarriage as the best outcome, but when the fetus isn’t developing normally, early miscarriage saves you from the inevitable pregnancy loss later during pregnancy.

7. What are the symptoms of miscarriage?

Physical symptoms of miscarriage include passing blood, fluid, and tissue from the early fetus and placenta. Miscarriage pain is rhythmic in the lower abdomen or back. Symptoms will be very similar to a heavy period. Your normal bleeding from a miscarriage can last up to three weeks.

8. If I think I am having a miscarriage, what should I do?

It is most reasonable for you to see your doctor if you think you are having a miscarriage. Talk about your options with your doctor, especially if you need RhoGAM because you are Rh negative.

Occasionally, you may need to return to the emergency room or clinic for heavy bleeding. Signs of heavy bleeding would be filling more than one maxipad per hour for more than two hours. A saturated maxipad is one that drips blood when you remove it and hold it in the air.

9. How long does it take to recover from a miscarriage?

Recovery from a miscarriage takes one or two months. Your first period should start within 4 to 6 weeks after your miscarriage. Avoid putting anything in your vagina, including a tampon, for 1 to 2 weeks after a miscarriage.

10. What if I’ve had a previous miscarriage?

Women who have had a previous miscarriage have a lot to worry about. In theory, first trimester miscarriages are common and if you count the miscarriages that occur before or around the time of the first missed period, you would be looking at about 40 percent of pregnancies end in miscarriage. When you understand all of the things that must happen right to have a normal baby, it is indeed a miracle every time a pregnancy and delivery turns out normal.

11. What if I have had repeated miscarriages?

If you find yourself having more than one miscarriage, your doctor should talk with you about the possible causes of the miscarriages. We used to delay infertility work-ups until a woman had three early, consecutive spontaneous pregnancy losses. In my experience, this is adding insult to injury. I believe that a real discussion needs to occur even after one pregnancy loss. If your loss occurs after the detection of a normal fetal heartbeat at 11 or 12 weeks, it’s particularly important to try to determine the cause of the miscarriage. My advice to anyone having a miscarriage is to seek all possible causes with the help of your physician.

12. If I have had repeated miscarriages, should I consider a fertility workup?

We used to delay infertility workups until a woman had three early, consecutive spontaneous pregnancy losses. In my experience, this is adding insult to injury. I believe that a real discussion needs to occur even after one pregnancy loss, particularly if the loss occurs after you have a normal fetal heartbeat at 11 or 12 weeks. My advice to anyone having a miscarriage is to seek all possible causes with the help of your physician.

13. Do infections cause miscarriages?

I had many patients come to see me who had had previous pregnancy losses, many of them due to previous infections. During the 1980s and 1990s, infections were not often viewed as a cause of miscarriage. However, for unknown reasons, some women will carry a baby successfully even if they have Strep B. Others will not.

Some infections are very common. Ureaplasma and microplasma are so common that they are considered to be “colonizers,” that is, the bacteria is present in most people but considered benign. Again, for unknown reasons, these colonizing bacteria appeared to be able to interfere with the pregnancies of some women. I found that when I treated the common infections in women who miscarried, most of these patients went from having a previous stillborn to delivering living babies, although not everyone carried their babies 40 weeks.