Miscarriage
A miscarriage is the loss of an unborn baby before the 20th week of pregnancy. Most miscarriages occur in the first 3 months of pregnancy. A miscarriage may happen before a woman knows that they're pregnant.
If you lose a pregnancy, talk with your health care provider about:
Any questions you have about the loss of your baby.
How to work through your grief.
Plans for future pregnancy.
What are the causes?
Many times, the cause of this condition is not known.
What increases the risk?
Certain medical conditions
- Conditions that affect hormones, such as:
-
Diabetes.
-
Autoimmune disorders.
-
Infections.
-
Bleeding problems.
-
Obesity.
Lifestyle factors
-
Smoking, vaping, or use of other products with tobacco or nicotine in them.
-
Being around people who smoke.
-
Drinking alcohol or taking certain substances.
-
Having large amounts of caffeine.
Problems with the body
-
Scars in the uterus.
-
Growths, such as fibroids, in the uterus.
-
Problems in the body that are present at birth.
-
Infection.
-
A cervix that opens and thins before your due date.
Personal or medical history
-
Having had a miscarriage before.
-
Being younger than age 18 or older than age 35 when you become pregnant.
-
Being around a harmful things, such as radiation.
-
Having lead or other heavy metals where you live or work.
-
Use of some medicines.
What are the signs or symptoms?
Symptoms of this condition include:
Blood or spots of blood coming from the vagina.
Pain or cramps in the belly or low back.
Fluid or tissue coming out of the vagina.
How is this diagnosed?
This condition may be diagnosed based on:
How is this treated?
Treatment is not needed if all the pregnancy tissue came out of your uterus.
If you need treatment, you may be treated with:
Follow these instructions at home:
Medicines
-
Take your medicines only as told.
-
If you were given antibiotics, take them as told. Do not stop taking them even if you start to feel better.
Activity
-
Rest as told by your provider. Ask your provider what activities are safe for you.
-
If able, have someone help with home and family duties during this time.
General instructions
-
Watch how much tissue comes out of the vagina.
-
Watch the size of any blood clots that come out of the vagina.
-
Do not have sex or douche until your provider says it is okay.
-
Do not put things, such as tampons, in your vagina until your provider says it is okay.
- To help you and your partner with grieving:
Talk with your provider.
See a counselor.
- When you are ready, talk with your provider about:
-
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists:
acog.org
-
Contact a health care provider if:
-
You have a fever or chills.
-
There's bad-smelling fluid coming from your vagina.
-
You have more bleeding instead of less.
-
More tissue or blood clots come out of your vagina than you were told to expect.
-
You become light-headed or weak.
-
Heavy bleeding soaks through 2 large pads an hour for more than 2 hours.
-
You faint.
-
You feel sad all the time.
-
You think about hurting yourself.
These symptoms may be an emergency. Take one of these steps right away:
This information is not intended to replace advice given to you by your health care provider. Make sure you discuss any questions you have with your health care provider.