An early pregnancy loss is known as a miscarriage. This represents any pregnancy that ends on its own in the first 20 weeks of gestation. Experts estimate that 10% to 20% of known pregnancies end in miscarriage. There are several classifications of miscarriage:
- Complete – when the embryo and surrounding tissues have emptied out of the uterus. It typically involves cramping and bleeding. These resolve quickly, usually in a few days to a week.
- Incomplete or inevitable – when the cervix opens and some tissue is expelled. The embryo or tissue may not completely leave the uterus. This can cause pain and bleeding to persist.
- Missed – when the embryo has died, but it stays in the uterus. You may have no idea that it has happened. It is often discovered when pregnancy symptoms stop, or an ultrasound shows no heartbeat.
- Threatened – when you experience some bleeding and cramping, but the cervix remains closed. A miscarriage may or may not happen.
- Recurrent –when you have 3 or more miscarriages in your first trimester.
Other problems can also result in an early pregnancy loss:
- Chemical pregnancy – This is a very early miscarriage. It usually happens in the first few weeks after conception. Chromosomal abnormalities keep the embryo from developing normally. The tissue is passed from your uterus around the same time that you normally have your period. Many women don’t even know they are pregnant when they have a miscarriage from a chemical pregnancy.
- Blighted ovum – This is also called an embryonic pregnancy. It happens when the fertilized egg implants in the wall of the uterus, but a fetus never develops.
- Ectopic pregnancy – This is when the fertilized egg implants somewhere other than the uterus. Often, it implants in the fallopian tube. This can cause serious problems for the mother. Treatment — usually surgery — is needed right away to remove the tissue.
- Molar pregnancy – This is a rare problem that starts with a genetic error during fertilization. This causes abnormal tissue to grow instead of an embryo. It is not a viable pregnancy. But it still causes regular pregnancy symptoms. These include a missed period, positive pregnancy test, and nausea.
The most common symptoms of miscarriage are bleeding and cramping. But they don’t necessarily mean you’re having a miscarriage. Up to one-third of pregnancies come with some bleeding early on. About half of those result in normal pregnancies. If you have any bleeding or cramping in your first trimester, call your doctor.
There are other common signs that indicate you may be having a miscarriage. If you experience any of these symptoms, call your doctor right away:
- Mild to severe back pain (worse than menstrual cramps).
- Weight loss.
- White-pink mucus discharge from the hymen .
- Contractions (painful, happening every 5 to 20 minutes).
- Tissue that looks like a clot passing from the hymen .
- Sudden decrease in signs of pregnancy.
In some cases, the cause of your pregnancy loss is unknown. Often, it is a random problem with chromosomes that happens at conception. You might be afraid that you did something that caused your miscarriage. But things like working, exercising, having intercourse, or morning sickness do not cause miscarriage. Any kind of fall or blow is rarely to blame. The research on the effects of alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine is unclear. So there is nothing you could have done to prevent it. It is not the result of anything you did or didn’t do. You should never blame yourself for a miscarriage.
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