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Miscarriage + Loss

Miscarriage + Pregnancy Loss

Miscarriage, also known as pregnancy loss, is a spontaneous and typically unexpected loss of a pregnancy before the baby can survive outside of the womb.

Our Top Miscarriage Articles

  1. Beth’s ectopic pregnancy story
  2. Our favorite miscarriage gifts
  3. Why you don’t have to attend a baby shower after miscarriage
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Medical terms are at odds with the way most (though not all) women experience such loss. Scientifically, the baby is called an embryo or a fetus, and the miscarriage is referred to as an abortion. But, to most pregnant women, this is a personal loss that causes emotional grief, anxiety, depression, guilt, and self-blame. For the record, self-blame is totally unnecessary. 

How many pregnancies end in miscarriage? Estimates suggest that up to 25% of pregnancies end in miscarriage, though many before a woman knows she’s pregnant. You can join the 1 in 4 community on Instagram.

Signs of Miscarriage

There are a few warning signs that you can look out for. Many pregnant women panic when they notice bleeding in the early stages of pregnancy. 

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Call your doctor if you experience red bleeding, but don’t panic. There are many reasons bleeding can occur during pregnancy that don’t result in pregnancy loss.

There are many potential causes of bleeding in early pregnancy, including implantation bleeding, subchorionic hematoma, and more. 

Miscarriage Symptoms

Symptoms can include any or all of the following: 

  • light spotting to heavy bleeding
  • back pain
  • blood clots
  • cramps. 

A potential sign can be loss of regular pregnancy symptoms, but pregnancy symptoms themselves are not directly associated with miscarriage. Pregnancy symptoms may also regulate due to hormonal changes, and some women experience pregnancy with no symptoms at all. 

Miscarriage Causes

There are a few causes that can induce a miscarriage, but Undefining Motherhood wants to be clear on one main point first: the miscarrying mother is not at fault. Exercising, drinking coffee, going to work, or having sex do not induce miscarriages.

Rather, miscarriages are almost always caused by genetic or physiological circumstances.

  • Fetal genetic abnormalities: sometimes, during conception, chromosomes don’t work together to form a baby that can survive outside the womb
  • Physical anomalies within the mother’s body: things like uterine abnormalities, blood clots, pools of blood in the gestational sac, major autoimmune disorders, et cetera
  • Extreme trauma: car accidents and other tragic events that injure the womb
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Note that trauma must be extreme. Many women endure experiences like bad car accidents and still carry a successful pregnancy. Research estimates that 50% of miscarriages are caused by genetic fetal abnormalities. 

The Truth About Pregnancy Loss

Miscarriage is a tragic event that affects millions of women and their partners. At Undefining Motherhood, we want you to feel like you can openly talk about your loss and get to know other mothers who share similar experiences.

You are not alone!

Gifts for Miscarriage that Show You Care

Let’s be real here. Miscarriage gifts don’t take the pain away. But when I was in the depths of recurrent miscarriage, my friend Mary Katherine showed up with a miscarriage care package that really perked me up. I don’t mean that I suddenly felt better. Or that I needed things. But when people took the […]

What is a Chemical Miscarriage? Signs & What to Expect

“Chemical pregnancy” and “chemical miscarriage” are among my least favorite words used to describe pregnancy loss. I take issue with a lot of the medical terms for miscarriage, but what’s maddening about “chemical pregnancy” is that the term makes it sound like the pregnancy was never real.  But a chemical pregnancy is a real pregnancy. […]

10 Sweet Rainbow Baby Announcement Ideas

Announcing a rainbow baby can be a giant bag of emotions. You’re excited and scared. You know people will celebrate, and you want to celebrate, but you may also have some lingering desire to temper your feelings.  Many people worry about how their rainbow baby announcements may potentially trigger other moms dealing with infertility or […]

Miscarriage or Period: How To Tell the Difference

“Miscarriage or period?” is a question I hear far too often. “My period started a few days late and it’s way heavier than usual.” Everyone who emails me about this wants to know the same thing: how do I know if this is a miscarriage or period? They ask what miscarriage tissue looks like, if […]

What to Say to a Parent who Lost a Child

This article is the fourth installment of a series by Michelle Valiukenas, founder of the Colette Louise Tisdahl Foundation. This is one loss mom’s journey of finding her way after losing her daughter, Colette. You can find part one of Michelle’s story here, part two here, and part three here. There are many things over the years […]