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
- Beth’s ectopic pregnancy story
- Our favorite miscarriage gifts
- Why you don’t have to attend a baby shower after miscarriage
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.
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
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!
What Is a Rainbow Baby? Rainbow Baby Meaning & What It’s Like to Have One
Rainbow Babies Having a child after pregnancy loss, stillbirth, or neonatal death can be both exciting and terrifying. A child born after these traumatic events is usually called a rainbow baby. But while this rainbow baby definition is simple, the actual meaning of having a rainbow baby is much more complex. After suffering from recurrent […]
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 […]
My Blighted Ovum Story: What I Wish I’d Known
“At least there wasn’t really a baby.” I heard this phrase so often after my blighted ovum (BO) that I actually stopped telling people what type of loss it was. I just couldn’t take it anymore. For years, I’d tried to have a baby. For more than a month, I’d dreamed of my child’s life. […]
11 Types of Miscarriage & What You Need to Know About Them
Did you know that there are MANY types of miscarriage? In this article, we'll break them down using research and explain their respective symptoms. Knowing what kind you are having can help.
Losing Yourself When You Lose a Child
This article is the third installment of a series by Michelle Valiukenas. 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, and part two here. When I was a teenager, my great uncle died after a long illness, and my […]
Personal Missed Miscarriage Stories From Women Who Have Been There
When people think about miscarriage (if they take the time to think about it at all), most imagine bleeding. But did you know it’s possible to lose a pregnancy and not know it because your body doesn’t recognize the loss? Missed miscarriage stories are so important for loss moms going through the heartbreaking experience of […]
Five Tips for Getting Through Grief During the Holidays
Grieving during the holidays is an especially gut-wrenching experience. It often leaves us feeling lonely in ways we never imagined, wondering how the rest of the world can celebrate while ours feels shattered. Whether you’re grieving the death of a loved one, work struggles, health crises, or anything else, parts of the holidays can be […]
How to Prevent a Miscarriage (Debunking the Myths!)
When our editor saw that we were publishing an article about preventing miscarriage, she was understandably confused. After all, I spend more waking hours than I can imagine counting reminding women that their losses were not their fault. Nothing they could’ve done, I insist, could have prevented a miscarriage. So why would I—someone who has […]
National Rainbow Baby Day 2023: Celebrating the Rainbow After Your Storm
Pregnancy after miscarriage is something unparalleled in both its joy and its anxiety. Many rainbow baby parents celebrate the joy of a successful pregnancy after a previous loss, seeing their baby as a bright spot after the storm. Hence the term rainbow baby, which refers to a child born after a miscarriage or stillbirth. In […]
Trying to Conceive After Miscarriage: When Is The Right Time for You?
“I don’t hear a heartbeat. I’m sorry, guys.” These were the words my OBGYN said at our first 8-week pregnancy appointment. It was the first ultrasound; the first time we’d seen our baby—it was there on the screen, but there was no heartbeat. And just like that, she put the ultrasound wand away, and our […]