Pregnancy Basics: What Exactly Is a Miscarriage?


A miscarriage is basically the loss of a pregnancy that happens within 20 weeks of conception. While it’s very common, there are still many misconceptions surrounding it. The reason for this is that plenty of women don’t talk about their experiences. With that said, below are certain miscarriage facts you should know.


Miscarriages Are More Common Than You Think

Although the ACOD or American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists estimates that 10% of pregnancies usually end in a woman miscarrying, this number might be higher. For one, most the miscarriages occur prior to women realizing they’re actually pregnant. The risk of miscarrying also goes up with age.

Abdominal Cramps and Bleeding Are the Most Common Signs

If you experience cramps accompanied by bleeding, visit your OB-GYN in Provo as soon as possible. Be prepared to undergo a physical exam, ultrasound, and blood testing to help your OB-GYN make a diagnosis.

You Won’t Require Special Exams Following a Miscarriage

At this point, you don’t have to undergo any evaluations or exams because of your risk of miscarrying again in the future only increases after going through more than two miscarriages. In the event that you miscarry more than once, your OB-GYN might do an extensive assessment and test to try and determine potential issues that triggered your miscarriages.

You Might Need Treatment After a Miscarriage

Depending on your case, your OB-GYN might recommend the following treatment options after your miscarriage:
  • You can wait for the remaining pregnancy tissue in your uterus to get expelled naturally, which could take as much as two weeks.
  • Your OB-GYN can prescribe you a medication called misoprostol to help flush away remaining tissue within one week.
  • You can likewise opt for a D&C, dilation, and curettage procedure, to get rid of the remaining tissue. This is usually recommended for women with heavy bleeding or suspected of having an infection.

It’s Very Common to Feel Guilty After a Miscarriage

While feeling guilty is very common, the most vital thing to remember is that in most cases, there is absolutely nothing that the women could’ve done differently to prevent the miscarriage. The reason for this is that most miscarriages are in fact because of chromosomal abnormalities, which is something that women don’t have any control over.

It’s Perfectly Normal to Grieve After a Miscarriage

A miscarriage is essentially the death of what could’ve been a baby, so it’s perfectly normal to grieve that loss. Conversely, some women might feel relief after miscarrying if they were not really planning on getting pregnant yet. This is also normal and nothing to be ashamed about.

A Majority of Women Can Conceive Again After Miscarrying

While you might need some time to get pregnant again for whatever reason, you can still get pregnant and give birth even after miscarrying. For lots of women, miscarrying does not automatically reduce their chances of conceiving.
Having an open conversation about miscarriages is crucial to ending the stigma about it and misplaced blame on women. More importantly, the more information is out there, and the better-equipped women will be to handle a miscarriage.


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