Miscarriage
Hear this word Miscarriage
Also known as: Early pregnancy loss, spontaneous abortion
Image description: The distress of a miscarriage
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What Is It?
A miscarriage is when a pregnancy ends after an embryo or fetus stops developing and dies inside of a pregnant person’s body.
Miscarriages are common. Miscarriages usually happen within the first 20 weeks of a pregnancy.
After a miscarriage, sometimes the pregnancy tissue leaves the body by coming out of the vagina. Other times, if a pregnant person has had a miscarriage, a health care provider may use the same health care procedures that are used for an abortion to remove the pregnancy tissue from a person’s body.
An Example
Mara was pregnant, but then she experienced a miscarriage. She called her health care provider who shared that miscarriages early in a pregnancy are common.
What to Know
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- Some signs of a miscarriage include vaginal bleeding, heavy cramping, and pain in the belly area.
- Some miscarriages do not have any physical symptoms, so a health care provider would do an ultrasound to check if there was a miscarriage. An ultrasound creates a picture of the inside of the body using special equipment.
- Experiencing miscarriages does not necessarily mean that a person can never get pregnant again or become a parent. There may be ways that a person can become pregnant in the future. A person may also want to consider other ways to have children. Connect with a trusted health care provider to explore options.
- Miscarriage can be a difficult physical and emotional experience. Make sure to get support from trusted friends, family, community members, health care providers including mental health professionals if support is needed.
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What did you learn about miscarriages?
To learn more, explore websites, books, and other resources in the Resource Hub or explore other parts of Your Sexual Health Toolkit.
What questions do you have about miscarriages?
Write down or record an audio note with any questions you have to ask someone you trust. You may also find answers to your questions by using websites, books, and other resources in the Resource Hub.