Miscarriage Symptoms: What Are the Early Signs of Miscarriage?

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What is a miscarriage?

Miscarriage, also referred to as spontaneous abortion, is defined as loss of pregnancy before 20 weeks of gestation.

Approximately one in five pregnancies ends in miscarriage, but the actual number may even be higher than that. The reason is that miscarriage often happens very early in the pregnancy, even before the woman knows she is pregnant.

Most miscarriages happen very early – usually in the first twelve weeks of pregnancy.

What are the symptoms of miscarriage?

• One of the most common signs is vaginal bleeding. Not all spotting during pregnancy indicates miscarriage, as many women report experiencing bleeding during the early stages of pregnancy. However, if you are experiencing bleeding and pain, then there is a chance that you may be having a miscarriage.
• Abdominal pain, cramping, backache. Pain can start at the same time as the bleeding or a couple of hours or days later.
• Brown discharge, blood clots or tissue coming from the vagina.
• If you were experiencing pregnancy symptoms such as nausea, heightened sense of smell or taste, tiredness, you will notice that these pregnancy symptoms disappear. When that happens together with bleeding and pain, it will further confirm that your body stopped producing pregnancy hormones due to approaching miscarriage.
• Although discharge or bleeding alone is not a definitive sign of miscarriage, it is advisable that you contact your doctor and schedule a check-up whenever you are experiencing any of these symptoms. There may be other reasons for these symptoms, and your doctor will examine you to determine whether or not everything is OK with your baby.
• Almost 50% of women who have bleeding during early pregnancy will end up losing the pregnancy.
• Depending on where you are in your pregnancy the doctor may test your hormones, do an ultrasound to check for the heartbeat, or perform a pelvic examination to see whether your cervix is dilating.

Signs of Miscarriage

What causes miscarriage?

In most cases, the reasons for miscarriage are completely beyond your control. Miscarriage is NOT caused by physical activity, working out, drinking a glass of wine, having sex, working, or lifting heavy objects. Nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy, even if severe, will not cause a miscarriage. (In fact, evidence shows that women who have these symptoms are less likely to miscarry.) It is also unlikely that a fall, a blow, or a sudden fright can cause loss of pregnancy.

The majority of early miscarriages – the ones before 12 weeks – are due to some chromosome abnormalities of the fetus. There is really nothing that can be done to prevent them. These defects are not in any way inherited from the parents. They are just errors that happen when a fertilized egg starts to divide. Due to these abnormalities, the fetus would not have been able to grow and develop into a normal baby.

Factors that increase the chances of miscarriage are chronic problems and disorders that are experienced by the mother, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, immune system disorders, etc. These type of issues can lead to a miscarriage later in the pregnancy.

Women who had a miscarriage in the past are at increased risk for repeated miscarriage.

Abnormalities of the uterus or cervix, such as cervical incompetence, when the cervix dilates prematurely, before the fetus is mature enough to survive.

What are the factors that increase the risk for miscarriage?

You may be at an increased risk for miscarriage if you or your partner is over 35 years old, if you have had recurring miscarriages before; if you suffer from diabetes, autoimmune disease, PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome). Certain viral and bacterial infections can also lead to miscarriage.

 Risk factors for miscarriage

• Woman’s age, especially if you are 35 or older
• Father’s age (35 or older)
• Recurring miscarriages (three or more).
• PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome)
• Diabetes or an autoimmune disease
• Certain bacterial or viral infections during pregnancy.
• A blood-clotting disorder
• A T-shaped uterus or other structural problem with the uterus
• A history of pregnancy with a birth defect.
• A physical injury.
• Exposure to dangerous chemicals before or during pregnancy.

What happens after miscarriage?

The loss of pregnancy can be a devastating experience. Give yourself time to recover and heal both your body and your soul before trying to get pregnant attain.

I experienced miscarriage two times, and both of them were heartbreaking. Both times my doctor had given me the option of letting the baby pass naturally or having a D&C.  He said if I did choose to try naturally, she would give me two to three weeks to let things progress. He gave me this time frame for fear of infection. If things don’t progress naturally, they HAVE to do a D&C. If an infection occurs, it may scar your uterus and prohibit you from having children in the future.

I chose to let things progress naturally – which took a couple of days and wasn’t very painful at all – I was only about 8-10 weeks both times. I know that women who are further along in their pregnancies can experience lots of pain, almost like real labor.

I experienced strong cramping before it happened but other than that, it was just like a menstrual period.

In most cases your doctor will likely recommend the D&C procedure to make sure all dead tissue is cleared from your uterus.

Tissue that is not removed or expelled naturally can lead to infections, so I’m not necessarily recommending the “natural” route, it’s just something that I chose not to do. It was a little scary – waiting for the tissue to leave my body –but I was OK with that.

Although a history of three or more miscarriages may indicate an increased risk for another pregnancy loss, most women are able to conceive and carry the pregnancy to term.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions?

I will write more about nutrition pregnancy and beyond soon, as I feel I only scratched the surface.

In the meantime, if you have any questions or comments – leave them for me below in the Comments section.

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