Hundreds of thousands of women miscarry each year.  It’s officially termed a miscarriage when the pregnancy ends before the 24 week period.   The majority of the miscarriages happen due to natural causes, and there’s nothing that could have been done to prevent them. Many women have miscarriages and then go on to have successful pregnancies.  Just because you have a miscarriage doesn’t mean you’ll never have a child.

Any spontaneous loss of a pregnancy before 24 weeks of term is considered a miscarriage, and it happens among 10% to 20% of pregnancies.  That’s a pretty startling number!  That’s also why you should remember that a miscarriage is a terrible thing to experience, but it isn’t the end of the world.  There’s always the chance to try again.

The majority of miscarriages take place within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.  Common symptoms of a miscarriage include vaginal bleeding; anything from spotting to heavy, period-like bleeding.  There may also be blood clots, brown discharge and unidentifiable tissue. 

You will most likely experience cramping and great pelvic and lower back discomfort.  Perhaps there will also be feelings of breast tenderness and nausea.  And sometimes there are actually no symptoms at all.  Some women only learn that they have miscarried after a routine scan.

The most natural thing in the world is just to ask why something like this happens.  Why is it so common for this heartbreaking mishap to take place?  Almost half of all miscarriages are due to problems with the genetic material that has been combined by the egg and sperm.  If after fertilization, the genetic material combines in a way that is problematic, the developing fetus will miscarry.  This is often just up to chance.

Hormonal imbalances, weak immunity, or serious infections can also cause miscarriages. The older the mother the more she risks miscarriage thanks to the deteriorated quality of older eggs.  Drinking and smoking can have a huge effect on the chances for miscarriage, as well as a higher risk after multiple pregnancies.

Some people will argue that stress plays a part in effecting your chances negatively, however there is no evidence to this.  There is also no evidence that physical exertion such as exercise or sex will have any effect on the chances of miscarriage.

It’s important to not blame yourself if you experience a miscarriage due to natural causes.  Miscarriage is still a bit of a mystery in the medical world, and sometimes it’s important to not over-think it or get discouraged.  If at first you don’t succeed….try, try again.