Obstet Gynecol. Ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage: Diagnosis and initial management. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Information for the public. Clinical Knowledge Summaries. Early miscarriage. Information for you. Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Ectopic pregnancy. Returning to work after the death of your baby. Pregnancy loss and the death of a baby: grief and bereavement care.
In: Macdonald S, Johnson G. Edinburgh: Elsevier, Miscarriage statistics. Our research. Show references Hide references. Most popular in Pregnancy. See all in Community. See all in Getting Pregnant. See all in Pregnancy. See all in Preschooler. What causes a miscarriage? The majority are not caused by anything the mother has done. Can miscarriages be prevented? The majority of miscarriages cannot be prevented. But there are some things you can do to reduce the risk of a miscarriage.
Avoid smoking, drinking alcohol and using drugs while pregnant. What happens if you think you're having a miscarriage? Often the pregnancy tissue will pass out naturally in 1 or 2 weeks. After a miscarriage A miscarriage can be an emotionally and physically draining experience.
You may have feelings of guilt, shock and anger. You may also find it beneficial to have a memorial for your lost baby. How common are miscarriages? Miscarriages are much more common than most people realise. You and the doctor can discuss and decide the preferred option for you. Medicine is available that can speed up the process of passing the pregnancy tissue. For an incomplete miscarriage, the medicine will usually encourage the pregnancy tissue to pass within a few hours.
At most it will happen within a day or two. For a missed miscarriage, it may happen quickly, but it can take up to two weeks and, occasionally, longer. The full name is dilatation and curettage. It is done in an operating theatre, usually under general anaesthetic.
There is no cutting involved because the surgery happens through the vagina. The cervix neck of the uterus is gently opened and the remaining pregnancy tissue is removed so that the uterus is empty.
Usually the doctor is not able to see a recognisable embryo. The actual procedure usually only takes five to ten minutes, but you will usually need to be in the hospital for around four to five hours. Most of this time will be spent waiting and recovering. You may have to wait a day or two to have a curette and sometimes, while you are waiting, the pregnancy tissue will pass on its own. If this happens and all of the tissue is passed you may not need to have a curette. If you have heavy bleeding with clots and crampy pain, it is likely that you are passing the pregnancy tissue.
The bleeding, clots and pain will usually settle when most of the pregnancy tissue has been passed. Sometimes the bleeding will continue to be heavy and you may need further treatment.
It is important to have your blood group checked. This is unlikely to have caused your miscarriage and is more likely to affect future pregnancies. Women with a negative blood type usually need an Anti-D injection, which will stop the antibodies forming. One of the most common concerns following a miscarriage is that it might happen again. However, if you have had one miscarriage the next pregnancy will usually be normal.
If you do try for another pregnancy, try and avoid smoking, alcohol and excess caffeine as they increase the risk of miscarriage. It is recommended that all women take folic acid while trying to conceive, and continue until three months of pregnancy. In your next pregnancy you are encouraged to see your GP and have an ultrasound at about seven weeks.
If ultrasound is done too early in pregnancy the findings are often uncertain and cause unnecessary worry. Partners may react quite differently, just as people can respond differently to a continuing pregnancy. Feelings of loss may persist for some time and you may have mixed feelings about becoming pregnant again. Some friends and family may not understand the depth of emotion that can be attached to a pregnancy and may unreasonably expect for you to move on before you are ready.
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