Some facts about miscarriage

Miscarriage can be a life changing event that you never thought could happen to you. It seems you hear of miscarriages happening to other women all the time. Sometimes it takes the event becoming personal to realize how susceptible we are to miscarriage. Based on my personal experience it can happen to anyone at any time. Here are some things you should know before expanding your family.

Miscarriage is a loss of a pregnancy in the first 20 weeks. Amazingly enough, 15-20% of pregnancies end in miscarriage and 80% of these miscarriages happen before 12 weeks. Loss of a baby after 20 weeks is considered a stillbirth.

The most common reason for a miscarriage is chromosomal abnormalities but 80% of miscarriages cannot be found to have a reason.

Some symptoms to look for are vaginal spotting or bleeding is usually the first sign of miscarriage. You may also have abdominal pain, which usually begins after you first have some bleeding. It may feel crampy or persistent, mild or sharp, or may feel more like low back pain or pelvic pressure. If you have both bleeding and pain, the chances of your pregnancy continuing are much lower.

Some things that can put you at a higher risk to miscarry are age, history of miscarriages, exposure to environmental toxins, smoking, drugs, alcohol, and a history of birth defects and genetic problems. Although it can affect anyone at anytime for no reason.

Miscarriage is a very emotionally draining event. Some women find it hard to talk about and suffer with the loss for a long time. It always helps to find support groups or other women that have experienced the same thing. Many support groups can be found online. No matter what you should find someone whom you can talk to it about as it will help with the grieving process.