Health Topics for Pregnancy and Childbirth

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Department of Pediatrics

UI Family Care Center

Iowa Registry for Congenital and Inherited Disorders

Miscarriage

Most pregnancies end with a healthy baby. However, some pregnancies end in a miscarriage before the 20th week of pregnancy. There is no way of knowing exactly what causes a miscarriage. A miscarriage may occur because the pregnancy was not progressing normally or the baby was not developing normally. The chances of miscarriage are higher for women who smoke, consume alcohol, or have some medical conditions such as diabetes.

Signs of a miscarriage include:

• bleeding from the vagina with a few drops of blood to a heavy flow, like a period and
• cramping pains in the lower part of the abdomen

If you are pregnant and have cramping or bleeding, call your prenatal care provider right away. The provider will examine you and possibly do a test called an ultrasound. The test provides much information about the pregnancy. Some miscarriages result with the passage of all the pregnancy tissue. When any pregnancy tissue remains in the uterus, a prenatal care provider has to do a procedure, called dilation and curettage (also called D & C), to remove the rest of the tissue.

After a miscarriage, a small amount of bleeding may continue for up to a week. Call your provider right away if you have:

• heavy bleeding
• cramping
• pain in the abdomen
• fever or
• chills

Feelings of sadness, anger, and guilt, are normal after a miscarriage. It is very unlikely that the miscarriage was caused by anything you did. It is best to wait 2 to 4 weeks after a miscarriage to have sexual intercourse. Wait until you have had at least one normal period before you try to get pregnant again. Your provider can suggest forms of birth control until you start your next period. Most women who miscarry go on to have normal, healthy pregnancies.

Last Reviewed 2005

Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.

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