Pregnancy after miscarriage

If you have had a miscarriage and are thinking about trying to fall pregnant again, it can be a really scary time.  Most people become quite preoccupied with worries like “what if it happens again?”. This article by the Mayo Clinic http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/getting-pregnant/in-depth/pregnancy-after-miscarriage/art-20044134 explains the causes of most miscarriages, and reassures us that the majority of women who experience a miscarriage WILL go on to have a healthy pregnancy.  Only a minority of women will experience repeated  miscarriage.

Knowing that the chance repeated miscarriage is actually quite low, hopefully once you have had time to heal emotionally, you will be able to find the confidence to try again.

What causes miscarriage?

 Miscarriage is the spontaneous loss of a pregnancy before the 20th week. Many miscarriages occur because the fetus isn’t developing normally. Problems with the baby’s chromosomes are responsible for about 50 percent of early pregnancy loss. Most of these chromosome problems occur by chance as the embryo divides and grows — not because of problems inherited from the parents. Sometimes a health condition, such as poorly controlled diabetes or a uterine problem, might lead to miscarriage. Often, however, the cause of miscarriage isn’t known.

About 10 to 20 percent of known pregnancies end in miscarriage. The total number of actual miscarriages is probably higher because many women miscarry before they even know that they’re pregnant.

What are the odds of another miscarriage?

Miscarriage is usually a one-time occurrence. Most women who miscarry go on to have healthy pregnancies after miscarriage. A small number of women — 1 percent — will have two or more miscarriages.

The predicted risk of miscarriage in a future pregnancy remains about 14 percent after one miscarriage. After two miscarriages the risk of another miscarriage increases to about 26 percent, and after three miscarriages the risk of another miscarriage is about 28 percent.

If the cause of your miscarriages can’t be identified, don’t lose hope. Most women who experience repeated miscarriages are likely to eventually have healthy pregnancies.