When a woman has three or more miscarriages in a row. It is relatively common to have one or two miscarriages.
Recurrent Miscarriage
Miscarriage is one of the most common problems of early pregnancy. It happens to between 10 and 15% of all women and occurs in 25% of all pregnancies
There are all sorts of issues which can affect your chances of miscarrying, these range from genetic conditions, lifestyle and underlying health issues. Most miscarriages are due to a genetic abnormality in the embryo and, as such, are out of anyone’s control.
Age also plays a large part with the risk of miscarriage. Your risk of miscarriage is approximately equal to how old you are. For example, women around thirty years old have a 30% risk, whilst those over forty have a 50% chance of miscarrying.
Most miscarriages will occur before you reach seven weeks. Some occur between 8 and 12 weeks gestation. In a few cases, they can occur between 12 – 16 weeks.
It is very rare for a miscarriage to occur after 16 weeks.
It is perfectly normal to read a lot into the uncomfortable physical signs of early pregnancy. However, symptoms of pregnancy, like morning sickness or vaginal bleeding, are not always signs of an impending miscarriage. For instance, vaginal bleeding can occur in up to 50% of normal healthy pregnancies.
If you are at all concerned, please contact us in our rooms or if out of office hours contact Dr Skinner on his paging service. If you’re less than six weeks pregnant, Guy can arrange a simple blood test which will determine the levels of the hormones associated with a healthy pregnancy.
After six weeks, an ultrasound is the best check there is.
What Happens If It Keeps Happening?
Repeated miscarriages are emotionally and physically draining. It’s important to know, it is rare that a recurrent pregnancy loss is due to underlying problems in the mother or father.
If you do repeatedly miscarry, there are a number of tests which can be performed. Guy can talk you through each one, the likelihood of it being the cause for you, and whether there might be other factors at play.
Trying Again After A Miscarriage
Your body will recover quite quickly after a miscarriage. We recommend trying again for another pregnancy after one cycle. If you do have any concerns about your pregnancy, or your health after a miscarriage, please contact our rooms.