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Trigger Warning This article contains content relating to Baby Loss Awareness Week which is 9th–15th October. If you find this triggering you may not want to read further. |
This blog discusses one of the hardest parts of fertility, miscarriage. We’ll discuss what to do if you think you’re having a miscarriage, the most common causes, how to cope with pregnancy loss and how to support someone else who’s had a miscarriage.
In the UK, miscarriage is the loss of a pregnancy before 24 weeks and is much more common than people realise.
Symptoms and What to Do
The symptoms of a miscarriage include vaginal bleeding, cramping and pain in your lower tummy, a discharge of fluid or tissue from your vagina and sudden stop of pregnancy symptoms (such as nausea and tender breasts). If you’re experiencing these symptoms it’s best to seek medical help immediately. Light vaginal bleeding is relatively common during the first trimester (3 months) of pregnancy but it’s still best to receive expert advice. Speak with your doctor or midwife as soon as possible or call 111 or 999 if you need urgent medical help. You may be referred to a hospital for tests and an ultrasound to determine if you’re having a miscarriage. Once you have the results, a doctor or nurse will discuss your next steps.
Causes of miscarriage
It’s not always possible for doctors to find out what has caused a miscarriage and frustratingly, it can be difficult to access any tests unless you’ve experienced three or more miscarriages. But here’s what we do know:
Chromosome abnormalities
About half of early miscarriages are caused by chromosome abnormalities or genetic faults which happen by chance. We don’t know what causes these faults, but we do know that if your miscarriage was caused by a genetic fault, chances are your next pregnancy will be healthy.
Lifestyle factors
We know that there are some lifestyle factors that can increase the risk of having a miscarriage. There are things you can do to try to reduce this risk, which include:
- Not smoking
- Not drinking or using drugs during pregnancy
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Limiting caffeine intake
Low levels of progesterone
The hormone progesterone is needed to support a healthy pregnancy and some miscarriages are caused by low levels of progesterone. Recent research has shown that for some people, a progesterone supplement can reduce the risk of future miscarriages.
Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS)
APS is a blood clotting disorder that causes problems in the placenta which can lead to pregnancy loss. A blood test can check if you have APS, and it can be treated with a low dose of aspirin if trying to conceive in the future.
Thyroid abnormalities
The thyroid gland is responsible for maintaining your metabolism and body growth. When your thyroid gland is underactive this can impact the fertilisation of an egg to form an embryo, which in turn can increase the risk of miscarrying.
Infections during pregnancy
Most mild infections like a cough or cold are not harmful during pregnancy, however, certain illnesses like sexually transmitted infections or food poisoning can increase the risk of miscarriage. Similarly, influenza or Covid-19 can also increase the risk of miscarriage.
Investigations
In most cases, the cause of a miscarriage is unknown. In the UK, doctors don’t typically investigate for a cause of miscarriage until you’ve had 3 or more because it’s very unlikely they will find a treatable reason and most people will go on to have a healthy pregnancy following a miscarriage. However, we know this doesn’t make the experience any less upsetting or confusing.
Medical support after a miscarriage
We don’t always know the causes of miscarriage, and tests to determine a cause are not routinely offered. In the UK, doctors won’t typically investigate miscarriage until you’ve had three or more. This is because it’s very unlikely they will find a treatable cause and because most people go on to have a healthy pregnancy after having a miscarriage. However, we understand that this doesn’t make the experience any less upsetting or confusing.
Where to find support after a miscarriage
Every pregnancy loss is different, and there’s no right or wrong way to feel about it. If you’re struggling with your feelings, you may need some support. There are several ways to access support, including:
- A hospital counselling service
- Tommy’s – a charity that researches miscarriage and has a lot of helpful resources
- Miscarriage Association – which has online support groups and a telephone helpline
- A BICA (British Infertility Counselling Association) counsellor who specialises in fertility support
How to Support Someone
We often want to say things to friends and loved ones to make them feel better but what we say may actually make them feel worse. While there’s nothing you can say to make their sadness go away, here are a few things to avoid saying:
- “You can always have another one.” (They don’t want another baby, they want this baby).
- “It wasn’t meant to be.” (See above).
- “At least it was early.” (They lost their baby along with their dreams and plans of a family. Every loss is a loss, no matter how early).
- “At least you know you can become pregnant.” (They want to have a baby, not just become pregnant).
Things that might help
- “I’m so sorry.”
- “I’m here for you.”
- “What can I do to help you right now?”
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