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Miscarriage is the spontaneous loss or also called early pregnancy loss, when a baby dies in the uterus before the 20th week. Most miscarriages occur because the fetus isn’t developing normally. About 10 to 20 percent of known pregnancies end in miscarriage. But the actual number is likely higher because many miscarriages occur so early in pregnancy that a woman doesn’t realize she is pregnant. Most miscarriages happen in the first trimester before the 12th week of pregnancy.

Repeat miscarriages?

About 1 in 100 women that is 1% have repeat miscarriages. If you have repeat miscarriages you have two or more miscarriages in a row. Most women who have repeat miscarriages have an unknown cause.

Signs and symptoms of miscarriage include:

• Vaginal spotting or bleeding.
• Cramps like you feel with your period.
• Severe belly pain.
• Fluid or tissue passing from your vagina. If you have any of these signs or symptoms, call your health care provider. They want you to do some test to make sure everything is fine. These test include ultrasound, blood test and a pelvic examine.

Causes:

• Abnormal genes or chromosomes: About 50 percent of miscarriages are associated with extra or missing chromosomes. Most often, chromosome problems result from errors that occur by chance as the embryo divides and grows — not problems inherited from the parents.
• Maternal health conditions: In a few cases, a mother’s health condition might lead to miscarriage. Examples include:
• Hormonal problems
• Uterus or cervix problems
• Thyroid disease
• Uncontrolled diabetes

Risk factors:

Factors increase the risk of miscarriage, including:

• Uterine or cervical problems.
• Previous miscarriages, women who have had two or more consecutive miscarriages are at higher risk of miscarriage.
• Women who have a chronic condition, like uncontrolled diabetes, have a higher risk of miscarriage.
• Being overweight or being underweight has been linked with an increased risk of miscarriage.
• Age Factor, Women older than age 35 have a higher risk of miscarriage than do younger women. At age 35, you have about a 20 percent risk. At age 40, the risk is about 40 percent. And at age 45, it’s about 80 percent.

Prevention:

Nothing you can do to prevent a miscarriage. Focus on taking good care of yourself and your baby:

• Avoid known miscarriage risk factors, such as smoking, drinking alcohol and drug use.
• Seek regular prenatal care.
• Take a daily multivitamin.
• Limit your caffeine intake. Drinking more than two caffeinated beverages a day appeared to be associated with a higher risk of miscarriage.

If you have a chronic condition, talk to your health care team to keep it under control.

How long does it take to recover from a miscarriage?

Generally it takes a few weeks to a month or more for your body to recover from a miscarriage. Depending on how long you were pregnant. Most women get their period again 4 to 6 weeks after a miscarriage.