Miscarriages are common and occur in approximately one in five pregnancies. In other words, you are far from alone if you have had a miscarriage. They usually occur before the 12th week of pregnancy and many different feelings can arise during a miscarriage.

Why a miscarriage occurs is usually unknown, but it may be due to something going wrong in the early cell division of the embryo, chromosomal abnormalities or infections/diseases in the pregnant person. It may also depend on the quality of the sperm. Just because you miscarry doesn’t mean you can’t get pregnant again. Bathing, sex, exercise and stress are not associated with having a miscarriage.

Symptoms of a miscarriage can be low-lying abdominal pain, such as severe period pain, and vaginal bleeding. These symptoms do not mean that there definitely has been a miscarriage, contact your GP if you are unsure. Most of the time, the body takes care of a miscarriage itself, but sometimes it may be that your body doesn’t do this, which is known as a missed abortion. This can be detected with an ultrasound. If the miscarriage occurs after week 12, it is called a late miscarriage. If your body does not take care of the miscarriage itself, you may need to be scraped, which entails a minor operation, or receiving medication to complete the miscarriage.

After a miscarriage, the bleeding should decrease as time goes on. As long as the bleeding persists, avoid penetrative intercourse without a condom, menstrual protection in the vagina and bathing.

You can read more about when you should seek emergency treatment for abdominal pain and/or bleeding on your health care service’s website. If you need care, support or guidance in or around a miscarriage, you can turn to your midwife, gynaecologist or gynaecological emergency department.