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• Diagnosis and Tests
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Summary

A miscarriage is an unexpected loss of pregnancy before the 20th week of pregnancy. Most miscarriages happen very early in the pregnancy, often before a woman even knows she is pregnant.

Factors that may contribute to miscarriage include:

• A genetic problem with the fetus
• Problems with the uterus or cervix
• Chronic diseases, such as polycystic ovary syndrome

Signs of a miscarriage include vaginal spotting, abdominal pain or cramping, and fluid or tissue passing from the vagina. Bleeding can be a symptom of miscarriage, but many women also have it in early pregnancy and don't miscarry. To be sure, contact your health care provider right away if you have bleeding.

Women who miscarry early in their pregnancy usually do not need any treatment. In some cases, there is tissue left in the uterus. Doctors use a procedure called a dilatation and curettage (D&C) or medicines to remove the tissue.

Counseling may help you cope with your grief. Later, if you do decide to try again, work closely with your health care provider to lower the risks. Many women who have a miscarriage go on to have healthy babies.

NIH: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Start Here

• About Pregnancy Loss (Before 20 Weeks of Pregnancy) (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)
• Dealing with Grief after the Death of Your Baby (March of Dimes Foundation)
• Miscarriage (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Miscarriages (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Pregnancy Loss (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• How Do Health Care Providers Diagnose and Treat Pregnancy Loss (Before 20 Weeks of Pregnancy)? (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
• Hysteroscopy (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Progesterone Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Sonohysterography (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Dilation and curettage (D&C) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Living With

• Miscarriage, Loss, and Grief (March of Dimes Foundation)

Related Issues

• Diethylstilbestrol (DES) Exposure and Cancer (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Other FAQs About Pregnancy Loss (Before 20 Weeks of Pregnancy) (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
• Pregnancy After Miscarriage: What You Need to Know (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Bleeding and Spotting from the Vagina during Pregnancy (March of Dimes Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Blighted Ovum: What Causes It? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Genetics

• Recurrent hydatidiform mole: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Statistics and Research

• PeriStats: Perinatal Statistics (March of Dimes Foundation)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Abortion, Spontaneous (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Fetal Death (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Gestational Trophoblastic Disease (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Hydatidiform Mole (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: The HYsteroscopic Miscarriage MaNagement (HYMMN) pilot randomized-controlled trial.
• Article: Cerclage suture type to prevent pregnancy loss in women requiring a...
• Article: The role of art therapy on quality of life of women...
• Miscarriage -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Compassionate Friends
• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Also in Spanish
• How to Find Find an Ob-Gyn (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
• March of Dimes Foundation Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• D and C (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• HCG blood test - quantitative (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Miscarriage (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Miscarriage - threatened (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish