Miscarriages occur in about 10-15% of all pregnancies that are known about. The vast majority of miscarriages happen before week 12 of pregnancy. In fact, 90% of all miscarriages occur before eight weeks of pregnancy.
Since miscarriage symptoms can be similar to normal early pregnancy symptoms, it can be confusing to many mothers in their first trimester what symptoms are normal and those that could signal a pregnancy loss. Here are some ways you can tell the difference.
Miscarriage Symptoms Often Include Heavy Bleeding
If you are wondering whether or not the spotting or bleeding you are getting is a miscarriage symptom, one way to tell is just by how much bleeding you are experiencing. When researchers have studied miscarriage symptoms, they have seen trends that suggest that heavy bleeding in the first trimester of pregnancy is much more commonly associated with miscarriage.
Mothers More Often Experience Pain With a Miscarriage
It is not unusual to experience a "crampy" sensation that feels almost like you are about to get your period in the early weeks of pregnancy. It is also possible to have some pain on one side of your abdomen or the other that is caused by a cyst that forms on your ovary, known as the corpus luteum. This fluid-filled cyst provides progesterone for the growing embryo until the placenta forms and resolves by the beginning of your second trimester. Your care provider may do an ultrasound to confirm whether or not your pain is caused by the corpus luteum cyst.
Both of these types of pain are different than the significant pain that women will often experience with a miscarriage, that is frequently combined with heavy bleeding
Light Spotting May Not Be a Miscarriage Symptom
When the placenta attaches to the uterine lining, women may notice some vaginal spotting for a day or two. This light spotting can occur around five weeks of pregnancy and is not typically a miscarriage symptom. In fact, studies show that only about 50% of the mothers who had spotting or bleeding in their first trimester actually did end up having a miscarriage. Mothers that only had spotting for a day or two did not have a greater chance of miscarriage than those without any spotting.
If you notice that the spotting increases and is accompanied by pain, call your care provider.
Care Provider Can Use Ultrasound or hCG Blood Test to Confirm a Pregnancy Loss
If you are experiencing some bleeding and you are not certain if you have had a miscarriage, there are several ways that your care provider can confirm whether or not you are still pregnant or that you have had a pregnancy loss.
Testing for the amount of hCG in your blood is one way to see if you have had a miscarriage in early pregnancy. You care provider can draw two blood test samples from you in 48 hours. If the amount of hCG in the second blood test sample has doubled, you are still considered to be pregnant.
Your care provider can also use an ultrasound to look for a visible amniotic sac. In most cases, your baby's amniotic sac should be visible via transvaginal ultrasound as early as five weeks of pregnancy.
If you are having miscarriage symptoms that include bleeding (not light spotting) and significant pain in your first trimester of pregnancy, it is a good idea to contact your care provider for further instructions.
References:
Hasan, R., "Association between first-trimester vaginal bleeding and miscarriage", Obstetrics and Gynecology, October 2009.
Lowdermilk, Perry, Bobak, Maternity and Women's Health Care, Mosby, 2000.
Brenda Lane - Brenda Lane is a published author, Lamaze certified childbirth educator, DONA certified birth doula and approved birth doula trainer.
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