What is a miscarriage

How common is a miscarriage?

A miscarriage is the end of a pregnancy before 16 weeks, usually in the first 12 weeks. It happens to about 1 in 6 women, and it is almost never something you could have prevented. The cause is usually a chromosomal abnormality that arose at conception. Exercise, sex, lifting or a fall do not cause a miscarriage.

Do you feel something is not right, or are you worried? Please call us, also at night and at weekends: 06 525 20 705. We will think along with you and work out together what you need.

How do you recognise a miscarriage?

It often starts with blood loss, sometimes with abdominal pain that feels like period pain. Blood loss in early pregnancy is common and does not always mean something is wrong. For about half of women, the pregnancy simply continues.

Would you like to know how things are? We can often do a scan at our practice on the Dorpsstraat. You then see together with your own midwife whether there is a heartbeat.

Sometimes there is no blood loss at all and the scan shows that the heart has stopped beating. This is called a missed miscarriage. It is a big shock, precisely because you still feel pregnant. We take the time to discuss with you what can happen next.

What does a miscarriage feel like and how long does it last?

The blood loss usually increases slowly and you get cramps, sometimes severe. You lose clots and tissue, often including the pregnancy sac. After that, the pain and blood loss quickly ease. The heaviest blood loss usually eases after about 8 hours. After that you lose some blood, like a period. This is often over within a week.

Paracetamol helps against the pain. If you want to see the pregnancy sac, you can catch it in a colander and place it in a bowl of water. Many parents find it comforting to look at it or bury it.

Waiting, medication or a curettage

Many miscarriages start on their own. Would you rather not wait, or has nothing happened after a while? Then we refer you to the gynaecology outpatient clinic of HagaZiekenhuis in Zoetermeer. There you can choose:

• Medication. Usually first a mifepristone tablet and 1 to 2 days later misoprostol, which you take at home. For about 85 out of 100 women the miscarriage then starts within 2 days.
• Curettage. Under anaesthesia the womb is emptied by suction; you can usually go home the same day. In the Netherlands it is not the first choice, because there is a small risk of adhesions in the womb.

After the medication, our when to call us instructions apply.

After the miscarriage

A miscarriage puts a line through your plans. The grief can be great, even if hardly anyone knew you were pregnant. Guilt, emptiness or anger at your body are part of it too. Take your time and talk about it, with your partner, with the people around you and with us.

After the miscarriage you are always welcome to make an appointment for a follow-up talk with your own midwife. If you have had two or more miscarriages in a row, the gynaecologist can do further tests. We arrange the referral.

The chance that a next pregnancy goes well is high. Pregnant again? We would love to see you again, and if you like we will do a scan a little earlier for reassurance.

Want to read more? Visit deverloskundige.nl (in Dutch).