Miscarriage happens for a variety of reasons, but it’s often difficult to pinpoint the cause. Most often, though, a miscarriage occurs in the first six weeks of pregnancy and is caused by some type of chromosomal abnormality or hormonal imbalance.
Early miscarriage types
If you experience a miscarriage in the first six weeks, there could be four possible types of loss: chemical pregnancy, ectopic pregnancy, missed miscarriage, or a blighted ovum.
Most women don’t realize they have a chemical pregnancy because the loss is so early that they generally don’t miss a cycle. However, it’s still a real pregnancy. Chemical pregnancies occur because the fertilized egg never implants into the uterine wall.
An ectopic pregnancy occurs when the fertilized egg implants in one of the fallopian tubes (or somewhere else besides the uterus) rather than the uterus. The cause is often unknown, but the main signs of an ectopic pregnancy are dizziness and severe abdominal cramps. Ectopic pregnancies can be dangerous for the mother, so a procedure is often necessary to remove the fertilized egg.
A missed miscarriage usually happens in the first trimester, but most women don’t experience any symptoms of miscarriage. . Usually a doctor has to confirm the pregnancy and miscarriage through blood work or other testing.
A blighted ovum (or anembryonic pregnancy) is a miscarriage that occurs when the fertilized egg implants correctly, but the fetus never starts developing.
Late miscarriage & preterm delivery
Second-trimester miscarriages happen after 12 weeks but before 20 weeks gestation. Usually they happen as a result of some kind of chromosomal abnormality or birth defect.
While preterm delivery isn’t considered a true miscarriage, it’s any loss that occurs after 20 weeks but before a baby is full term. Many times the cause of preterm delivery is an incompetent cervix, which means a woman’s cervix dilates too early.
Support for your miscarriage
If you’ve experienced any type of miscarriage or pregnancy loss, you may be in need of physical, mental and emotional healing.
Read more about how long recovery takes and common miscarriage misconceptions in our blog.
The compassionate doctors and staff at All About Women want to do everything we can to help with the healing process. Make an appointment with our Gainesville or Lake City office today to get questions answered and talk about next steps.