Miscarriage is the spontaneous loss of pregnancy before the 20th week of pregnancy. You may wonder why it happened or blame yourself. Miscarriage is not your fault and you can’t prevent it. The risk of miscarriage is lower after the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Losing a pregnancy can be filled with sadness and grief and be both physically and emotionally painful. After a miscarriage, you will need time to recover both physically and emotionally.  

Miscarriages are very common.  For women who already know they are pregnant approximately 10 to 20% will end in miscarriage. Most miscarriages happen because the fertilized egg in the uterus does not develop normally. A miscarriage is not caused by stress, exercise, or sex.    

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 are bleeding or have bright red spotting. 

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. 

Source: https://medlineplus.gov/miscarriage.html