QuickTips Index

Bacterial Vaginosis Symptoms
Some research has tied bacterial vaginosis to increased risk of late miscarriage and preterm delivery, but how can you know if you need to be tested? Here are the signs and symptoms of bacterial vaginosis.

How to Cope with Baby Shower Invitations After a Miscarriage
Attending baby showers after a miscarriage can be deeply painful. Here's what to do if you are receiving baby shower invitations while grieving a miscarriage.

Exposure to Methyl Iodide During Pregnancy
Methyl iodide, also known as iodomethane, is a chemical commonly used in pesticides. Some research suggests that exposure to methyl iodide during pregnancy could increase the risk of miscarriage and stillbirth.

When to Share Your Pregnancy News
Conventional wisdom is that you should wait until you are three months along (out of the first trimester) before you tell the world that you are pregnant, owing to the higher risk of miscarriage in the early months of pregnancy. But is that advice right for everyone?

Important Information About ACE Inhibitors During Pregnancy
ACE inhibitors are a common class of antihypertensives (blood pressure medication), but they are risky to use during pregnancy -- especially the second and third trimester. Contact your doctor before getting pregnant if you are being treated with an ACE inhibitor.

D and C Pros and Cons
The D and C (dilation and curettage) is a common treatment for miscarriage, clearing the uterus as quickly as possible to minimize bleeding and pain after an early pregnancy loss. Sometimes having a D and C, also spelled D&C, is a necessity but other times it is optional. If you are asked to make the choice, here are some points to keep in mind.

What to Do If Your Friend Miscarries While You Are Pregnant
If you are currently pregnant but have a friend going through a miscarriage or stillbirth, here are some important things to keep in mind when you talk to her.

Breaking the News of a Miscarriage or Stillbirth
Pregnancy loss is hard enough on you as the person experiencing it, but many people also struggle with how to inform friends, relatives, and coworkers of a recent miscarriage or stillbirth.

When Miscarriage Grief Becomes Depression
The signs and symptoms of depression are not that different from the signs of typical grief after a pregnancy loss. Thus, when you are grieving a miscarriage or pregnancy loss, it can be hard to tell whether or not you have developed clinical depression.

Using an Early Pregnancy Test
With the availability of very sensitive home pregnancy tests, you may find yourself considering taking an early pregnancy test before your period is due. Although these pregnancy tests can be useful in some cases, they can also lead to added grief and stress, such as by detecting chemical pregnancies (very early miscarriages).

Chances of Miscarriage After Normal Pregnancy
Numerous factors can affect your mathematical risk of miscarriage. One of those is your previous pregnancy history -- if you have successfully given birth, you may have a lower chance of miscarriage in your next pregnancy.

Vaginal Bleeding After the First Trimester
Vaginal bleeding after the first trimester of pregnancy can be a sign of pregnancy complications, such as placental abruption or preterm labor. Generally it is a good idea to seek medical advice if you are spotting or bleeding in mid to late pregnancy.

Prescription Drugs in Pregnancy
Sometimes use of prescription drugs in pregnancy is unavoidable. Most drugs are generally safe, but a few increase the risk of miscarriage or pregnancy loss. The FDA has developed a category system for prescription drugs to evaluate the risks they pose during pregnancy.

Naming Babies Lost to Miscarriage or Stillbirth
Some parents grieving a miscarriage find that naming the baby helps in coping with the pregnancy loss. The decision is personal and different people will have different preferences.

Implantation Bleeding or Early Miscarriage?
Light vaginal bleeding, or spotting, in early pregnancy may be due to implantation bleeding and may not necessarily be a sign of miscarriage. Learn what implantation bleeding looks like, when it occurs and how to distinguish implantation bleeding from an early miscarriage.

Down Syndrome and Miscarriage
A lesser known fact about Down syndrome (trisomy 21) is that the condition can sometimes cause miscarriage, as is revealed by chromosome tests. Researchers do not know why some babies with Down syndrome are miscarried while others survive to term.

Talking to Children About Miscarriage and Pregnancy Loss
Many parents struggle with how to break the news of a miscarriage to their other children. Depending on your children's age, you may choose to explain everything about the pregnancy loss or to not tell them anything at all.

Coping with Unexplained Miscarriage or Stillbirth
More often than not, doctors have no clear answers for why a specific pregnancy loss happened. They know much about general miscarriage causes but can rarely pinpoint an explanation for individual miscarriages and stillbirths, and sometimes this can be hard to accept.

Handling Insensitive Comments from Friends and Relatives After a Miscarriage
Almost everyone who has been through a miscarriage knows about the hurtful and insensitive comments that others can make. Sometimes you can help to educate friends and relatives about what to say to someone who has had a pregnancy loss, but other times you may want to avoid people who make ignorant comments.

Ultrasound Accuracy for Diagnosing Congenital Birth Defects
Ultrasounds can be fairly accurate for catching certain congenital birth defects, but it cannot provide a guarantee that the baby has no malformations or health conditions. Similarly, an ultrasound can occasionally show a false positive.

Normal Fetal Heart Rate
The normal fetal heart rate can vary by the point in the pregnancy. When ultrasound detects a slow fetal heart rate, this may mean higher risk of miscarriage, but a rapid fetal heart rate does not increase the odds of miscarriage or other pregnancy complications.

October 15th - National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day
Did you know that October 15 is a national remembrance day for miscarriage and pregnancy loss and that October is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month? Here's what you can do during the month to remember your baby or spread awareness of pregnancy loss.

What to Say When a Friend or Relative Has Had a Pregnancy Loss
After a miscarriage or pregnancy loss, your friend or relative needs your support. Learn what to say, what to avoid doing, and how you can give your friend or relative space if she needs to grieve the loss of her pregnancy.

Six Things You Can Do to Help Spread Awareness of Pregnancy Loss and Miscarriage
If you feel the call to do something to help support miscarriage and pregnancy loss awareness and research after the experience of your own miscarriage, here are six suggestions.

Chemical Pregnancy or Clinical Pregnancy?
Chemical pregnancy is a potentially confusing term for a very early miscarriage. Here's how to understand the difference between a chemical pregnancy and a clinical pregnancy, and why you might hear the term clinical miscarriage.