How to Tell the Difference Between a Miscarriage and Your Period

If you have an early miscarriage, it might resemble your monthly menstrual period. Learn what a miscarriage looks like and how it compares with your period.

The possibility of miscarriage often lingers in the back of a pregnant person's mind, and it's a fair concern given that about 15% of all clinically recognized pregnancies end in loss. The vast majority of miscarriages (around 80%) happen in the first trimester, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

The signs of miscarriage often include bleeding or spotting. If these symptoms happen early enough—or if you haven't received a positive pregnancy test yet—you might wonder if you're actually experiencing a menstrual period.

So how can you tell the difference between an early miscarriage and your period? We broke down everything you need to know.

Potential Signs of Miscarriage

Melissa Ling 

Signs and Symptoms of a Miscarriage

Not all people will have symptoms of pregnancy loss. That said, the signs of a miscarriage can include the following:

  • Vaginal bleeding or spotting
  • Passing tissue from the vagina
  • Gush of fluid from the vagina
  • Abdominal pain or cramping
  • Back ache
  • Disappearance of pregnancy symptoms like morning sickness

It's important to note that spotting in early pregnancy is common and often benign. But while bleeding isn't necessarily a sign of a miscarriage, it's important to have it checked out. Generally speaking, if the bleeding is light and lasts for only a day or two, it's probably not a problem. Heavier bleeding and passing clots or tissue is another matter, particularly if it's accompanied by cramping.

Contact your health care provider immediately if you're experiencing these potential miscarriage signs. Also, any severe symptom should never be ignored. Heavy bleeding accompanied by severe abdominal pain and/or dizziness could be a sign of an ectopic pregnancy, which should be treated as a life-threatening medical emergency.

Stillbirth vs. Miscarriage


After the 20th week, the loss of a pregnancy is no longer considered a miscarriage but is rather referred to as a stillbirth.

What Does Miscarriage Blood Look Like?

Determining whether bleeding is caused by a miscarriage or your period can be tricky, especially since miscarriage blood doesn't always look the same. Here are some common characteristics to help you spot the difference:

  • Miscarriage blood can be light pink, red, or brown. It might resemble your monthly period or look like grainy coffee grounds.
  • If the loss occurs early in your pregnancy, there may be minimal clotting, but the farther the pregnancy has progressed, the clots might be denser and larger. You might notice tissue that you don't normally see with a period.
  • Miscarriage bleeding tends to be heavier than menstrual bleeding and lasts longer. It often gets progressively heavier.

Is It a Miscarriage or Your Period?

Still not sure whether it's a miscarriage or your period? Here are some other discerning factors.

Timing: Your period usually comes around the same time every month; the average cycle is between 21 to 35 days. On the other hand, a miscarriage happens after a fertilized egg implants in your uterine lining. If the miscarriage happens early in the pregnancy, you might not realize you're expecting.

Duration: Miscarriage bleeding tends to last longer than a menstrual period.

How It Looks: Miscarriage bleeding can resemble your period, but it's usually heavier. It might also contain clots and tissue. The color can be pink, red, or brown.

Other Symptoms: Your period might come with predictable symptoms like cramping, sore breasts, and bloating. On the other hand, a miscarriage is often characterized by bleeding and/or pain.

What Is a Chemical Pregnancy?

About 15% of known pregnancies result in a miscarriage, but research suggests that the rate is higher when including people who are unaware of their pregnancy. Very early miscarriage (also known as chemical pregnancy) occurs when a pregnancy is lost shortly after implantation. This typically results in bleeding that doesn't last much longer than your usual period. As such, it's possible that a late or especially heavy period could have, in fact, been a chemical pregnancy.

What Causes a Miscarriage?

Among the miscarriages that occur in the first trimester, about half will result from a chromosomal abnormality. These genetic abnormalities prevent the proper development of the embryo. The miscarriage doesn't happen because the parents did anything "wrong;" it was simply the result of an abnormality.

In the second trimester, chromosomal and structural abnormalities of the fetus can contribute to miscarriage. But at this stage, a miscarriage is more commonly associated with other problems, such as malformation of the uterus, the development of growths in the uterus (called fibroids), uterine infection, and certain medical conditions.

Other factors can cause or contribute to the development of a miscarriage. These include:

  • Bacterial infections that can inflame the lining of the uterus
  • Certain chronic medical conditions like unmanaged diabetes and thyroid problems
  • Excessive drug or alcohol use
  • Hormone problems
  • Immune system disorders, including lupus
  • Older age (since chromosomal abnormalities are more likely to occur in parents over 35)
  • Smoking
  • Certain medicines
  • Severe malnutrition
  • Significant radiation exposure

Key Takeaways

If you think you're having a miscarriage, call your doctor immediately or go to your nearest emergency room. This is especially true if the bleeding is heavy, the pain is severe, or you're experiencing dizziness. Even if your symptoms aren't severe, avoid sex and strenuous activity until you’ve been fully evaluated by your doctor and given the all-clear.

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Sources
Parents uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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  5. What is Stillbirth? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Reviewed 2022.

  6. Early Pregnancy and Miscarriage Center. UC Davis Health.

  7. Menstrual Cycle Length and Patterns in a Global Cohort of Women Using a Mobile Phone App: Retrospective Cohort Study. J Med Internet Res. 2020.

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  11. Understanding Second Trimester Miscarriage. UC Davis Health.

  12. Miscarriage. Cleveland Clinic.

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