Miscarriage Risk Factors, Symptoms, Warning Signs, and Statistics
By Elizabeth Czukas, About.com Guide
If you're pregnant and worried about miscarriage symptoms or hCG blood test results, learn more about what these signs might mean below. You can also find out about risk factors for different types of pregnancy loss and what you might be able to do to reduce your risk before you conceive.
- Miscarriage Signs and Symptoms
- Other Early Pregnancy Concerns
- What to Do if You Have Symptoms
- Interpreting Your hCG Levels
Miscarriage Signs and Symptoms
In early pregnancy, symptoms like bleeding or cramping can occur for multiple reasons. Learn what your symptoms might mean and when it's time to see a doctor.
- First-Trimester Miscarriage Symptoms
- Cramping
- Spotting
- What an Early Miscarriage Looks Like
- Early Pregnancy Bleeding
- Loss of Pregnancy Symptoms
- Possible Explanations for Bleeding
- What Miscarriage Tissue Looks Like
- Brown Spotting vs. Heavier Bleeding
- Is Pregnancy Bleeding Always a Medical Emergency?
Other Early Pregnancy Concerns
Early pregnancy can be a nerve wracking experience, and it is not uncommon to be worried about miscarriage even if you don't have any clear miscarriage symptoms.
- Lack of Breast Soreness
- No Morning Sickness
- Sudden Disappearance of Morning Sickness
- Can Pregnancy Tests Have False Negatives?
- Pregnancy Test Line Not Getting Darker
- Is It Possible to Have a Period During Pregnancy?
- Could Not Find Baby's Heartbeat with Doppler
- Symptoms of Missed Miscarriage
- Reasons for First Trimester Bleeding
- Normal vs. Abnormal Cramps
- Can a Pap Smear Cause a Miscarriage?
- Can Using Accutane Cause a Miscarriage?
What to Do if You Have Symptoms
When in doubt, the best answer is usually to call your doctor and ask if you need to come in. But here are some issues to keep in mind when deciding whether to wait and see what happens or to go in to see the doctor.
- Is It a Miscarriage?
- Should I Go to the E.R.?
- How Doctors Diagnose Miscarriage
- What is a Threatened Miscarriage
- Signs of a Ruptured Ectopic Pregnancy
Interpreting Your hCG Levels
In very early pregnancy, doctors often check levels of human chorionic gonadotropin, a.k.a. hCG, to determine the likelihood of miscarriage. In most viable pregnancies, levels of hCG in the blood should double every two to three days. Learn what different results might mean.
- Rise of hCG in Early Pregnancy
- Slow-Rising hCG
- Water Intake and hCG
- Line Color on Home Pregnancy Tests
- hCG in Ectopic Pregnancies
Early Pregnancy Ultrasound
Your doctor may perform an early ultrasound as part of the effort to track the development of your pregnancy or determine whether or not you are having a miscarriage. Learn what the results might mean and what to expect of a first-trimester ultrasound.
- First-Trimester Ultrasound Overview
- How Transvaginal Ultrasound Works
- Diagnosing Miscarriage from Ultrasound
- No Yolk Sac
- No Fetal Pole
Late Pregnancy Loss Concerns
If you are concerned about late pregnancy bleeding or that your baby isn't moving enough, learn what each might mean and what to do.
- Mid to Late Pregnancy Bleeding
- I Can't Feel My Baby Moving
- Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes (PPROM)
- Placental Abruption
Risk Factors
The following factors can increase your risk for one or more different types of pregnancy loss. Not all risk factors can be avoided, but whenever it's realistic to do so, it makes sense to do what you can to reduce your risk before conception.
Your Odds of Miscarriage
Your odds of miscarriage will vary by the point in pregnancy and which risk factors you have. Many of us find safety in numbers and in knowing the general odds of a miscarriage occurring in different situations.
