The exact risk of miscarriage varies by the individual person's situation and whether or not risk factors are present. About 15% to 20% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage, but different groups may have higher risk.
Time Required: N/A
Here's How:
- If you are not yet pregnant, determine whether or not you have any known risk factors (but remember that not all miscarriage risk factors are well understood and that risks are not the same as causes). If you do not have any risk factors, your risk will be in the average range.
- If you do have risk factors, check the miscarriage rate associated with the risk factors.
- If you are currently pregnant, how far are you in the pregnancy? The risk of miscarriage decreases as the pregnancy progresses, in most cases.
- If you are in early pregnancy, have you seen a heartbeat? After seeing a heartbeat on an ultrasound, your risk of miscarriage will drop -- although the miscarriage rates will remain higher for women with specific risk factors.
Tips:
- Remember that statistics are just numbers. Even if you have a higher than average risk of miscarriage, it does not mean that you will miscarry.
- In most cases, your odds of having a normal pregnancy are higher than your odds of having a miscarriage.
- Some risk factors are changeable. For example, if you smoke or drink alcohol, quitting either of these practices will reduce your risk of miscarriage.
