The loss of a baby at any stage during pregnancy can be an extremely difficult and emotional time for parents. An early miscarriage isn’t any different.

When a miscarriage happens early on in the pregnancy, the experience can feel traumatic, and you may feel a huge sense of loss and grief.

So, what is an early miscarriage, exactly?

Early miscarriage

A miscarriage is classed as the spontaneous loss of a pregnancy before 20 weeks gestation.

The embryo (baby) would not be able to survive outside the uterus at this age.

The medical term for miscarriage is ‘spontaneous abortion’ and the baby may be referred to as ‘the products of conception’ – medical terms that can be difficult to hear for grieving parents.

If a miscarriage occurs in the first 12-14 weeks of pregnancy, it’s referred to as an early miscarriage.

If pregnancy loss occurs after this time, up to 20 weeks of pregnancy, it’s referred to as a late miscarriage.

How early can you have a miscarriage?

Most early miscarriages happen in the first six weeks of pregnancy. A chemical pregnancy is an early pregnancy miscarriage that happens shortly after implantation. It can take between 6-12 days after ovulation for the egg to implant into the uterus. The fertilised egg produces a hormone that may be picked up by sensitive home pregnancy tests up to 5 days before an expected period.

Most women won’t have any pregnancy symptoms this early and have an early miscarriage without realising they were pregnant. Others may have had a positive pregnancy test and within the next few days experience menstrual-like symptoms with bleeding and then a miscarriage.

Between 50-75% of all early miscarriages are due to chemical pregnancies.

Signs of early miscarriage

The signs of early miscarriage will depend on the gestation of your pregnancy. Most women, especially during early pregnancy, will experience miscarriage similar to a heavy period, with slightly more cramping and bleeding than usual.

The following signs of early miscarriage may be related to other conditions less serious than a miscarriage. It’s best to see your care provider if any of these occur:

Vaginal bleeding or spotting
Dull lower back pain/pressure
Cramping
Changes to vaginal discharge

It’s important to remember to use sanitary pads not tampons during pregnancy, as these can lead to infection.

Early miscarriage symptoms 2 weeks

An early miscarriage at 2 weeks after conception is when you’d be considered 4 weeks pregnant. Many women aren’t aware they’re pregnant and have a miscarriage at the time they normally expect their period. The difference is you might experience more cramping and bleeding than a normal period.

Early miscarriage tissue

The earlier a miscarriage happens, the less likely you are to see fetal or placental tissue. If you are less than 8 weeks pregnant, any tissue expelled will appear like heavy menstrual bleeding. After this stage of early pregnancy, there may be firm or lumpy looking tissue which is the placenta and fetus.

Early miscarriage blood

Miscarriage blood can vary between dark brown and grainy (similar to coffee grounds) to bright red. If you miscarry in the time up to 8 weeks, it’s more likely for a miscarriage to seem like a much heavier than usual period. Cramping and bleeding increases as the cervix dilate and the bleeding can last longer than your normal period.

How common is early miscarriage?

It’s estimated that 10-25% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage.

Of those, around 80% occur in the first trimester.

However, many of these first trimester miscarriages occur so early, the woman doesn’t realise she’s pregnant.

Some women have a chemical pregnancy, where there was enough hormone to show a result on a pregnancy test, but not enough hormone to continue the pregnancy.

While it isn’t any consolation, if you’re experiencing an early miscarriage, you’re not alone.

Know that a healthy woman who miscarries once is unlikely to miscarry the next time she becomes pregnant. It’s uncommon to miscarry three times consecutively.

If recurrent miscarriage does occur, your care provider can refer you for tests to check if there is a cause.

Early miscarriage causes

If you’ve experienced an early miscarriage, you probably want to know why it happened.

For most women, the cause of their miscarriage will never be known and this can cause a sense of helplessness and frustration.

For a pregnancy to continue, your body must provide the right nutrients and hormones to the baby and the baby must develop correctly. If these conditions aren’t met, the pregnancy may be lost.

It can be difficult to discover the cause of miscarriage, however, some of the more common reasons pregnancies end are listed below:

Chromosomal problems: The baby would not develop normally or would not be able to survive life outside the uterus. This is can happen by chance and isn’t necessarily a sign of a condition that will reoccur. Chromosomal problems cause at least half of all miscarriages.
Maternal age: As a woman ages, there is an increase of eggs with chromosomal abnormalities being released.
Maternal health: Miscarriages can be caused by conditions such as uncontrolled diabetes, infections, hormone issues, endometriosis, thyroid disease, severe trauma, and abnormalities in the uterus (fibroids or scar tissue).
Smoking, drugs and moderate to high use of alcohol: Use of these substances have been linked to increased risk of miscarriage.
Caffeine: High daily doses of caffeine (more than 200mg) have an increased risk of miscarriage.
Maternal weight extremes: Underweight or overweight women have a greater risk of miscarriage.
Consecutive miscarriages: Women who have had 2 or more miscarriages in a row are at a greater risk of having miscarriages in the future.
Factor V Leiden: This blood clotting genetic mutation has been found in studies to result in a lower live birth rate.

Early miscarriage and MTHFR

An important test for women to ask their doctors for (ideally before pregnancy, but any time is helpful) is a test for the MTHFR gene mutation. A mutation impacts how your body utilises folic acid and other forms of folate, which is critical for fetal development.

The MTHFR gene mutation is a common genetic mutation, which affects one in four people seriously and one in two mildly. If you have this mutation, you should stop taking folic acid and take folinic acid and methylfolate instead.

You can now purchase pre-natal vitamins which contain methylfolate instead of folic acid.

Optimal Prenatal is one of these formulas, which won the 2018 Women’s Choice Awards for prenatal supplements.

Diagnosis of an early miscarriage

You may find out your pregnancy has ended if you experience any of the signs of miscarriage and see your doctor. Other women discover they have miscarried before they realise they were pregnant. You may find out your pregnancy has ended at an early ultrasound.

To confirm if an early miscarriage has happened, your care provider can do the following:

Blood tests to check pregnancy hormone levels
Symptoms (bleeding, pregnancy signs disappearing)
Examination
Ultrasound (depending on gestation)

Your care provider will be able to tell you if your miscarriage is complete, incomplete or missed:

A complete miscarriage occurs when the pregnancy tissue has been passed
An incomplete miscarriage occurs when not all the pregnancy tissue has been passed, some has been retained in the uterus
A missed miscarriage has occurred when the embryo has died and has not been passed.

How long does bleeding after an early miscarriage last?

The duration of bleeding can depend on how quickly the pregnancy tissue is expelled but the usual amount of time is 1-3 weeks.

If the bleeding is severe or prolonged, it can mean a medical intervention is needed.

Early miscarriage treatment

Unfortunately once a pregnancy has ended there is nothing that can be done to prevent miscarriage occurring. It is best to talk to your care provider about the best way to proceed for your situation.

Natural: Especially if it’s an early miscarriage, many women prefer to wait for the miscarriage to occur naturally. This may help with your grieving process and may give you more of a sense of control. An incomplete miscarriage should happen within a week. A missed miscarriage can take longer to begin naturally (3-4 weeks) and you may need to discuss further treatment options with your care provider if the pregnancy tissue doesn’t pass after this time.

Medication: Some women prefer to take medication to ensure the miscarriage happens sooner rather than later. An incomplete miscarriage will usually be passed within 6-8 hours of the medication and a missed miscarriage can happen quickly or may not happen for a few weeks. There are side effects that can occur with the medication, such as nausea and vomiting, chills, fever and diarrhea. These effects usually only last for a few hours but can be distressing.

Surgery: In some cases, women need surgery to remove the pregnancy tissue (called a dilatation and curette or D&C). This may happen in the case of a missed miscarriage, if there are severe bleeding and pain, or if your preference is to avoid medication and you don’t wish to wait for a miscarriage to begin naturally. A D&C happens under general anaesthesia and the surgery happens through the vagina, so there is no incision. Like all surgical procedures, there are some risks involved, such as infection, heavy bleeding (retained pregnancy tissue), damage to the cervix and risks associate with the anaesthetic.

What does an early miscarriage look like?

Experiencing an early miscarriage is both a physical and an emotional experience. It can be difficult to know how you will feel, and what you will feel like doing during this time.

You may pass clots, tissue or a recognisable embryo. This can be shocking and upsetting. If you are experiencing discomfort or mild pain, you can take paracetamol. If you prefer not to take pain medication, you can use heat packs to relieve cramping.

If you experience any of the following you should go to the nearest hospital emergency department as soon as possible:

Heavy bleeding (soaking two pads every hour and/or passing golf ball-sized clots)
Severe abdominal pain or shoulder pain
Fever or chills
Dizziness or fainting
Vaginal discharge that smells unpleasant
Diarrhoea or pain when you open your bowels.

Resting during this time can provide you with an opportunity to grieve your pregnancy loss. You may prefer distraction and want to go to work or do your usual activities. Make sure you are not doing anything too strenuous physically that may cause you harm or increase bleeding.

The emotional impact of early miscarriage

People respond very differently to pregnancy loss. Reactions to an early miscarriage may range from an experience of little significance to a devastating life event.

It’s important to know that there is no right or wrong way of ‘coping’ after an early miscarriage.

You may not have told anyone about your pregnancy, and feel alone and isolated. Many women have experienced pregnancy loss, so talking about it with others who’ve been in the same situation can help you to cope with your loss and grief. Your partner may also be feeling his own sense of loss while trying to hold it together to support you. Taking notice of each other’s needs to grieve can help you feel supported.

You may find those around you (including your partner) may expect you to ‘move on’ before you are ready to. There is no right way or length of time to grieve the loss of a pregnancy.

Some women want to fall pregnant again as soon as possible after a miscarriage, and others are afraid to. If you’re particularly worried about coping with another possible miscarriage. it can be helpful to discuss this. You might feel more comfortable talking to your care provider or a support group about your feelings.

Be sure to read Pregnancy After Miscarriage: 5 Ways It Can Feel Different for more supportive information.