Miscarriage

When you have a miscarriage,

Unfortunately, 1 in 10 pregnancies ends in a miscarriage. Most of the time something went wrong at fetilization, causing the baby to be unhealthy. The heart never starts beating or stops beating. You can’t do anything about this.
Most miscarriages occur naturally before 12 weeks of pregnancy. Sometimes you do not have any symptoms of a miscarriage (yet), but an ultrasound shows that there is no beating heart.

A miscarriage is a very sad event for most people. This is partly because you have to completely adjust your expectations (that you would have a baby in a few months). It is completely normal to temporarily report sick to work. It really takes time to process the whole event. Other people like to keep working because it gives them distractions. Think about what feels best for you to do.

At the bottom of this page you will find various sites that can help you with the processing.

A miscarriage starts with vaginal bleeding and/or abdominal cramps. There may be a period of several days before the miscarriage actually takes hold. If the miscarriage continues, you will usually have (severe) abdominal cramps and red bleeding. This may also include clots and tissue. The miscarriage can last several hours. It is normal to have to change your sanitary towel every half hour while the miscarriage is in progress. If the blood loss is more intense than that or you become dizzy, call us immediately. We would also like you to contact us if you have a fever (rectal temperature >38) or severe abdominal pain.

Once all the tissue has come out of your uterus, abdominal pain and blood loss will decrease. You can still lose blood for about a week after the miscarriage. This must continue to decrease. You can sometimes see the fetus/embryo (depending on how far pregnant you were). Some people like to view this and possibly bury it. If you want to look at it, it helps to put it in a jar/glass with water (water method). If you would like us to watch with you, you can send us a photo or ask us to come by.

If you prefer, you can have an ultrasound scan once the bleeding has stopped to check that nothing is left in the uterus. You can also wait until your next period (you expect it again 4-6 weeks after the miscarriage) and when it starts you know that nothing has been left in the uterus.

If you prefer not to wait for a natural course, you can also use medication that will induce the miscarriage. We can refer you to the gynecologist who will prescribe the medication. In some cases, a minor operation (curettage) is required to remove the miscarriage tissue from the uterus. You can also choose this instead of medication. The gynecologist will discuss the pros and cons of this with you.

If you suspect that you may be having a miscarriage, you can always call us on the emergency number.

If you have experienced a miscarriage once, you do not have an increased risk of having another miscarriage. If you have had a miscarriage twice, the chance of another miscarriage increases slightly. If you wish, after you have had two miscarriages, you can have further research done by the gynecologist to determine the cause of the miscarriages. Unfortunately, an identifiable cause rarely emerges from this research.