Miscarriage is when a pregnancy terminates by itself and most occur early in pregnancy. Miscarriages are common and are estimated to occur in about one in five pregnancies. In other words, you are far from alone if you go through this.

Miscarriages usually occur before the 12th week of pregnancy and the reason why they happen is usually unknown. It may be due to a failure in the early division of the embryo, chromosomal abnormalities or infections or diseases of the pregnant woman. It can also depend on the quality of the sperm. Just because you have a miscarriage does not mean that you cannot get pregnant again.

To reduce your risk, you can avoid alcohol, smoking and other drugs. You should also take extra folic acid supplements as recommended by the Swedish Food Agency. There are certain medicines you should not take if you are planning to become pregnant, to find out which ones you can consult your prescribing doctor or licensed pharmacist.

What symptoms can you get?

Symptoms of miscarriage can include low-lying abdominal pain, such as severe menstrual pain, and vaginal bleeding. However, these symptoms do not necessarily mean that this is the case. Most of the time, the body takes care of a miscarriage itself. Sometimes, however, the body does not, and this is called a missed abortion. This can be detected by an ultrasound and if it happens after week 12 it is called a late miscarriage. If the body does not take care of the miscarriage itself, you may need to be scraped, which means a light operation, or be given medicine to complete the miscarriage.

What happens after a miscarriage?

After a miscarriage, bleeding should decrease as time passes. As long as bleeding persists, you should avoid penetrative sex without a condom, vaginal protection and bathing.

When to seek emergency care for abdominal pain and/or bleeding can be found on 1177.

If you need care, support or guidance, you can go to a midwife's, gynecologist's or emergency gynecology clinic.

Here you can read about bleeding during pregnancy.