13 Types of Miscarriages You Can Have (original) (raw)

A miscarriage is heartbreaking to deal with, regardless of why or when it occurs. If you've had a miscarriage, you probably had lots of questions—and you're not alone.

There are at least 13 types of miscarriages. A person may experience two or more types of miscarriages during a single pregnancy loss. Understanding risk factors and recovery timelines can help give you a better understanding of what you—or someone you're close to—might be dealing with if a pregnancy ends in miscarriage.

Chemical Pregnancy

A chemical pregnancy, also called a "pre-clinical" miscarriage, the egg is fertilized, which in turn cues the body to produce the pregnancy hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). But the fertilized egg never implants.

Some people don't have any symptoms from a chemical miscarriage. Others experience:

In most cases, these fleeting pregnancies are over before you even miss a period, and there is no physical recovery involved. This type of miscarriage is common. Research shows that 45% of all conceptions fail and 80% of those failed conceptions are pre-clinical miscarriages.

Clinical Miscarriage

A clinical miscarriage is one in which there are clear signs of pregnancy, such as a missed period or a visible fetal sac during an ultrasound, in addition to a positive pregnancy test.

There are two classifications of clinical miscarriage: early miscarriage and late miscarriage.

Early clinical miscarriage

An early miscarriage occurs before week 13 of pregnancy. Studies indicate that in some 85% of early clinical miscarriages, the fetus has a malformation that may contribute to the pregnancy loss.

If your miscarriage occurs relatively early on, your recovery may be relatively speedy, and, pending a conversation with your health care provider, you might be able to start trying to conceive again pretty quickly. Trying to conceive within the first three months of an early miscarriage may help your chances of getting pregnant and having a live birth, according to research.

Late clinical miscarriage

A late miscarriage occurs between weeks 13 and 20 of pregnancy. Late miscarriages often come with much heavier bleeding and strong cramping.

With a late miscarriage, you may need a longer recovery to feel better physically and emotionally. Specialists often suggest people wait three months or so before trying to conceive again.

Pregnancy Loss After 20 Weeks

After 20 weeks, a pregnancy loss is not categorized as a miscarriage, but a stillbirth. About 1 in 160 pregnancies in the US result in stillbirth. If you feel like your baby has stopped being active for a longer-than-normal period or you are experiencing bleeding late in pregnancy, contact your health care provider right away.

Primary Miscarriage

If your miscarriage occurs during your first pregnancy, it's referred to as a primary miscarriage. Rest assured that having one miscarriage does not mean you're destined to have another. That's simply a miscarriage myth.

Sporadic Miscarriage

Your first miscarriage, regardless of whether you've had kids before or not, may be referred to as a sporadic miscarriage.

As suggested by its name, a sporadic miscarriage is typically seen as a random event. It may have no obvious cause, but these first-time miscarriages primarily result from an abnormality in the embryo that does not allow the pregnancy to proceed in a healthy way.

Repeat Miscarriage

If you've experienced a miscarriage already, subsequent pregnancy losses are referred to as repeat (or recurrent) miscarriages. It’s estimated that fewer than 5 in 100 pregnancies result in two miscarriages in a row.

In about half of miscarriage cases, pregnancy loss can stem from genetic or spontaneous chromosomal abnormalities in the embryo. However, repeat miscarriages can also be associated with certain maternal health conditions, including:

Secondary Miscarriage

If you've already given birth to a child before your miscarriage occurs, it's considered a secondary miscarriage. Note that this is not the same thing as a repeat miscarriage.

A common cause of secondary early miscarriages (before 13 weeks) is a faulty immune system response to pregnancy. Secondary late miscarriages are often associated with anatomical issues in the cervix or other areas of the reproductive system.

Treatments for both immunological deficiencies and structural problems related to secondary miscarriage exist. Connect with your health care provider to understand why you are having a tougher time having another baby and what treatments may help.

Complete Miscarriage

In a complete miscarriage, bleeding occurs and the miscarriage takes place naturally. You may pass large clots as all fetal tissue is expelled from the uterus during a complete miscarriage.

Incomplete Miscarriage

An incomplete miscarriage indicates the body doesn't work to expel the fetus on its own. In these cases, a minor surgical procedure called a dilation and curettage (D&C) or medication may become necessary to ensure everything is removed before you try to conceive again.

Blighted Ovum

When a fertilized egg implants into the uterus but does not grow, it's known as a blighted ovum (or anembryonic pregnancy). In this type of early clinical miscarriage, which happens between seven and 12 weeks, a gestational sac develops but an embryo does not.

Health care providers often discover a blighted ovum at a person's first prenatal appointment. An ultrasound will show an empty, fluid-filled sac. Sometimes, you will have cramping and bleeding soon after finding out you are pregnant.

Missed Miscarriage

Sometimes, a person feels that a pregnancy is progressing normally, but learns at a health care provider's check-up that the embryo or fetus has no heartbeat or is no longer growing (in the case of a blighted ovum, for example). This is referred to as a missed miscarriage.

If you have a missed miscarriage, you will work with your health care provider to decide whether you will let the pregnancy tissue pass naturally, which could take up to three or four weeks, or take medication to speed up the process.

Vanishing Twin Miscarriage

Sometimes, if you are carrying multiples, one or more embryos will disappear or get resorbed by your body early in pregnancy. When this happens, but at least one embryo survives, it's called "vanishing twin syndrome."

Vanishing twins occur in 36% of twin pregnancies and about half of pregnancies with three or more gestational sacs. It also occurs in 30% of pregnancies achieved with assisted reproductive techniques.

People experiencing this complication frequently go on to have healthy, uneventful pregnancies. However, your health care provider will want to closely monitor your health and your baby's health if you've had a vanishing twin.

Editor's Note

Miscarriage can take an emotional toll as well as a physical one. It's important to discuss your feelings with your doctor, who can provide perspective and refer you to mental and reproductive health specialists. For more resources, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists suggests connecting with Share Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support.