Miscarriage Stats Worth Knowing
Aug 17, 2022
An extremely important aspect to understand when it comes to miscarriage and knowing miscarriage stats is that you are not alone. Many women and couples experience a miscarriage throughout their conception journey.
What is a miscarriage?
It is first worth defining what a miscarriage is.
A miscarriage is a spontaneous loss of the fetus before the 20th week of pregnancy, naturally occurring.
A spontaneous abortion or an early pregnancy loss are other common terms used to describe what is commonly known as a miscarriage.
An incomplete abortion is a term used to describe an early pregnancy loss where not all products of conception leave the body
The term threatened abortion or miscarriage is a term used by health care providers to describe symptoms of abdominal cramping with or without vaginal bleeding during pregnancy; these signs indicate a miscarriage may occur.
Miscarriage Statistics
- Among women who know they are pregnant, 10-25% will have a miscarriage.
- Approximately 50% of all fertilized eggs are lost spontaneously. This generally occurs even before the woman knows she is pregnant.
- 80% of miscarriages occur in the first trimester.
- The risk of miscarriage increases in women who are older.
- The risk increases after the age of 30, and becomes even greater between 35 and 40.
- The highest risk of miscarriage is after the age of 40.
- The risk of miscarriage is higher in women who have had several previous miscarriages.
Why these stats are worth knowing
Experiencing a miscarriage can be an extremely lonely and isolating time for many women and couples. It is often something that we are accustomed to keeping a secret and dealing with in private.
This needs to change.
If you look at the statistics, it is an extremely common occurrence. Of 4 girlfriends, more likely than not, 1 of you has experienced a miscarriage - you just may not know it due to how we've been raised to not talk about pregnancy until 12 weeks.
Use these stats to empower you to seek out conversations and support amongst your friend group - we bet you'll be surprised with the relatability you can find.
