Miscarriage: What to Expect, and Where to Get Support

If you're reading this because it's happening to you right now, we're sorry. This page is here to give you clear, accurate information — not to tell you how to feel about it.

How common this is

Miscarriage is the loss of a pregnancy before 24 weeks, and it happens far more often than it's talked about — around 1 in 4 recognised pregnancies end in miscarriage, and the real figure including very early losses (before a missed period) is likely higher still. Most miscarriages happen in the first 12 weeks (early miscarriage); loss between 12 and 24 weeks (late miscarriage) is much less common.

Why it happens — and why it almost certainly isn't anything you did

The great majority of early miscarriages happen because of a chromosomal problem in the pregnancy itself — something that goes wrong by chance as the cells divide, not something caused by exercise, sex, lifting, working, stress, or anything you ate or didn't eat. Most people who miscarry go on to have a healthy pregnancy afterwards.

Signs to know

• Vaginal bleeding, which can range from light spotting to heavy bleeding with clots
• Cramping or pain, often period-like but sometimes stronger
• A sudden loss of pregnancy symptoms (this alone isn't a reliable sign, since symptoms naturally fluctuate)
• Sometimes there are no symptoms at all, and a loss is only found at a routine scan ("missed miscarriage")

If you have bleeding or pain in early pregnancy, contact your GP, midwife or an early pregnancy unit (EPU) — most hospitals have one, and you can usually be seen quickly for a scan. Bleeding in early pregnancy doesn't always mean a miscarriage; plenty of people bleed and go on to have a straightforward pregnancy, which is exactly why getting checked matters rather than assuming either way.

A different, urgent possibility: ectopic pregnancy

Pain (especially one-sided), bleeding, and shoulder-tip pain or feeling faint can also be signs of an ectopic pregnancy (where the pregnancy implants outside the womb, usually in a fallopian tube) — a genuine medical emergency, since it can cause internal bleeding if not treated. This is different from miscarriage and needs urgent assessment. If you have severe pain, feel faint or unwell, or notice shoulder-tip pain alongside bleeding, seek emergency care (999 or your nearest A&E) rather than waiting for a routine appointment.

What happens next, medically

If a miscarriage is confirmed, you'll usually be offered a choice of three options, each equally valid medically:

• Expectant management — waiting for the miscarriage to happen naturally, at your own pace
• Medical management — medication to help the pregnancy tissue pass
• Surgical management — a short procedure (sometimes called an ERPC) under local or general anaesthetic

Your midwife or the EPU team will talk through what's right for your situation — there's rarely a single "correct" choice, and you can usually take some time to decide.

Recurrent miscarriage

If you have two or three miscarriages in a row, ask about a referral for investigation — many hospitals now offer this after two losses rather than waiting for three, though practice varies by area, so ask directly. Around half of recurrent miscarriage cases never find a specific cause, which is difficult to sit with but doesn't mean future pregnancies won't succeed.

The emotional side

Grief after miscarriage is real and valid whatever the gestational age, and there's no "right" way to feel — some people need to talk, others need space; some feel ready to try again quickly, others need much longer, and neither is wrong. Partners grieve too, often in a different way or on a different timeline, which can be hard for a couple to navigate together. There's no medical requirement to wait a set time before trying again; many are advised to wait for one normal period afterwards mainly to help date a future pregnancy, but this is a personal decision to discuss with your midwife or GP.

Where to get support

• Miscarriage Association — a UK charity with a helpline and genuinely knowledgeable support, entirely focused on pregnancy loss
• Tommy's — funds research into the causes of miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth, and has a pregnancy loss helpline
• SANDS — support for stillbirth and neonatal death, for anyone affected by loss later in pregnancy or after birth
• Your GP or midwife — can also refer you for counselling if you'd find that helpful

You don't need to be coping badly to reach out to any of these — support is there for anyone who wants it, not just for a crisis.