Prevention

I'm going to start this page with the important point that there are very few miscarriages that are preventable. Well over half of all miscarriages are caused by random genetic problems in the baby that could not be avoided.

When a miscarriage is occurring, there is no magic way to stop it from happening.

Remember that bleeding happens in 60 percent of all pregnancies, but only 10% end in miscarriage. Call your doctor, but think carefully if you want to go to the ER. Quite often you will only be turned away.

If a miscarriage is indeed happening, by the time you begin bleeding, the baby has almost always already died. This is a frustrating and terrible situation to be in, and when it happens to you, you will initially have no idea that it is so common. Before your research is done, though, you will find that one out of every 10 pregnancies ends in miscarriage, and that one in every four women will have one at some point in her reproductive years.

An important section to read if you are sure you could have prevented your miscarriage is the page on myths. There you will find the most common things women blame for their miscarriage, and why they are not a factor.

The few types of preventable miscarriages involve the following causes:

Hormone deficiencies

Physical problem with the uterus or cervix

Immunological problems

A Warning

When searching the internet, you will often see advertisements for products that claim to prevent miscarriage, most often some form of progesterone. Please read the section on "products to avoid."