How common are m/c?

jnu1117

Hi everyone,
I will started with an introduction. My husband and I have been trying since august to get pregnant. We got a wonderful Christmas gift with a BFP. Then a miscarriage a few weeks later so we are back to trying again. I read the boards often and have learned a lot from all of you, Thank you!

Yesterday at work some girls were talking about pregnancy and fertility issues. During the conversation it came up that 8 women at work have had miscarriages this year, and they do not know about mine. It also does not included a male colleague whose wife has had 3. We work at a school with about 200 teachers and I was just wondering if miscarriages are that common. Along with the other 8 this year, I know of 5 other women at work that have had them over the past years. I just thought that was a lot or are miscarriages that common?  I was just wondering if anyone know of environmental factors that could increase the risk of miscarriage?

Thanks in advance.

Fallon621

Hey they are that commin!! It is said that 1 out of 4 pregnancy's will end in M/C, so about 25% of all pregnancys.  Sad I know!  I didnt know this before I had a M/c either.  And I am so sorry for your loss and welcome to the board!

buckeyebaby814

I am so sorry for your loss and welcome to the board!  I've only been here a couple weeks but I've already gained information and support since being here!  My response to your question... I know that miscarriages are common, especially for a 1st pregnancy.  Many "factors" of mc are unknown unless you have follow up testing done, which is not standard for a first time.  This is what my OB told me when I had my follow-up with her after my mc.  BTW, I too got a BFP at Christmas and mc a few days later.  I also work at a school (smaller than yours) and I work with 3 women who had mc within 2 months of me and a co-teacher's daughter as well, all were first pregnancies.

tootlebug

they are common....practically every woman i know has had one at some point.

88eve88

HI there and welcome to the board!  So sorry that you need to join us though.

Although I don't have exact percentages to share (I'm sure you can google it though), I do know that miscarriages are, unfortunately, very common.  I had no idea how common until it happened to me. I think the reason we don't know it's so common is because no one ever talks about it publicly.  It's sort of taboo, I guess.

There are many different reasons, but a lot of m/c's are considered "nature's mistake", basically a chromosomal abnormality that your body detects early and immediately stops.  Other reasons can also be hormone levels, STDs, and genetics.

Environmental factors are a possibility. The ones I've heard of are high lead and mercury levels, possibly in a water supply??  This is a big concern and is the reason why pregnant ladies are told to stay away from eating certain types of fish during pregnancy.

Perhaps the other ladies can add to this.  Sorry again for your loss, but take comfort in knowing that the women here are a great support. 

xnbride

Unfortunately, they are pretty common (I have seen rates anywhere from 15-30%). Most women will have one or two during their entire reproductive life. Then there are some of us who have repeated loss, but I think we only represent a very small percentage of the population (something like 3.5% or something like that) so your chances are good that your next pregnancy will be normal. hth

Jered&Gena

My Dr told me 20% of knowen pregnancys and 50% total! I gyess the 30% diffrence happens before you know your pg. Welcome!

tiffanysbride

M/c rates change with your ago but I believe the broad range is 20-30% of pregnancies end in m/c. 1 in 200 end in a late loss (20+ weeks). A stat I never realized until last year. You never realize how common loss us until you are in that group yourself.

I am very sorry for your loss. 

jen1721

I was told by my doc that almost 50% of first pregnancies end in miscarriage.  I also got my BFP shortly before Chirstmas and but my baby was gone by mid January. I wish we both could have been on the happy side of that statistic, along with all of the other ladies here who were on the crappy side.

Gaberinos

I am sorry for your loss. Welcome to the board! As you can already see the ladies here are wonderful and very supportive.

I also had a Dr. tell me that it people had a 20-30% chance of losing the baby after a positive pregnancy test. Many women may not even know they are pregnant, and thus the 50% is more of a possibility. I had a Dr. that was pro-miscarriage it seemed, and would always shoot off these kinds of stats from the very start. When I had my loss he was very insensitive about it sense it is so common in his world. I ended up switching Dr.'s after my loss.

The reasons are sometimes unknown, too. My new Dr. did some bloodwork and even sent some tissue to pathology and he said everything looked good. In my case, he said it was probably just a 'fluke'. I still hate not knowing if there was anything that I could have done differently. I still wish we had all of the answers.

I am sorry that you had to come and join us here, but I am very glad you found us. I hope that your stay here is short and sweet!