Recurrent miscarriage
Recurrent miscarriage
Recurrent miscarriage means you've had 3 or more early miscarriages. (Read more about early miscarriages.)
This count of 3 or more early miscarriages refers to the total number you've had overall. It doesn't matter if you had a successful pregnancy at some point in between, and the miscarriages don't need to have happened one right after another.
Common Symptoms
Symptom information is not available for this condition yet.
⚠️ This symptom list is for educational purposes. Having these symptoms does not mean you have this condition. See a doctor for proper diagnosis.
Medicines Commonly Used
⚠️ These medicines are commonly used for confirmed diagnoses of this condition. This is NOT a recommendation or prescription. Treatment must be determined by your doctor.
No medicines have been linked to this condition yet.
Causes
In most cases, no clear reason can be found for why a miscarriage happens. It is unlikely to have been caused by anything you did or did not do.
Read more about the causes of a miscarriage.
Tests and investigations
If you have had 3 or more miscarriages, your doctor may suggest some tests or investigations. These can help medical professionals understand why you are experiencing recurrent miscarriage.
The tests you may be offered can include:
- 2 blood tests for antiphospholipid syndrome
- a blood test to check your thyroid function
- a test for diabetes
- tests for PCOS and prolactin imbalance
- a scan of your uterus to check its shape
You and your partner may also be offered genetic tests. These can check for inherited chromosomal conditions.
You may not need all of these tests. Medical professionals will advise which ones are clinically appropriate for your situation.
It is not always possible to work out exactly what is going wrong. In most cases, medical professionals will not be able to find a specific reason for your losses.
It can be hard to hear that your recurrent miscarriages are unexplained. You may feel hopeless, especially when there is nothing you can treat or change for next time.
Even so, most people who have had 3 unexplained miscarriages go on to have a healthy pregnancy.
Your feelings and emotions
Recurrent miscarriage can be very hard to bear. You and your partner may be going through a mix of difficult feelings.
Along with grief and sadness, you may also experience:
- frustration, especially if you cannot find out why you keep having miscarriages
- guilt, even though it is unlikely that anything you did caused your miscarriages
- isolation, if you feel alone in this
- jealousy, particularly if people around you are pregnant or have babies
While it is important not to cut yourself off from others, it can sometimes help to spend less time with people who bring up these painful feelings. If you are close to them, you might be able to explain how you feel. If it is people you mainly see on social media, it may help to stay away from social media for a while.
Your experience of recurrent miscarriage is your own, and it will be different for you, your partner and your family. There is no right or wrong way to feel about it.
Read more about support after a miscarriage.
Depression
Some people develop clinical depression after losing a pregnancy. When you are having recurrent miscarriages, you carry a great deal of grief, and this can make it hard to notice depression setting in.
People who are grieving usually find that their sadness and sense of loss comes and goes. They are still able to enjoy things and look forward to the future.
People who are clinically depressed feel sad most of the time. They find it hard to enjoy anything or feel positive about what lies ahead.
Read more about depression.
Please see your doctor if you or your partner are:
- finding it hard to cope after losing a pregnancy
- showing signs of post traumatic stress disorder
- showing signs of perinatal obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
Your doctor can help you get the right treatment and support.
Read more about identifying, treating and managing mental health disorders.
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