Also called: Also called: Miscarriage, Spontaneous abortion, Stillbirth
You're pregnant and expect to be changing diapers one day. Then, suddenly, the pregnancy is over. Whatever name it is called - miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth - you lost your baby.
Pregnancy loss can happen in different ways. With a miscarriage, pregnancy suddenly ends before 20 weeks. It usually happens because of genetic problems in the fetus. An ectopic pregnancy occurs outside the uterus and the fetus cannot survive. In a molar pregnancy, a mass or growth forms inside the uterus at the beginning of a pregnancy; often there is no fetus. After 20 weeks, losing a pregnancy is called stillbirth.
Similar losses - and grief - can also be the result of newborn death or prenatal death from trauma. Counseling may help. Later, if you do decide to try again, work closely with your health care provider to lower the risks. Many women who lose a pregnancy go on to have healthy babies.
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Miscarriage
(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/Miscarriage.cfm
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Stillbirth(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/Stillbirth.cfm
- Miscarriage(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/miscarriage/DS01105/METHOD=print&DSECTION=all
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Stillbirth(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/14332_1198.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.nacersano.org/centro/9388_9941.asp
- ACOG Issues New Guidelines on Managing Stillbirths(02/20/2009, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - http://www.acog.org/from_home/publications/press_releases/nr02-20-09-2.cfm
- hCG Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/hcg/test.html
- How Is Gestational Trophoblastic Disease Diagnosed?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_3X_How_is_gestational_trophoblastic_disease_diagnosed_49.asp?sitearea=
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Hysterosonography(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=hysterosono
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=hysterosono&bhcp=1
- Progesterone Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/progesterone/test.html
- Ultrasound(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/14332_1167.asp
- Dilation and Curettage(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp062.cfm
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Dilation and Curettage
(Patient Education Institute) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/dilatationandcurettage/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/dilatationandcurettagespanish/htm/index.htm
- Coping with Pregnancy Loss(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/pregnancy-loss/PR00098/METHOD=print
- Dealing with Others(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/572_15994.asp
- Men and Women Grieve Differently(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/572_4045.asp
- Stillbirth, Miscarriage, and Infant Death(Compassionate Friends) - http://www.compassionatefriends.org/Other_Pages/Stillbirth,_Miscarriage,_and_Infant_Death.aspx
- What Do I Say? For Those Who Are Close to the Family(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/572_4057.asp
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Early Pregnancy Loss: Miscarriage and Molar Pregnancy(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp090.cfm
Also available in Spanish http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/sp090.cfm
- Ectopic Pregnancy(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/ectopic-pregnancy/DS00622/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
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Gestational Trophoblastic Tumors (PDQ): Treatment(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/gestationaltrophoblastic/patient/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cancer.gov/espanol/pdq/tratamiento/trofoblastico-de-gestacion/patient/
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Neonatal Death(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/14332_1196.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.nacersano.org/centro/9388_9943.asp
- Recurrent Pregnancy Loss(American Society for Reproductive Medicine) - Links to PDF - http://www.asrm.org/Patients/FactSheets/recurrent_preg_loss.pdf
- Early Miscarriage: Is Stress a Factor?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/early-miscarriage/AN01727/METHOD=print
- Known Health Effects for DES (Diethylstilbestrol) Daughters(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/DES/consumers/about/effects_daughters.html
- Remembering Your Baby(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/572_15995.asp
- When You're Ready to Try Again(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/572_4049.asp
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Dilation and Curettage(Patient Education Institute) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/dilatationandcurettage/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/dilatationandcurettagespanish/htm/index.htm
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Abortion, Spontaneous(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Abortion,+Spontaneous%22
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Fetal Death(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Fetal+Death%22
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Pregnancy, Ectopic(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Pregnancy,+Ectopic%22
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Stillbirth(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Stillbirth%22
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Research on Miscarriage and Stillbirth(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/womenshealth/research/pregbirth/miscarriage_stillbirth.cfm
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Low molecular weight heparin and aspirin for recurrent pregnancy loss:... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19208560&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Maternal MTHFR polymorphisms and risk of spontaneous abortion. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19180309&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Fetal outcome in severe maternal morbidity: too many stillbirths. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19172420&tool=MedlinePlus
- Pregnancy Loss -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(abortion,+spontaneous[majr]+OR+stillbirth[majr]+OR+fetal+death[majr])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Ectopic pregnancy -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=pregnancy,ectopic[majr]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- ACOG's Physician Directory(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - http://www.acog.org/member-lookup/disclaimer.cfm
- Compassionate Friends - http://www.compassionatefriends.org/
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March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation - http://www.marchofdimes.com/
Also available in Spanish http://www.nacersano.org/
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National Institute of Child Health and Human Development - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/
- PeriStats: Perinatal Statistics(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/peristats/
- What Are the Key Statistics for Gestational Trophoblastic Disease?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1X_What_are_the_key_statistics_for_gestational_trophoblastic_disease_49.asp?sitearea=
- Female Reproductive System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/femalereproductivesystem.html
- Pregnancy and Reproduction - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/pregnancyandreproduction.html
- Women - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/women.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Pregnancy Loss is the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/