Is this topic for you? This topic is about the loss of a baby
before 20 weeks of pregnancy. For information about the loss of
a baby after 20 weeks of pregnancy but before the baby is born,
see the topic Reference Stillbirth. What is a miscarriage? A
miscarriage is the loss of a pregnancy during the first 20
weeks. It is usually your body's way of ending a pregnancy that
has had a bad start. The loss of a pregnancy can be very hard to
accept. You may wonder why it happened or blame yourself. But a
miscarriage is no one's fault, and you can't prevent it.
Miscarriages are very common. For women who already know they
are pregnant, about 1 out of 6 have a miscarriage.Reference 1 It
is also common for a woman to have a miscarriage before she even
knows that she is pregnant. What causes a miscarriage? Most
miscarriages happen because the fertilized egg in the uterus
does not develop normally. A miscarriage is not caused by
stress, exercise, or sex. In many cases, doctors don't know what
caused the miscarriage. The