Library · Disease
Early pregnancy loss
Make it clearer
Early pregnancy loss is what almost everyone calls a miscarriage. Medicine has kept changing the name, but it refers to the same thing: the loss of a pregnancy that was inside the uterus, that had been documented, and that was not going to develop normally.
In more than six out of ten losses that happen between the sixth and the tenth week, fetal chromosomal abnormalities are thought to be the cause. Chromosomes are the packages DNA is organized into, and as the embryo forms there can be one too many, one too few, or a whole extra set: those are trisomies, monosomy and polyploidy. In most of these losses, a piece was missing or extra when the chromosomes were divided up.
And it is common. Between ten and twenty percent of pregnancies that are clinically recognized end this way. The most common risk factor is advanced maternal age.
In brief
Early pregnancy loss, also called miscarriage, is the loss of a documented, nonviable intrauterine pregnancy.
In more than 60% of losses between six and ten weeks, the cause is thought to be fetal chromosomal abnormalities such as trisomies, monosomy and polyploidy.
In most of these losses, a piece was missing or extra when the chromosomes were divided up.
It occurs in 10% to 20% of clinically recognized pregnancies, and the most common risk factor is advanced maternal age.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingEarly Pregnancy Loss (Spontaneous Abortion), StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated